There has never been a time that I have agreed with Jeb Bush more than when he said, “Donald Trump is a chaos candidate.” While it may have been a last ditch effort by a dying campaign, that doesn’t make the saying any less true.
Donald Trump represents chaos. He stands for hatred, destruction and mayhem. He is one of the greatest potential dangers to our country and yet, last week, he was declared the official nominee of the Republican Party for president of the United States.
Donald Trump: the man who called Mexicans rapists, the man who calls women “fat pigs,” the man who wished an attack on the pope. That man is now the standard bearer for one of the two major American political parties. Yet, even with the Republican National Convention wrapped up, Trump’s need for conflict is never satisfied.
Recently, the New York Times compiled a list, which they update regularly, of the “239 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter.” After reading it, it blows my mind that people can see a leader out of nothing more than a bully with a Twitter account. Jeb Bush may have been right when he said, “You can’t insult your way to the Presidency.” Sadly for Jeb, that doesn’t include the nomination.
Imagine any other president in history insulting at even only a tenth of the rate of Trump. Picture Washington saying, “Crooked King James shouldn’t force us to pay taxes for his ugly wig.” Or Lincoln saying, “The Confederacy is a total light-weight. Sad!” Or Reagan saying “Ridiculous, Mr. Gorbachev, make Berlin pay for this wall.” It is funny to think of but the laughs stop when Trump holds the nuclear codes.
And that is what makes Trump so dangerous. While the occasional jab at John Kasich is rather meaningless during the primaries, Trump’s threats, insults and rhetoric can actually destroy our country if he is given the power to do so. Being President means being commander-in-chief and our foreign affairs are too important to gamble on.
Remember: Trump wants to initiate a trade war with China, which will destroy the United States economy. He called for abandoning NATO, unraveling 70 years of foreign policy. Trump thinks that the Middle East would be better today if Gaddafi, Hussein and Assad were stronger during their respective rule.
I am going to say it. Donald Trump is the most dangerous major candidate for President in decades, if not since our country’s founding. His racist and fear-mongering rhetoric is only comparable to former Alabama Governor George Wallace.
Both want to build a wall to prevent people from achieving their dream, whether it is concrete on the Rio Grande or a man in front of Foster Auditorium. While Wallace focused primarily on African Americans, Trump has expanded his hatred of minorities to include Hispanics, Muslims, Asians and the disabled.
While one could argue that Wallace is more outspokenly racist and destructive, Donald Trump is truly the most dangerous of the two. The reason why is simple: Trump might win.
Currently, forecasting website 538’s election model gives Trump a 46 percent chance of winning this November; at least with George Wallace, it was clear he never had a chance. Now, almost 50 years later, the hatred and bigotry that defined Alabama is on the verge of defining our country – unless we stop it on election day.
