Donald Trump has a presence.
Whether you find him intriguing, disgusting, ignorant or hilarious, he is impossible to ignore at this point in the presidential race. He dominates the conversation and the polls, but his antics are more akin to a reality TV star rather than the potential leader of the free world.
He taps into the deep-rooted anger the American people have with the political system. He’s saying things no one else will, in a way no politically correct individual would think of uttering.
While we laugh at the rumors of butt implants and lip injections, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” offers nothing of substance to television. The same goes for Donald Trump, it is impossible to ignore his racist comments and moral ineptitude, yet the American people don’t see him as a drain on society.
Why is this? At what point did the self-proclaimed greatest democracy become a political dog-and-pony show?
While Trump makes points many of Americans agree with, he illustrates the weakness of the political system. The American people are being led like sheep to the most entertaining candidate, forgetting that racism and callousness were not ideals this country was founded upon.
The only real policy proposal he offered is an ill-conceived immigration plan that consists of building a multi-million-dollar wall between Mexico and the U.S. and ending birthright citizenship. Immigration is a problem, but changing the U.S. Constitution and walling off another country are not particularly viable options for remedying the issue. He fails to see these ideas would be nearly impossible to implement given our current economic and political environment. I can’t help but watch with awe as Trump soars in the polls, not without acknowledging his presence is more of a comedic distraction than a serious choice for the next president of the U.S.
This is not the opinion the rest of the world has, however, as the pure shock value of his candidacy has lit a fire under the Republican Party. Perhaps he has ignited a fire, and at the least he has people interested in a primary election. But his distasteful behavior also sparks prejudice and the demise of the electoral system.
The world will continue to watch “The Donald Trump Show” to see if he will hold the highest office in the country. If he actually wins the presidency, I’ll be moving to Mexico with the “rapists and murderers,” where at least I’ll be safe from his God-awful toupee.
Mariah Manuel is a mass communication senior from Lake Charles, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @mariah_manuel.