Donald Trump. When he first announced that he was going to run for president, I laughed a little and brushed it off because there was no way Donald Trump would stand a chance in the race for the presidency. He had no political experience, his only concern--to my knowledge--had been to make money, and he was a big/hot-headed man with little concern for human life. His plan to run for president was a joke.
Obviously, as time passed, it became less of a joke. Even I found myself thinking, would it really be so bad to have him in office? He knows business; he could be great for the economy. Plus, I thought, maybe his lack of political experience could be a good thing. He's not a slimy politician.
I quickly snapped out of this way of thinking.
Although he may not be a slimy politician, he is far from being a decent human being. There are quite a few reasons why Donald Trump is unfit to be the leader of the free world. Throughout the campaign, we have seen his tendency to belittle and interrupt his opponents, his grand and empty promises, and his failure to answer important questions with any sort of logic, evidence, or rational thought. His only claim is to "make America great again." What does that even mean?
Above all this, there is a reason no self-respecting individual should vote for him: He is blatantly sexist and racist.
Women alone make up half the population of the United States. Furthermore, women are valuable human beings. Would it really be in our best interest to have a leader who disrespects and objectifies half the people of our country? The president is elected by us, to serve us. The chances of Trump doing anything to improve the lives of women while in office would be slim. Why would we even consider electing someone so blatantly disrespectful to half of us? The notion is ridiculous.
Nobody can deny the sexist aura that emanates from Donald Trump. If you don't see it, you must be literally living under a rock. Here are just a few examples of comments he has made, taken from The Telegraph:
"If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?"
"Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
"You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] writes as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."
"All of the women on 'The Apprentice' flirted with me--consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected."
“Rosie O'Donnell is disgusting, both inside and out. If you take a look at her, she's a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running 'The View,' I'd fire Rosie. I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Rosie, you're fired.' We're all a little chubby but Rosie's just worse than most of us. But it's not the chubbiness — Rosie is a very unattractive person, both inside and out."
"26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military--only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men and women together?"
Here's a lovely video compilation of other things Trump has said to and about women.
These aren't just sound bytes or words being twisted. These are common things he says, and they reflect a deeply misogynistic character. It's the 21st century. We cannot have a president that doesn't respect women.
As I said, Trump is also undeniably racist. According to Huffington Post, Trump has attacked Muslim Gold Star parents (because of their religion), claimed a judge was biased because he was Mexican, been sued twice for not renting apartments to African Americans, has made generalizations about Mexicans being "criminals" and "rapists," and has been a strong proponent of the racist conspiracy theory that President Obama was not born in the United States. Furthermore, even if he is not making blatantly offensive racist comments, he still treats minority groups as monoliths, referring to large and diverse groups of people as "The Muslims," "The Blacks," and "The Hispanics."
For a country that prides itself on its diversity, Trump's comments are concerning. Historically, social and political power have been in the hands of white men. But times are changing. We are in the midst of the third wave of feminism and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many people recognize the lack of racial and gender equality that exists in our country and in the world, and we are moving to change that. However, when somebody like Donald Trump comes along and threatens our efforts (which are backed by rational thought), it is a problem.
It doesn't matter how effective he may be at running a business, because the government is more than a business. Our government is a lens through which the rest of the world sees us. It provides us with role models, security, and hope. If we want to have any chance of progressing as a nation that values each and every one of its members (not just white males), we need a president who respects all life. Donald Trump is not the man for the job.
