If you tune into any news station in the United States at this time, I bet you they're talking about Donald Trump. When Trump first announced his presidency, my first thought was, "Is this a joke?" and I'm still thinking this today.

Donald Trump is known mostly because he's a billionaire, because he works in real estate, because of a television show where the most memorable thing was he said, "You're fired." Now he is also a Republican candidate for the 2016 Presidential election. On July 20th, Trump was ahead with a 24% favorite of the registered Republican party and Republican-leaning independents. REPUBLICANS ARE ACTUALLY SUPPORTING HIM.

Because all of the news stations are talking about Donald Trump, none of the other candidates are getting any attention, Republican or Democrat. Just last night, another person announced their candidacy and it might has well have been an intrusive pop-up message: it interrupted the Trump conversation.

What is the most interesting thing to me is that Trump is pitting Republicans against themselves. Instead of talking about important issues, Republicans that are not Trump, are FIGHTING Trump. When a Republican candidate makes an appearance, they're asked about Trump almost always. I don't know what the Democrats are doing because the media is so focused on Trump. I have to go digging through news sources to find the least bit intelligent article on any candidate. It should not be this hard.

Here are some of Trump's political beliefs so far (if you're interested):

On Foreign Policy - Mr. Trump claimed last month that he had devised a “foolproof way” to defeat the Islamic State “very quickly.” But he refused to divulge it, saying he did not “want the enemy to know what I’m doing.” He calls President Obama “one of the worst things that’s ever happened to Israel,” and blames him for deteriorating U.S.-Israeli relations. He says Russian-backed separatists are acting aggressively in Ukraine because the United States is “not a respected country and we don’t have respected leadership at this moment” – but says America’s European allies should confront Russia.

On Immigration - Mr. Trump – whose mother emigrated from Scotland – says illegal immigrants are “destroying the fabric of the country” while the middle class is getting “decimated.” He opposes efforts to grant legal status to undocumented immigrants, calling that a “suicide mission” for Republicans because “every one of those 11 million people will be voting Democratic.” He proposes instead to fortify the nation’s borders by building “a real wall” to keep immigrants out.

On Same-Sex Marriage - Mr. Trump says that his views on marriage are “evolving” but that he still favors “traditional marriage,” between “a man and a woman.” (He has been married three times.) Same-sex marriage, he says, isn’t his “thing.”

On the Environment - He does not just deny that climate change is occurring; he calls it a hoax, and says those who warn of global warming only want to raise taxes. He is less outspoken on other environmental issues, though he sued unsuccessfully in 2013 to block plans for wind turbines in Scotland that would power 65,000 homes, arguing, in part, that they would mar the view from a golf course he was proposing to build.

On the Economy and Budget - Trump believes reckless government borrowing and stimulative policies by the Federal Reserve threaten the long-term health of the American economy and undermine the dollar, which, he said in 2012, “is going to go to hell.” He strongly opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, calling it “an attack on America’s business” that fails to penalize Asian nations like Japan when, he says, they engage in currency manipulation to boost exports. He takes particular aim at China, accusing it of currency manipulation and flooding the United States with low-cost exports that “are truly hurting our economy and our jobs” – including, as it turns out, products with the Trump label. He attacked Mr. Obama last year for visiting China and “celebrating the fact that they’re ripping us off.” (The New York Times)

If you want to any more about Donald Trump, just turn on your television. If you want to know about the other 15+ candidates, do some research, here's a start: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/electio...

As it stands today, Donald Trump is the face of the Republican party. Republican, Democrat, Independent: how do you feel about this?

To all of you adults out there (that means you, if you're 18+ years old), get out there and VOTE!