Donald Trump a British Perspective

Donald J. Trump in some parts of America is viewed as a refreshing alternative to the other republican candidates, who are often seen to simply appease the pressure groups for monetary backing in the election. When many Americans who are supporting trump are asked why they are going to vote for him, they say he isn’t corrupted by ‘Washington politics ‘and that he is exposing the hypocrisy from within. This to some extent echoes what is happening in many other western nations including the UK, with our equivalent of Trump being Nigel Farage. A far right politician who uses immigration, like Trump, as a scape goat to pin all of the nation’s problems upon. However worryingly in the USA Donald Trump is making a far larger impact in the election than Nigel Farage could ever wish for in the UK. From an average Britons perspective we can certainly understand that Trump could be gaining popularity simply because like Nigel Farage, he is a viable protest vote. What we are seeing is the darkest side of American politics, where Trump feeds off the fear of average Americans instead of actual policies. In return the people present in his political rallies, are somehow convinced by this rhetoric and many of them as I will mention further on, become quite fanatical.
Firstly I’d like to point out that if Trump held a political rally here they’re would be a completely different reaction. As he would rattle off the same speech of bigotry that he repeats at ever speech he does the British audience would be bewildered. For example one of his most famous remarks is that he will ‘build a great wall on the Mexican border’ and that the Mexican Government will pay for it. Of course this was after he accused the majority of Mexican immigrants of being rapists, however although this would be nearly an impossible task and he has not once stated how he will actually construct the wall and how he will get the Mexican authorities to pay for the wall. The BBC has estimated the total cost for the wall to be between 2.2 Billion to 13 billion dollars. From a British perspective this would be like building a wall on the coast of England and bricking up the channel tunnel, and then of course asking the French Government to pay for it all. It is appalling that this is not only one of his main policies but also the fact that a percentage of the American population are falling for it. One of his less mentioned policies that is actually likely to happen if he becomes president is to end the birth citizenship policy, which I believe is one of the most endearing policies of the US. The fact that the off spring of refugees can gain citizenship at birth and be entitled to every opportunity any other American citizen can achieve is why America is considered the land of the free. So why then would the American population, who are fond of this image of America are voting in a man who would tarnish it. In the eyes of many across the Atlantic Trump is seen as a quite backwards figure, taking America back to the isolationism of the 1920s.
Not only does Trump target Hispanic immigrants but also the Muslim population itself within America, this again feeding off the fear of Islamic extremists in the Middle East. He calls for a complete banning of Muslims from entering the United States, this statement alone would have been a death sentence for the career of any British politician. The fact that he has openly said that shows that although the US still has free speech it may not if Donald Trump has his way, free movement. Whether these statements are only to cause controversy on the campaign trail or they are actually Trumps views remains to be seen, as he has often before been accused of using publicity stunts to simply further his campaign. As of course he did when he was building his business empire. What is most troubling, apart from his hideous views of fellow human beings, is the fact that he is probably one of the least qualified individual to run a country. Never mind a Nation that has a huge military and a considerable amount of power on the world stage. You may ask how can you be sure he isn’t up to the presidency? To which I can argue that Trump wasn’t even a successful business man at the beginning, as he claimed bankruptcy a total of 4 times. So if he failed the first 4 times at running a successful business then why would he make a great president? He would only get one chance at that. It is almost impossible to see America better off under the stewardship of Trump. As although during the campaign he may make bold promises and feed off the fearful and paranoid populous, but if sworn into office he would struggle with the day to day task of the presidency. Yes he will be well suited to the public life of the president, making speeches and generally being the showman he is. But convincing Congress to go along with his radical policies is a different matter completely.
However looking aside from his actual politics the character of the man himself can be seen as the exact opposite of presidential. He can only be described as a bully towards his opponents, as he openly taunts his opponents instead of focusing on the key political issues. He does not save his abuse simply for his political opponents but anyone who openly criticise him. Examples like his comments about John McCain and his time as a prisoner of war, saying he ‘prefer people who weren’t captured’. Another example of Trumps disgusting behaviour is when he openly mocked journalist Serge Kovaleski of his disabilities. These are not the attributes you want with any leader never mind the leader of the supposed free world. His view of women are just as bad by calling some of them ‘fat pigs’, which leaves many to wonder just why any women in her right mind would vote for such a man. What is even more troubling is the fact that his followers are often mimicking his aggressive attitude. Jibril Hough for example, an American Muslim who protested at a trump rally soon found himself a target for the audience who beat him and threw him out of the building. This makes Trumps rallies seem a lot less like a US presidential election and more like a rally of an authoritarian state. Where opposing opinions are silenced with force It’s clear that trump does not belong in this century of politics; he may seem on the surface as a fresh opinion in a swamp of stagnating political thought, but his bigoted and radical views of how to make ‘America great again’ will in fact complete the opposite. For the country Donald Trump is the head of would not be great but it would also not resemble the US which stands up for freedom across the globe.