As 2016 starts ticking by, the heat of the election year is only getting more intense. A huge part of this is Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s eccentric and blunt personality, which is grabbing disproportionate media attention and leading to massive political engagement. It seems like a day does not go by without hearing a sexist, racist, or otherwise oppressive comment that Trump has said. So when Cosmopolitan Magazine released an article on their Snapchat entitled “3 Female College Students Explain Why They Support Donald Trump”, I was instantly intrigued. What arguments could these women possibly be making in support of such a misogynistic candidate?
Disclaimer: I in no way renounce the magazine for this publication. I think it is important for journalists to let all sides voice their opinions. But to be candid, upon reading the article, I was appalled. In response I would like to address a few points made in the article.
Q: Why do you support Donald Trump?
A: “He turns nothing into something”
Let me debunk this real quick: We are not nothing. The United States as a country has a lot of problems and complexities, but we are not nothing. Electing a new president does not grant him or her a clean slate. I don’t want someone who can turn nothing into something, I want someone who can analytically look at the country’s problems and offer support and solution for extremely complex issues.
Q: Why do you support Donald Trump?
A: “He’s not afraid to… tell people what is exactly on his mind.”
With the stereotypically dishonest reputation that politicians have gained over the decades, I can understand why Trump’s brutal honesty can come off as refreshing. But it is also dangerous. You know what is exactly on his mind? Probably a lot of ideas, but also a lot of harmful, oppressive opinions that are not okay to voice. If someone is being candidly sexist, do you think “Well it’s okay because at least he/she is being honest?” Nope. Just like it isn’t okay that Trump makes comments like these all the time, like when he called Rosie O’Donnell “disgusting” and “a slob” and referenced looking at her “in that fat ugly face of hers” (Huffington Post).
Q: Why do you support Donald Trump?
A: “He’s not a politician… He’s a very special businessman” “If we keep putting politicians in the White House, regardless of party, we’re just going to get the same result, you know?”
Oh I’m sorry, how dare I wish for a politician to run for a political position! Donald Trump has no political background, of course he should be the leading political figure. I would much rather have a business man, because America is basically a corporation and our citizens are just collateral damage. But let’s look at his business success to give him some credit….oh wait, he has filed for bankrupcy four times. (Do I need to say more?)
Q: How do you think he will “Make America Great Again” and what does that mean?
A: “To make America a Christian nation again… that’s what our forefathers built this country on.”
Interesting, I must have missed that chapter in American History class. Except not, because while I respect the religion as I respect all religions, we are not a Christian nation, and we never have been. To quote the Constitution that our forefathers themselves created, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This clearly does not create the foundation for a nation ruled by any religion, Christianity or otherwise. Furthermore, our founders as individuals intentionally called for acceptance and peace in practicing various religions, such as Thomas Jefferson working for religious freedom in Virginia, creating a bill that “meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination.” (The Founder’s Constitution). So really what this woman is saying is that she would like to see the president go against constitutional law in order to single out as law one religion out of the plethora of spiritualties practiced in our diverse country.
Q: But he does still want to defund Planned Parenthood. (Following “Which of his policies do you support?)
A: “I know that’s what he said, but I don’t take him 100 percent at his word.”
Picking and choosing when you believe a candidate is telling the truth is a dangerous game to play. Personally, I would like to think that when a candidate makes a claim, he or she is actually planning on following through with said game, and not playing mind games with me. Also, if you think a candidate is lying in his or her campaign, even if it is in favor of your beliefs, that should be a bright red flag.
Q: What do you think about the plan to deport 11 million immigrants and build a wall at the Mexican border?
A: “Some people call his immigration [proposals] racist, blah, blah, blah.”
(Yes, that was an actual answer) Immigration is an incredibly controversial subject right now because it is backed by a lot of fear and emotion, but we need to make sure that we are enacting policies that are thought out and created without so much emotion and stereotyping. One of Trump’s main motives behind his immigration policies is arguably his stereotyping of Mexican immigrants, whom he has been cited as calling “rapists” and “drug dealers” (ThinkProgress). He has not proposed building a wall along the Canadian border. Coincidence that he cares more about keeping out people of color? Probably not. Also, Trump has outright proposed banning Muslims, mainly Arabs, from entering the country. Furthermore, I am not saying that I support illegal immigration, but if you look at the statistics, many sectors of our economy rely heavily on the work of illegal immigrants. It is problematic to call for an increase in deportation without a plan to replace all of those workers, because I do not know a lot of people who are looking for the kind of hard labor that these immigrants are doing.
Q: How do you think Donald Trump will help women?
A: “I think most of his women’s advocacy is going to be coming through his daughter. [Ivanka Trump] has her very successful fashion line.”
Maybe I am missing something, but I do not see the correlation here. Donald Trump has a daughter. She has a career. What exactly is that doing to confront women’s issues?
Q: How do you think Donald Trump will help women?
A: “I’m not really sure about what policies would benefit women in particular besides Planned Parenthood stuff.”
Oh, like how he plans on defunding Planned Parenthood, which is the largest provider of reproductive health services in the United States? (CNN) Again, I don’t see the argument here, and I truly do not understand why a woman would support a candidate who has done next to nothing for women’s issues. There are also numerous policies that affect women specifically, such as no guaranteed paid maternity leave.
Q: What about the criticisms of sexism against him, his comments about women and women’s bodies – or the way he has treated Fox host Megyn Kelly?
A: “He has a wife and daughter, so I believe that somewhere down the line, he understands the needs of a woman. And though he might have said those remarks, I don’t think he really meant them in, like, a harmful way.”
Having a wife and daughter does not make Trump an expert in women’s issues. That is like saying that I am basically a veterinarian because I have a dog. In fact, some of his sexist comments have been directed at the women in his personal life, such as “You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.” (Huffington Post) And again with the picking and choosing of what we choose to believe is the truth. That is not how this works. You don’t get to decide that a sexist comment isn’t harmful just because you support the candidate.
I respect everyone’s rights to different political beliefs, but I do strongly believe that it is important to form these beliefs based on accurate information and analytical thought. Thank you to Cosmopolitan Magazine for releasing an article that helped me think more about Donald Trump’s campaign and increase my own political engagement, and I hope my thoughts will further add to your own personal analysis and discussion.