On June 16, 2015, the nation chuckled as billionaire businessperson Donald Trump publicly announced his candidacy for president.
Shortly after, he began polling at the top of his party, and his run for Republican nominee became a reality. Months into the race, with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary under our belts, there is no denying that the former star of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” Donald J. Trump, is one of the top GOP candidates in this year’s presidential election.
Trump’s outlandish rhetoric and offensive statements appear to help his campaign. He has presented himself in a drastically different way than his fellow candidates.
“Donald Trump is set apart by his unorthodox style and disregard for common political practices,” said Hovsep Chaparian, senior business major and president of the political awareness club.
“We have seen him be politically incorrect, call a POW a loser, never apologize, skip debates, attack the media unapologetically [and] attack other candidates’ appearances,” Chaparian said.
This leaves us questioning how and why Republicans love Donald Trump.
Here are some simple reasons why Republican voters support him.
Trump empowers those frustrated with the political establishment; his candidacy is fuel on a fire that has burned for decades.
“You have a public that’s really frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of responsiveness,” said Alex Hindman, Ph.D., professor in the Department of History and Political Science. “The little guy has felt left out and no longer trusts the establishment of either party. Trump appears to be answering this need.”
The collective disapproval of the establishment has voters clinging to Trump; their pent-up frustration now has an outlet through which it can act.
The love for Trump is also rooted in our nation’s overwhelming distrust of the mainstream media. In a sense, this has made Trump’s campaign bullet-proof, allowing him to make pompous and untrue claims without negatively impacting his campaign.
“He isn’t winning on the issues, policies, rhetoric or anything substantial, but is feeding off the hate that the public has against the media and the Washington Cartel,” Chaparian said.
His bombastic nature enables the media to do his campaigning for him.
Trump answers to no one; this is also an appealing factor for voters. He consistently emphasizes the fact that he is completely self-funded, touting the freedom this gives him to remain loyal to his voters and his values.
The simple nature of Trump’s answers appeals to voters exhausted by elaborate plans that never seem to pan out.
“Trump is rambunctious,” Cristie Granillo, a registered Democrat and APU College Counseling and Student Development program graduate student, said. “He has a way of swaying a crowd with rhetoric. For example, after the Paris attacks, he was outspoken about his support for military action as a response to the tragedy. The U.S. population did not feel it was safe and was looking for reassurance on national security.”
Trump offers elementary solutions to voters, which is a breath of fresh air for those who don’t have a deep-seated desire to follow political policies.
Donald Trump is simple. Fellow candidates are offering tiered plans structured in a manner that general voters find incomprehensible. Those longing for clear, simple solutions to problems seem to be turning towards Trump.
The final reason for Trump’s success is the fact that he has been successful in other facets of life. The billionaire real-estate developer and entrepreneur managed to successfully rebuild his empire after bankruptcy, which lends credence to his campaign slogan, “Making America Great Again.” Voters earnestly believe that Trump can rebuild America, just as he did with his estate.
As his run for candidacy progresses, only time will tell if voters will be able to recognize the dangers of giving someone like Donald Trump the power to put his underdeveloped plans into action.