Trust and politics are two concepts that typically do not mesh well together. As the general sentiment towards politicians continues to trend downward, the public is ferociously looking for a figure on the 2016 Presidential campaign trail to reject the status quo presented by career politicians.
Somehow, that person is Donald Trump. Starting with his fiery language in relation to immigration, Trump has seen his polling numbers in the past several months skyrocket among his GOP competition. The average Real Clear Politics poll shows Trump’s support among Republicans at 22 percent, with Jeb Bush far behind at just 10.7 percent. In an already crowded GOP field, its interesting that between 17 diverse and generally respected candidates, it would be reality star/apprentice-firing/real estate mogul Donald Trump dominating the polls.
Donald Trump has yet to slip up on the campaign trail as many political strategists predicted he would. We're almost to a point where no matter what he says, voters flock to campaign events and tune into television interviews. There is clearly an anger his rhetoric has tapped into, not only about immigration, but about the economy, competition with China in global markets, and America’s role in defense on the world stage.
But while Trump continues to pitch himself as an independent Washington outsider with conservative principles, his record shows something very different. He has admitted to identifying more as a Democrat in the past, believing that their economies were better than Republicans', and that the United States should institute a single-payer health care system. Among other questionable liberal and even unconstitutional positions, Trump has far from proven himself a reliable, staunch conservative.
As for being a Washington outsider, Trump straight up admitted during the debate that he has “donated to” (read, paid) politicians when they ask him to, in return for favors. For donating to the Clinton Foundation, he says he only asked Bill and Hillary to attend his wedding, but what else could have possibly asked from others?
As Hillary continues to drop in the polls, especially in her marks for trustworthiness, it is of dire importance the GOP find a candidate that can score high in those marks. In almost every previous election, candidate's voting records and stances were scrutinized down to every piece of legislation. Those with often changing positions were called wafflers and flip floppers, and were the subject of most campaign attack ads.
So what makes Trump different? Because he pulls large crowds and calls people stupid? While it may be easy to agree with what Donald Trump is saying, it’s another discussion to wholeheartedly believe he will follow through on his policies.
Trust must be earned, not bought. And while Trump may value his own net worth at over eight billion dollars, not a penny has been spent on establishing steadfast and consistent principles. He is first and foremost a businessman, and right now, the GOP nomination is looking like his best return on investment.
