When Donald Trump announced that he would run for President of the United States in June of 2015, many Americans saw it as a joke or a publicity stunt. As time passed, however, it turned from just another funny news story to the disheartening reality that Donald Trump might actually rule our country. He wasn't the first celebrity to make such an announcement, either. Kanye West announced his plans to run for president in the 2020 election, a claim that caused a brief social media uproar but died down as soon as people realized that it was just another one of Kanye's ridiculous antics. Even Atlanta-based rapper Waka Flocka Flame tried to run for political office in 2016, and planned to carry out sweeping reforms such as banning dogs from restaurants, requiring schools to teach children his song lyrics and, of course, immediately legalizing marijuana. Obviously, his political campaign didn’t make it much further than the Twittersphere. As Americans, we’re used to seeing candidates that are grossly unqualified running for office. However, we’ve never seen someone with as little political experience as Donald Trump make it as incredibly far as he has. Only five presidents without previous political experience have ever been elected, and three of them were decorated army generals. Even Herbert Hoover and William Howard Taft, who didn't boast any honorable service medals, were both members of the Presidential Cabinet. So how is it possible for someone like Donald Trump to gain so much popularity, especially given his outrageously politically incorrect remarks? As it turns out, it is this very lack of diplomatic tact and complete disregard for standard protocol that makes him so popular among many active voters.

Jeff Guo, writing for the Washington Post, lists a few reasons on why Trump's polarizing personality and controversial statements are his most effective tactic. First and foremost, it must be said that there are many Americans that don’t support illegal immigrants or Muslims, and Donald Trump strongly appeals to this crowd. A great portion of our population supports his signature campaign issues of deporting all illegal immigrants in the U.S., building a huge wall at the border and blocking Syrian refugees from entering the country. As Jim Tankersley writes, “By more than a 2 to 1 margin, Republicans who supported Trump in the poll said immigrants weaken society”, despite the wealth of studies by government agencies like the USDA and the Pew Research Center that suggest otherwise. However, this isn’t enough to stop people from blaming our nation’s stagnant wages and lackluster job market on illegal immigrants. The vast majority of Trump’s supporters also have a heavy distrust of the Muslim community, and use the recent atrocities committed by ISIS as justification for denying entry to Muslim refugees.

As mentioned before, it is Donald Trump’s complete lack of political correctness that makes him so popular. People are sick and tired of the political establishment. They’re tired of listening to empty promises, fancy prepared speeches and lukewarm approaches to our country’s issues. They see political correctness as the main reason why so many candidates have shied away from taking a firm stance on controversial issues like illegal immigration and Muslim refugees. Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t care what people think of him, doesn’t try to placate every potential voter and isn’t afraid to share his honest thoughts on these controversial issues. Moreover, he has gone off script during many of his speeches, and people interpret this candidness as a sign of authenticity. Not to mention he is personally funding his campaign and can literally afford to say anything he deems fit. This, in turn, makes him appear to be an honest and credible man, even when he makes statements that aren’t based on fact.

Christina Silva from IBTimes also makes several good points about other factors contributing to Trump’s growing popularity. Trump has the advantage of name recognition and studies show that individuals will vote for someone they are already familiar with. Hillary Clinton’s recent email scandal also lost her many voters and because most people won’t consider voting third party, they turn to Trump as their champion. Trump’s business tycoon background also earns him credibility in the economy, and people think that his shrewd business tactics will raise wages and open up job opportunities. Lastly, it must be said that many Trump supporters are only voting for him because they desperately want to keep Hillary out of office and believe that the other two branches of government will shoot down any of Trump's radical proposals.

We are currently in the process of writing history. There have been many Donald Trumps over the years running for office, but if Trump is actually elected, he will be the first president of his kind. Regardless of how one might feel about illegal immigration or Muslims, voters must ask themselves the tough question: is this man is truly fit to be the leader of our country? Participating in the political process is better than staying silent. As Americans, we must not be afraid to vote for who we truly believe in, even if it's a third party long-shot. If Donald Trump wins the vote come November, you will at least be able to say that you played your role, however small it was, in deciding our nation’s future. Don't vote because of what is different, vote because you did your research.