The most recent election has effected nothing, if not controversy. In the hours prior to the release of the final tally, the tension was higher than Trump Tower. The campaign did little to pacify the nation. The whole thing was dirty—riddled with name-calling and mud-slinging and allegations and a whole lot of digging; it revealed the darkest, most unsavory aspects of each candidate, leaving, for many, the winner of America’s 2016 Presidential Election to be decided by who sucked the least. Whatever silver lining edged the suits of each candidate was quickly buried under a mountain of filth and false notions.
By the brawl’s end, Donald Trump’s peculiar tactics won him the championship belt; on the morning of November 8th, he was announced as the President-elect of 2016. Half of the nation practically keeled over in disgust, beginning one of the world’s biggest trainwrecks in the new millennium. Ignoring the bitter and hateful remarks toward Trump, many of the qualms held against him are very much valid. Some call into question the character of our President-elect, who, they believe, displays subtle—and sometimes blatant—disrespect for women and minority groups such as immigrants and the LBGTQ+ community. Truly enough, some of the things that Trump said in the past were highly offensive. He suggested once a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” in response to global terror threats, at least “until our country’s representatives [could] figure out what [was] going on.” [1] Another time, he made a generalization about illegal immigration from Mexico, asserting that the people that come carry along with them a lot of “problems;” “they’re bringing drugs… they’re bringing crime… they’re rapists.” [2] These statements put a lot of people on edge, and reflected poorly on the President-elect’s character. To try to excuse the absurd and crude nature of what Trump said is futile and tactless, but there is no justice in ignoring Trump’s intentions in saying them, either. I don’t think that Trump meant to be hateful. Look more closely beyond the bizarre proposition of banning Muslims and walling off Mexico: therein lies a desire to benefit the lives of Americans as a whole. Bear with me for a moment, and consider what Trump said following his statement on Muslim extremism:
“Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.” [1]
Donald Trump is not a politician. He perceived a threat to the American people and responded out of frustration. Trump admits his own ignorance, that we do not fully understand the situation, and though he may have chosen his words poorly, he meant to reassure the citizens of America that he wants to help them. Thus, for what little it may be worth, Trump had his heart in the right place.
Regardless of Trump’s insensitive words, there is something to be said about the fact that he won the election in the first place. 60 million voting Americans saw something in Trump that the others did not, and unless half the electorate really is deplorable, drawing that kind of support is a commendable feat. In fact, something very important can be taken away from Trump’s victory. That such a sheer amount of people were able to get over the horrible and inexcusable comments Trump has made and go out and check his name on the ballot means that there exists in him a trait or traits that are that much more beneficial to his character than his unsavory comments were detrimental. Suppose he did not have a good side: assuming Trump were to even get past the Primaries, he would have certainly been crushed in the general election; Hillary would have won by a landslide. And yet, she did not. If we were to consider few hundred thousand votes in favor of the Donald a fluke, (remember that CNN once gave him a 1% chance of even getting the nomination [3]) then we must consider 60 million votes a statement. This in itself commands a reevaluation of the way we look at Trump. That being said, why not take a look at his good side?
Contrary to popular belief, not all of what Donald Trump says is inflammatory nonsense. At the Republican National Convention, Trump lent his support to those affected by the Orlando shooting by promising that, if elected, he would do “everything in [his] power to protect our LBGQT citizens from the violence and oppression of hateful foreign ideology.” If the positive side of Trump’s character didn’t make itself clear enough, Trump proceeded to express his joy at the sound of the audience’s applause following that statement. Even if you question the sincerity of his statement, it’s certainly a reassuring gesture with positive influence on America’s push toward acceptance.
Similarly, Donald Trump advocated gender equality in his business, as revealed in his book, Crippled America. Consider the following excerpt:
“None of the people who whine about the way I talk to women mention the fact that I voluntarily promoted gender equality in a male-dominated industry. The women who have worked for me will vouch for the fact that I was as demanding of them as I was of their male counterparts.
That’s the kind of ‘gender equality’ we need: leadership that inspires the best in people.” [4]
Trump’s ideology of treating women as equals is evidenced by his practice of it, and even though he has made a variety of offensive and demeaning comments about and to women in the past, the testament to his true character is what he does, rather than what he says.
In addition, the people who know Trump personally and have worked with him can speak first-hand about his positive influence on them, regardless of their race or gender. Lynne Patton, African American and Vice President of the Eric Trump Foundation exemplified this in her speech at the Republican National convention, where she said the following:
“I am proud of my African American heritage, and I am proud to stand before you tonight and support Donald trump, not just in spite of the color of my skin, but in fact because of the color of my skin.”
She unabashedly stood up for the person that she knows Donald Trump is, further developing the hidden, positive, and professional persona of Donald Trump that is often buried. Though he may not be the most politically correct, Donald Trump is neither racist, sexist, nor opposed to modern civil rights, just as he and those around him are not afraid to declare.
Finally, the lack of political experience that so many people worry about may have been beneficial to Trump’s campaign, and it might be for the nation, too. Because Trump has such little experience as a politician, he is already a little more trustworthy in the eyes of the American people. He isn’t well versed in the art of deception, and he isn’t going to able to hide much of what he does, not that such a forthcoming man would want to. His motives for running are simple and clear. As he summed it up in an interview in Wausau, Wisconsin, he has no reason to run other than for the good of the nation. He has a highly successful business, he has so much money, and he lives with a lovely family in his own freaking tower. Forget the White House: Trump lives in a mansion of gold [5]. Yet, he set it all aside to take a lower-paying job in a smaller house with more responsibilities simply because he wants “to give back [his] country.” He wants to do right by us. He wants to “make America great again.” Whether that phrase is inspiring or infuriating to you, the appeal of such a simple and patriotic motive is undeniable. Voters in America were fed up with lies and scandal and people hiding things, so they found themselves endeared to Donald Trump’s forthright intention to bring America back to the forefront of the world. He stood for you and me, and like it or not, that’s what drew out the fervid support for Donald Trump.
You may love Donald Trump to death, or wish it upon him, but regardless of who you are, the next four years are certain to bring change; make of them what you will. Donald Trump really does have a positive side hiding under all of that dirt, and if you have any faith in America as a whole, you know well enough we will move along the right path regardless of what happens.
After all…
We ‘ndured the campaign, braved the election.
America spoke, made its selection.
‘Twas unexpected, but rest you assured:
Together we chose the Shiniest Turd.
References
[1] “Donald J. Trump Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration.” Donald J Trump. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., 7 Dec. 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.
[2] Ortiz, Gabe. “America’s Voice.” Donald Trump’s Immigration Quotes Are Totally Unrecognizable From Past Republican Presidents. America’s Voice, 05 May 2016. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.
[3] Diaz, Daniella. “Analysis: Trump Has 1% Chance of Nomination Politics.com.” CNN Politics, CNN, 9 July 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.
[4] Crippled America, by Donald Trump, p.166, Nov 3, 2015
[5] Seriously, just look at this. Geez Louise. http://www.idesignarch.com/inside-donald-and-melania-trumps-manhattan-apartment-mansion/
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