The 2016 Presidential Election has definitely been an interesting one. This election has left us with two major-party candidates that are historically disliked; no past presidential candidates come close to Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in terms of such extreme dislike for a presidential candidate. A recent poll released by ABC News and The Washington Post shows only 44 percent of likely voters say that they would vote for Trump, and 46 percent of likely voters say that they would vote for Clinton. Perhaps Clinton nor Trump have what it takes. This is why neither candidate should be President of the United States.
Let’s begin with Donald Trump. His lack of political experience is the primary reason for his inadequacy for the presidency. If someone is running for one of the most, if not the most, powerful positions in the world, one would expect that individual to have some sort of experience in politics, whether that be a governorship or some other political office. Trump’s lack of experience is worrisome and makes voters weary of if he will be able to handle the position and all the duties that come along with it.
Secondly, as anyone who has ever watched Trump in an interview or listened to him speak would know, he does not have a filter and incites prejudice and hatred. He has been this way since the very beginning. We all remember his horrendous comments about Mexicans being rapists, drug dealers and killers, as well as his degrading comments about women. Even recently, Trump compared Syrian refugees to poisoned skittles, arguing that we should not help out refugees. What kind of candidate talks about the very people that he wants to represent and work with in this way? It’s distasteful and completely unpresidential.
Lastly, in regards to Trump, he constantly changes his stance on issues and never seems to have a clear plan of how he wants to resolve issues in our country. Trump’s immigration policy is a perfect example of this point. According to a NBC News article, Trump has changed his position on his immigration policy 17 times throughout the election. Originally claiming to build a wall and start a deportation force, Trump has now stated that he will deport immigrants, but has not ruled out a path to citizenship. Trump has flip-flopped on so many issues, it’s hard to take him seriously. If you’re going to run for president, you should at least have some clear idea as to what policies you would like to implement. That’s just not the case for Trump.
Hillary Clinton, first of all, is untrustworthy to a majority of American voters. According to a poll by ABC News and The Washington Post, only 36 percent of voters see Clinton as honest and trustworthy. This is an issue that has clouded Clinton for a majority of the election, especially as a result of Clinton constantly being surrounded by scandals.
From Benghazi to the email controversy, Hillary Clinton has had to face a number of scandals during the election. In regards to Benghazi, Clinton was accused of giving out misleading information about the true reason for the attack on the Embassy in Benghazi and for failure to protect Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans working there. She also misled the public when she “short-circuited” her answers about the use of her private email for confidential matters while working at the State Department. She claimed that FBI Director James Comey had said she was “truthful” to the public in discussing the issue surrounding her email, but she, in fact, had twisted the words of the FBI Director to mitigate the scandal. Clinton’s handling of these situations only proves to voters that she doesn’t seem to hold the well-being of the American people in high regard and is untruthful and accepting of public deception. These are not exactly qualities we want for someone who could potentially become President.
Lastly, even though Clinton has faced these numerous scandals, it seems that she is never held accountable for her wrongdoings. As a result, voters are left wondering why she can get away with so much. Politicians should always be held accountable for their actions, so why not her?
It is because of these reasons that both presidential candidates are unfit to serve as President of the United States.