Photo Courtesy of Tribune News Service – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the debate stage at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015.
Matthew Zacher ’18
THE ROUNDUP
Donald Trump, a Republican real estate developer and television personality, has made many controversial comments regarding immigration, women and birthright citizenship in the early stages of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s comments have not only created a stir in the political sphere, but also here on our own campus.
Trump is leading his fellow Republicans at 28 percent popularity in the latest national poll by Qunnipiac, the next closest candidate being neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 12 percent.
The slogan of Mr. Trump’s campaign is “Make America Great Again.”
Mr. Tom Danforth ’78, moderator of the Young Democrats club, said he thought it was a joke when Trump announced.
“I think he is a racist, and I don’t like any of the stuff he is saying,” he said.
In response to Trump’s slogan promising to “Make America Great Again,” Mr. Danforth said that he doesn’t think he will.
“The common people are the ones who make America great, and America continues to be great despite our recent challenges,” he said.
Marcus Pimentel ’18, a member of the Quidditch team, Student Council and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, also thought it was a joke when Trump announced.
“I honestly thought he was doing it for the attention. I thought it was a joke,” Pimentel said on his immediate reaction to Trump announcing.
“Trump will make America great for the wealthy people, not for the regular people,” he said.
However, not all are completely opposed to Trump.
“I didn’t give him much of a chance at first because some of the things he says are ‘out there’ and the way he treats people is sometimes not presidential,” said Mr. Bill Woods, who has never voted for a Democrat in a presidential election.
Mr. Woods said that because Trump is not a full time politician and is not “business as usual,” he said that Trump “has a better chance to ‘Make America Great Again.'”
Jack Hepsen ’18 described Trump as “fearless, but childish.”
“Yes, he will make America great again,” he said. “We have been in the toilet for far too long as a country. We need a gutsy and educated leader.”
