Donald Trump: Clown or Political Threat?

With the US election primaries well under way in preparation for November the 8th 2016, much of its media coverage has crossed the Atlantic and reached our shores. Yet names like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton seem dwarfed when it comes to Donald Trump.

With a name (and face...) that has so much potential for comedy value, it is no wonder many in this country view him as a clown. He is a caricature of himself. Much of what he says is so preposterous it becomes hilarious.

His social media activity is a source of much hilarity, from dipping his toe in trivial celebrity feuds:

"I watched Russell Brand @rustyrockets on the @jimmyfallon show the other night-what the hell do people see in Russell — a major loser!"

"Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again--just watch. He can do much better!"

to expressing his doubt over whether Obama was really born in the United States:

"I really don’t know. I don’t know why he wouldn’t release his records; but, honestly, I don’t want to get into it."

Sometimes it is so fun to watch Trump' absurdities that we are in danger of losing sight of just how terrifying it really is that this man could be the leader of arguably the most powerful country in the world. 

You only have to look at footage of his so called 'rallies', that bizarre cheerleading display, or even his own website to realise that there is very real support for him and his policies in the run up to the election.

So the question is why?! How has a 69 year old businessman and reality tv star managed to rack up such a group of avid supporters?

Trump is unapologetically controversial and utterly shameless. He is different from the other candidates, rashly decisive and domineering. And it seems people are attracted to that in a presidential candidate. But his real talent is his ability to harness feelings of fear, anger and resentment in the American people in order to portray himself as the solution to the problem. In short, he is good at convincing people that he is the solution that will "make America great again".

The majority of Donald Trump's campaign success rides on his immigration policy. And to be honest, most of the UK media has focused on this too. In a political climate where there is an omnipresent threat of terrorism, political polarization is bound to occur. We've seen it happen in history again and again. When talking about Mexican immigrants, Trump claims:

"They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists".

His solution to these ludicrous claims is to build a wall across the US' southern border (warranting brilliant criticism from the Pope).

“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me —and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

In reality, the crime rate amongst 1st generation immigrants is lower than that of native born americans. Nice one Trump.

Footage of this Muslim woman getting escorted out of a Trump rally for her silent protest is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Trump's vehement xenophobia towards Muslims. His position has been made quite clear:

"They're not coming to this country if I'm president. And if Obama has brought some to this country they are leaving, they're going, they're gone."

Hispanics and Muslims are by no means the only victims targeted by Trump and his bigotry. Some of his comments about women are so incomprehensibly disgusting that it is a wonder any self-respecting woman is supporting him...

"It's certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on 'The Apprentice' were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal."

Trump said to a female reporter in a clip featured on "Last Week Tonight."

"You wouldn't have your job if you weren't beautiful."

Talking about his own daughter:

“Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father . . . ”

The thought of having Trump in power is horrendous, and it worries me that so many Americans are fooled by his loud-mouth and his campaign's garish propaganda. Analytics indicate that Trump's supporters are predominantly aged 50+, white, male and are largely uneducated compared with the rest of the population. As the NY Times puts it, in areas where racial hostility is highest, there are also higher proportions of older and less educated people.

This if anything merely serves to highlight the importance of education in being able to make informed decisions regarding politics and government. The misguided support for Trump is born out of ignorance and lack of education. It can be seen in the UK too. A map showing geographical location of UKIP supporters has almost no overlap with where immigrants live in the UK. Prejudicial views against immigrants highlights ignorance.

To end up with Trump as president would be a colossal step backwards in the progression of a society that celebrates diversity and should be building bridges, not walls. It is important therefore to recognise Donald Trump for who he is and what he stands for. It is easy to dismiss his views as media entertainment, but a thoughtful consideration of why people support him will help people unpack his tactics of harnessing those feelings of fear, and hopefully expose how detrimental his presidential leadership would be to modern society.

"There is too much at stake for us to surrender to the politics of polarization". - Brad Henry