On Tuesday, Donald Trump barrelled through the primaries once again, winning Michigan and Mississippi. Not that I’m surprised this time around; after winning Super Tuesday with landslide victories, it appears that the sky has turned green for the businessman.
Donald Trump, or Donald Drumpf, as championed by late night host John Oliver, has been saturating every outlet of my social media, bludgeoning every one of my senses with his smug, holier-than-thou smirk, duck lips and wispy toupee. When I first discovered he was running for president more than a year ago, I dismissed him immediately. I thought it was going to be another failed venture, echoing its pitfalls of predecessors like Trump University.
Much to my dismay, he has succeeded so far on all fronts.
Even my younger sister, a high schooler who lives in Canada, knows about Trump’s notoriety. Information between geographical regions always diffuses from higher to lower concentrations.
“He sucks.”
She left it at that.
It has been easy to dismiss him as a raving lunatic who poses no threat. Until now. "Make America Great Again" can be easily brushed as the broad sweeping statement of white supremacists, the legion of supporters Trump doesn’t like to associate with, but doesn’t firmly detach from.
Videos of Youtubers asking Trump supporters about quotes allegedly said by Trump (but really, said by Hitler) circulate the web. Trump retweeted a quote attributed to Mussolini, which was made by a spoof Twitter account. Trump did this that showed how racist he is. Trump did that.
There is a lot of idiocy in the world, but it is highly unlikely that all of Trump’s supporters were severely dropped on their heads as children. For some, there is logic in his crude appeal. His trademark line is “The American dream is dead,” and for people who have seen their job sector monopolized by automated machines and globalization, people who have seen their careers fall below their parents’ success, it is true. Does it still count as the American dream when you make less than your parents, and are twice as miserable?
Although he may not be skilled in most things save for maintaining his fake tan, his main talent — and a horribly remarkable one at that — is his ability to incite both fear and entitlement. Yes, you can rise to greatness (what is that, by the way?) once again! You don’t have a job sector any more? The most obvious solution is to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border! All the problems stem from the immigrants! All the other countries in the world are out to get us. A critique from the Pope? Well, guess we should excommunicate him.
These statements, so ludicrous when separate, congeal into a mass of hysteria when put together. People are afraid. And Trump boldly strides into the midst with a profanity and crudeness that normal politicians would never dream about doing.
Surprisingly, in the several times that I have seen him on talk shows, one-to-one with the host, his demeanor is a diminished version of the spittle-firing, red-faced squirrel I see in debates or public speeches. (Rather, the recap of those debates. I haven't the patience or mental capacity to watch them in full.) Every time I see his face, I expect a full raging tirade that spews whenever his mouth opens.
For me, his appeal lies in the entertainment value. First off, he is a great conversation starter. Use Trump as a substitute for “great weather today,” or “nice shoes.” Really, nothing unites people like a common enemy.
Since people have been clamoring for Canada (if Donald Trump is elected President), it is my duty as Canadian to welcome all Trump avoiders.
Come. We have Trudeau.
Sabrina Wang is a sophomore Neuroscience major from Vancouver.
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