What do you think of Donald Trump?

[scythe]

In a country that for centuries has continuously given us the best and brightest the world has had to offer, Trump may no be the president the US deserves right now, but he's definitely the one it needs. Especially given the alternative.

He's not racist, he's never said anything even remotely racist. He's not a xenophobe, he's pro-American. He doesn't hate immigrants, he wants to deal with the problem of illegals. To imply he's a warmonger flies in the face of everything he's ever said on US foreign policy. Essentially, there's nothing he's talking about that wouldn't have seemed like politically centrist common sense just a few decades ago. But the media discourse has swung so far to the left in that time, people are ready to shout down even the most perfectly sensible suggestions as extreme right-wing.

People don't like him because he doesn't shroud his speech in PC platitudes. He talks and thinks like the everyman. If you think PC is leading to the downfall of western civilisation, as I do, then you probably like him, or at least don't think he's the reincarnation of Hitler. If not, you probably never will. Until that is, the PC police come after you or something you're passionate about. I think if he gets in, he'll expand and improve on the wall (it's already there!), put on a show about trade deals, then I hope he'll just sit back and stay out of the free market's and everyone else's way, as any President should.

[El_Psy_Congroo]

I think these PC arguments are silly. You can say fuck or shit in your stump speech all you like or you can talk like an alien pretending to be human (like many politicians), but at the end of the day, PC or not, the only thing that really matters is if you're actually correct. I don't think he is competent enough to run this country - his business MO is marketing scams and declaring bankruptcy after all. You seem to like your free markets so I might recommend Gary Johnson.

Sure, Donald Trump may not be as racist as he is portrayed since the media has a clear Clinton bias and is definitely playing him up as the villain. This has ironically worked in his favor, in terms of gaining coverage. In fact I would condemn the media for being complicit in the "racism" of Donald Trump because they hardly talk about anything other than his controversial statements. His appeal in terms of him not being bought by anyone, and saying the occasional sensible thing about foreign policy or trade deals goes completely ignored. This only makes his base angrier, and arguably rightly so. But it's those real issues we face that people in comfortable places of influence don't want us thinking about.

But he is pandering to a base that enjoys it when he makes sweeping (often negative) generalizations about groups of people he knows little or cares little about. That's dangerous for society, even if he doesn't believe everything he says. The real problem is not Trump, its the ideology of a large segment of his supporters, in ideology that's in every society and is minimally harmful unless its given a loud voice. Prejudice in the individual level works the same way, we all have some but its only when that part of us wields to much influence that it's a problem. Trump may not be American Hitler but he may lay the ground for one.

You don't want to be PC, fine. But regardless, people need to be held responsible for what comes out of their mouth. What you say has consequences in proportion to how many people hear it.

[VermillionWorks]

It's honestly looking more and more likely that he may become president, and that's just mind-boggling to me.
I don't know, maybe it'd be a disaster, or maybe nothing would happen for four years, but I just would hate the feeling that we would be taking 100 steps backward by electing such a person. I'm more afraid of the sort of people he's been stirring up than him.

[joannekwan]

If he does get elected, I just hope to god (and I'm agnostic) that Congress and everyone else can keep him in check.

[scythe]

Well, I don't think PC just refers to how you say things, but also refers to obfuscating truth in general, which has disastrous effects on society. People are literally dying in the streets today thanks in part to political correctness. I agree people need to be held to account for what they say, but let's hold them to account for what they actually say, not how they say it, or what the media is saying they said, or how people interpret what was said.

If anything I think Trump is appealing to the libertarian and patriotic instinct in many Americans, not any racist or xenophobic instinct. And to be frank, I'm not at all worried about fringe racists on the right at the moment, the racists on the left have taken control of media and academia, and the effects of that have been disastrous for everyone.

[Shanny8]

@TomSawyer It's "the lesser of 2 evils". Not a big fan of Hilary either, but I rather her over Trump. How did they get all this money? "Private Interest" groups...

@joannekwan It wasnt the Zodiac Killer crap. Cruz just wasnt a strong candidate...and Trump is totally shameless.

Come next election, the situation will be worse, and someone with more competence than Donald Trump will be the spokesperson for those who have responded to injustice with xenophobia and hyper-nationalism.

That's the part that kicks me in the head- like it's the 1960s and Jim Crow is alive and well again.

[TomSawyer]

Not a big fan of Hilary either, but I rather her over Trump

The election should have never devolved to this point
I never get involved in stuff like this

I just hope that someone else wins against all odds

[scythe]

Yes, but that's never going to happen, as in 0% chance. Unless there's an assassination, come November, the US will have as their president a criminally negligent serial liar, or Mr Bombastic.

[Aspie_Gamer]

Now that Trump, against all odds, has won the race. I think its appropriate to bring this thread back.

[Herofeeder]

i love the guy 4 years of funny dank meme compilations .who wouldnt want that?

[eleoza]

I don't know X_X I don't really follow the news. I do hear people say they're both badies so there's no winner or good outcome either way. Nomatter who the president is, Jesus is king ^^ And I do hope that things will get better, or may turn out not as bad as expected.

[Isky]

Trump is a fucking joke, one that isn't funny. It makes my blood boil to see him elected as president.

[Silerna]

Trump is racist, womanhater, no politician , can't work with other people. Why would America want a hater to lead them? I really hope he falls in a giant hole..

[Marton]

It's very upsetting that a person like Trump has become the president of the US. Never in my imagination would I have expected that, I have lost some faith in humanity.

[TACOBERTO]

He's not a boogyman. He's not worth losing your shit over.
You all have lives to live and work to do, and shouldn't be hampered by the election. Move. On.

[heterodont]

People might have just found out about the election results? not everyone stays up for them.

not to mention, not everyone can 'move on', especially those who feel like their lives are potentially endangered by trump supporters who might now find justification in their hatred/racism/etc.

[Isky]

This clown is the face of my country. I know you mean well, but I have too much pride to not lose my shit right now. He'll pass any crazy right-wing legislation they throw at him. He thinks that climate change is a Hoax made up by the Chinese. Not only that, but his VP pick advocated for conversion therapy! This election gave me a black eye.

[joannekwan]

His policies (if they actually go through) will take the U.S. back 30 years all the way to the Reagan administration. He will undo everything Obama and Clinton have done, seriously, he wants to repeal Obamacare.

I hate it when people say both Hillary and Trump are equally as bad! NO, policy-wise, Hillary would have tried to progress or at least keep the status quo, Trump wants everything back to how it was when Reagan was in office. Hillary actually has experience running things, she would have made a competent leader, the only thing Trump is good at running is his mouth. Trump is the kind of leader I can see getting on the bad side of some other world leader on a personal level thus straining international tensions even more.
On a personal level, Hillary's okay, she's not frickin' Mother Teresa, but she's not terrible. Trump on the other hand openly disrespects women and minorities, the effin' KKK supported him, not that he acknowledged them, but that says a lot about how he comes across as a person to those who have never heard him speak.

I'm not anti-Republican, I would have been fine with any of their candidates in the primaries. Trump should never have been their nominee in the first place. I would have killed for a Bush, or McCain, or Romney, or even Palin to run in this election.

EDIT: He also wants to bring back coal mining/production/energy!!! COAL! Thanks, we're gonna end up like frickin' China. The Earth's gonna get back at us by releasing the vehement ire in the super volcano underneath Yellowstone...

[ratique]

I would have killed for a Bush, or McCain, or Romney, or even Palin to run in this election.

Now now. Let's not go as far as wanting Palin back.

[isaacfriedman]

fuck