Billionaire Republican presidential canidate Donald Trump has been the topic of conversation lately as he leads early polls.
His disrespectful antics, lack of experience, and questionable legitimacy all leave us unsure of just how serious Trump is.
So why did Trump raise so many eyebrows by announcing his presidential run? Fine Arts major Gabe Cortez, 19, explains, “He’s not a typical politician and a lot of his popularity comes from being a celebrity.” Perhaps, Trump sees this as an opportunity to gain more popularity.
Presidential candidacy is a virtuous way to gain instant publicity and, of course, Trump is all about making money.
As a man who has no prior experience in politics, it is hard to take Trump seriously.
As 19-year-old journalism major Jeremy Sayben suggests, “He’s just really a showman who’s getting into politics. He’s looking at it as another reality show.”
From outlandish ideas such as building a wall to keep out Mexicans and cut back immigration, to bashing fellow presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina, there is a lot to be said about Trump’s antics.
Democratic counter-part, Bernie Sanders, weighed in on Trump’s shocking political success.
“What Trump is doing is appealing to the baser instincts among us — xenophobia, and, frankly, racism,” Sanders said in an interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. “You target some group of people, you go after them. You take people’s anger and you turn it against them. You win votes on that. I think that is disgraceful and not something we should be doing in 2015.”
Trump has made significant progress in the polls by playing on the anger and displeasure a lot of people have for the current political establishment by using vague catchphrases such as “We’re going to make America great again” and “We need leadership.”
This lack of detail in regards to what leadership Trump will actually bring has led to a sense that many people are still not taking Trump seriously despite his current position.
Business major Brian Kaelin said, “For now, I’ve been taking it as a joke, but if Trump continues to do well in the polls I’ll start to worry about whether or not this guy is going to be our next president.”
He is undoubtedly hurting his image as he is beginning to lose respect for his foolishness. Trump’s Republican adversaries have begun to take bites out of his lead in the polls. According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Ben Carson is now virtually tied for the front-runner status in the Republican Primary.
Carson, a retired Neurosurgeon, may see his rise in the polls cut short after his remarks about a Muslim president saw criticism from much of the media.
“I would have problems with somebody who embraced all the doctrines associated with Islam,” Carson told CNN reporters.
Despite what looks like a mistake for Carson’s campaign, a recent Rasmussen poll shows that 51% of Americans agree with Carson in not supporting a Muslim president.
Business major, Toni Valentini, 19, agrees when she says, “I would say he presents himself as uneducated as far as political speaking goes. He says whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants and I don’t think that is a good quality of a leader.”
However, the rise of candidates such as Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina has not taken a bite out of the media coverage that Trump has gained throughout the early primary stages.
Perhaps this in-your-face approach to politics is all part of Trump’s plan to make it to office, but early on people already question his legitimacy.
Psychology major Marisa Faia, 19, stated firmly that “Trump is not anywhere near qualified to be president.” Sayben agrees, saying, “I don’t think his intentions are pure. He’s a showman no matter what he does.”
Bucks students seem unimpressed with Trump to say the least. As the campaigns roll on, it will be important to see if Trump can hold strong as many people have already turned their backs on the outspoken, rash businessman.