Donald Trump. A man you either love or hate. A man who has captured the American media with his mesmerizing rants and bold claims. A man who might be our next president. The office he is running for is one that deserves honor and respect, two traits I believe Trump lacks. Aside from his general demeanor, however, Trump has done many things that make him unfit for the job he is applying for. Read below the reasons that have impacted my decision to NOT vote Trump 2016.
1. He won't release his tax returns.
Trump has refused to release his tax returns. He is the first candidate in a major party to refuse to do so since the 1970's. Seeing a candidates tax returns can tell us a lot. It can confirm Trump's claims on how wealthy he is. It can let us see how his businesses are really doing. It can let us see how charitable he is. It can let us see if he is upholding the laws of the nation that we "commoners" must follow as well. Trump has denied the importance of his own tax returns, but demanded to see the returns of his VP candidates before making his decision. If he can learn something from the tax returns of Mike Pence and Newt Gingrich, we can probably learn something from his tax returns.
2. He doesn't understand foreign policy.
He, like many people, want to purport the image of America as the greatest country in the world. There is nothing wrong with that image, except when you start talking to other countries with your entitled ego and they refuse to work with you, and by extension, America. He slammed Obama in his foreign policy speech for making a deal with Iran through the UN to lift sanctions placed against them regarding their Nuclear program, provided they reduce their capabilities to enrich uranium, a key element in creating a nuclear bomb. What he fails to understand about Obama's deal is that, while it doesn't directly benefit Americans through monetary purposes, it does allow America and the world unprecedented access to Iran's nuclear facilities where they will be reviewed to ensure their compliance with the UN guidelines. It will actually reduce Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons and could increase the stability of the nation and give us an ally in the Middle East. Additionally, Obama and other leaders have made it very clear that new sanctions will be placed against Iran if they violate any part of the agreement. That is foreign policy. Working with someone who your nation has a "bad history" with and trying to repair those relationships.
Obama also worked to end America's conflict with Cuba. Foreign policy isn't just about what is immediately best for the nation, but about what is best in the long term. It is about compromise. I don't believe Donald Trump, a man who has been entitled his entire life and wants to bully his way through the global community knows what a compromise is. Donald Trump also seems disinterested in continuing alliances we currently have in place, such as our membership in NATO. Foreign policy isn't supposed to be "your country against the world," it's supposed to be "your country working with the world." Abandoning partnerships such as NATO, alienating ourselves from the world... this will NOT be good for America. This will not benefit our country in the long-run. Read his foreign policy speech to the Center for National Interest here.
3. He supports for-profit universities, including his own which is facing multiple lawsuits.
For-profit universities are something I look at with the favorability of liverwurst. They disgust and repulse me, and the mere mention of them sends a shiver down my back. They allow people to "earn" a "degree" that they pay good money for that they will never earn in a job because employers look at that degree as a joke. It's like a fake ID, everyone knows its not real. The difference is, employers aren't as willing as bouncers to overlook its authenticity. The former workers of the university call it a "fraudulent scheme" among other things. You can read more of their comments here. Trump's university was a way to scam Americans out of money so that he and his brand could grow larger. I don't want a president who has clearly shown his main goal in life is to amass wealth at the expense of others.
4. He will not "Make America Great Again."
Kicking out immigrants, banishing the religion and practice of Islam, building a wall to keep diversity out and trap his ideology in, these are not "great" things to be doing. Does something need to be done about illegal immigration? Absolutely. Kicking people out who were trying to escape horrendous situations and didn't have time to stop by the VISA office while escaping a murderous drug lord? Removing valedictorians from the country for a decision their parents made? Not the wisest of ideas. Refusing to allow anyone who is Muslim into our country? Singling out one religion as the problem and deciding that the solution is to disallow the peaceful continuance of its practice in our nation? Not the most effective solution. Suggesting we build a wall which will take time, money, and an unbelievable amount of maintenance? Not the best use of our resources, it also gives me flashbacks to the Berlin Wall. Keeping all of the "bad" influences out and purporting the security of its inhabitants who were desperately trying to escape didn't work very well for Berlin. I don't understand why anyone thinks it will somehow work better in America.
These are four simple reasons I refuse to vote for Trump. There are many more. I don't like his ego. I don't like his platform. I don't trust him or believe him or think he will do anything other than cause our country to sink. I see him as unfit for the office of President of the United States and believe my cat could probably do a better job than he can. In the 2016 election, my vote will not be cast for Donald Trump.
