IS DONALD TRUMP IMMINENT?

by Paula Smith

As the run for the 45^th presidential election quickly approaches we have to ask the question: Is Donald Trump really likely to be the next president of the USA? The polls are currently showing even votes for both Trump and Clinton. Fears, doubts and reservations about Trump are ever present but nevertheless it appears that in five days he could well be voted in. People’s reactions to this are mixed with some claiming he is exactly what America needs and others quite blatantly repulsed by the man’s attitude to politics and life in general.

So is the man just a big mouthed ‘twat’ or does he have some integrity about him? Trump, the 156^th richest person in the USA was born in Queens in New York, ironically one of the most culturally diverse boroughs. This melting pot of ethnicity has obviously not rubbed off on him on any positive level – he still has plans to build a wall to keep illegal immigrants out of the USA. His approach to his audience is one of splendor and extravagance watered down by wearing a baseball cap of some kind.

Now that he is equal in the polls with Clinton we are hearing a lot of unhelpful debate and what is basically a ‘slagging off’ of her. His constant reference to her e-mail scandal and his statement “We have to beat her” tells us that he is using Hilary Clinton’s perceived weaknesses in order to put himself forward. His rhetoric is repetitive and controversial. He claims to be in a good position with African-Americans and the Hispanic community, however, recent tensions with his talk of a wall and a significant increase in black shootings by police may put a different perspective on it.

President Obama gave an inspiring speech where he claimed that Donald Trump is not equipped to be the next president and notes that over time what is considered as crazy becomes normalized. Is that what has happened? What is so appealing about the man to the average US citizen? Sure he is outspoken and direct and let’s face it the only real Republican option, however, we may also say that he is vulgar and imposing. We know in the USA that personality and charisma are very important components of the presidential campaign but surely we must make allowances. What he is proposing certainly sounds extreme and his reasons far-fetched.

The focus now is on the ‘swing states’, which are the states considered crucial to winning the election such as Florida and Ohio. There are eleven of these states all together and they are currently being influenced to the maximum to gain the desirable out- come. Trump’s attitude on gun control is worrying – he claims guns are there to save lives and replaced the emphasis on ‘mental health problems’. The USA has a close alliance with the UK and indeed the man has a golf course in Scotland. Do we have to stand back and watch the USA take a step backwards? Is Hilary Clinton a safer option or the lesser of two evils as some have accused? Will Obama finally be missed when it is too late? And so the countdown begins.