As the presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton dwindles to an end, it has become more sensationalized than it should be. Young and old voters alike have strayed away from the knowledge of issues facing the country in favor of watching the reality T.V. show ‘Clinton v Trump’. The media has especially played a large role in diminishing the eligibility of candidate Trump due to his social behavior. While it is one’s own digression to their personal view of Trumps behavior, it is troubling that many can name his social tendencies and not his actual platform followed by his views. Voters in this election must be informed before making such decisions as this election turnout is bound to change the country in some way.
Liberal Media outlets have portrayed Trump as the joke among candidates for most of the election. However; at this point it is safe to assume that the man is no joke and his ideas speak volumes to the Republican Party. While Trumps’ legitimacy as a prestigious and favored candidate is constantly debated, it is easy to see that the man has played the political game extremely well. He essentially became an underdog candidate that no one was expecting and it is highly probable that this is what originally started winning voters over. Trump’s next step included several rallies expressing his views and that solidified him as the Republican Nominee. Despite this, vast amounts of his supporters have come to him due to him constantly be placed in the media- whether it be from bashing or displays of his poll results. However; this amount of voters that only pay attention to media scandals could also be the reason he is losing, even if by a little.
It is essential for all voters to know what Trumps true stances are if they wish to play a role in this election. Even voters against Trump need to become educated on his platform, because while one may not socially agree with the man, one could find that they agree in other areas.
Common issues facing the U.S today can be divided into three separate sections. These sections are International Issues, Domestic Issues, and Social issues. Talon reporter Kaylee Wyman covers social issues in her article titled, “Americans, Candidates Divided Over Social Issues”. For the purpose of this editorial, Trumps views over the other categories will be stated.
International Issues:
International Issues that the U.S face are; Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, War and Peace, and Free Trade. Trumps views over Foreign Policy should be well known if you’ve ever heard his “We are gonna build a wall” statement. However, a more extensive look shows exactly what Trump focuses on. Trump has reiterated over and over his dislike towards radical Islamic groups and he has expressed his intent on destroying them. One of his solutions to stop members from getting into the U.S falls under Illegal Immigration reform, which is where his wall idea comes from. Trump believes that if we stop illegal immigration all together that America will be safer from terrorist groups. Other changes that Trump wishes to make include ending the nuclear deal with Iran. A recommended site for finding details on the deal is https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/iran-deal. To put it simply, Trump does not believe that any nuclear sanctions should be lifted off of Iran as he finds the country to be “the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism” according to a tweet sent out on Sept 16 2016. Other foreign policy beliefs Trump holds include his belief that other countries a part NATO do not pay their fair share. While some of his facts that he boasts may not be accurate there are many citizens that share the same belief. Regardless Trump plans to enforce other countries to pay more so that the U.S can focus its spending elsewhere.
Homeland Security is exactly what it sounds like. It is the U.S doing what is necessary to keep Americans safe. Homeland security is what stems practices like border control and negotiations with foreign countries. An important factor in American politics today is ensuring that the U.S does have powerful and reliable allies. Trump continuously talks about how America defends other countries and doesn’t get enough in return. One of his biggest issues is that countries like Japan do not pay the U.S for its security help- not a surprising thought since he is a businessman. Trump views that we simply cannot defend Japan anymore unless they begin to pay the U.S for its service. “We’re a country that owes 20 trillion. They have to help us out” states Trump.
War and Peace is the debate over how the U.S should handle countries that pose a threat. Should military might be used to contain the problem? Or should diplomatic negotiations be reached? During Trump’s campaign he has claimed to be cautious over going to war. While the man thinks actions should be made he also believes that he will be slower than Hillary to decide war as the best option. In previous years videos have been posted where Trump was pro war in places like Libya. In fact in a video posted during 2011 Trump specifically said the U.S should go to war with Libya. However; today Trump claims to stand on a more cautious platform. A common concept that many often forget is that as people, one’s ideas and beliefs are always changing. Thinking like this could explain why Trumps view over war has changed.
Free Trade is a policy in which certain governments do not restrict imports from, or exports to other countries. Free trade has been a way to establish open markets between countries. Trump wishes to strike free trade deals with other countries in order to create American jobs, increase American wages, and reduce America’s trade deficit. He has even created a 7 point plan which can be found on his website www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade . Some points from his plan include withdrawing from Trans-Pacific Partnership since it has not yet been ratified, and renegotiating terms with NAFTA so that U.S workers have benefits. If NAFTA disagrees Trump plans on submitting a notice that the U.S will withdraw from the deal.
Domestic Issues:
Domestic issues within the U.S include Gun Control, Crime, Drugs and Civil Rights. Two of the most popular domestic issues shown in the media are over Gun Control and Civil Rights. Regarding Gun Control, Trump holds a classic Republican belief: an unwavering support for the Second Amendment Right that allows citizens to keep and bear arms. Trump is against the idea of anything infringing upon one’s’ right to carry a gun. That being said he does believe that mental health programs should be reformed in order to prevent mass shootings caused by those that are mentally unstable. Additionally Trump hopes to bring back programs like Project Exile in order to take gang members and drug dealers off of the streets. Trump also wishes to defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners .
Civils Rights, another controversial issue, has been around for decades. Politicians and citizens alike continuously go head to head over this subject. When it comes to Trump’s stance over civil rights, he varies over different civil issues. In fact his stances on most civil rights issues can be found in the previous Talon article mentioned, written by Kaylee Wyman.
One of the reasons political figures fight over the issue of crime is that it has come down to ‘who has better crime-resolving plans’. Statistics on both violent and property crimes over this previous year have been released. The statistics show that there has been a 3.9% increase in violent crimes and a 2.6% decrease in property crimes. Trump believes that the U.S needs a strong, swift, and fair law and order. He believes that work needs to be made with first responders and law enforcements in order to keep communities and its citizens safe. Over recent issues regarding police brutality, Trump has taken the stance that officers are being both misunderstood and mistreated. “You’re going to have abuse and you’re going to have problems and you’ve got to solve the problems and you have to weed out the problems.” states Trump. Additionally Trump is in favor of bringing back the Death Penalty. To him, the Death Penalty will be another way to reduce crime rate.
The issue on drugs seems to have recently enraptured Americans- especially the debate over the legalization of marijuana. Trump himself is in favor of the use of medical marijuana but is against a recreational use. He views that marijuana’s legalization should be a state by state decision. Regarding hard drugs and even alcohol, Trump is against the use of both, largely due to losing his brother to extreme alcoholism. The loss of his brother is what puts Trump against drugs and alcohol.
Whether one likes candidate Trump or not, this is what he stands for. If you find yourself falling align with these views then perhaps he is the candidate to vote for.
