Yesterday, Donald Trump held a town hall session on my campus at UW-Green Bay. I received an email addressed to the whole student body at 11:30 from the Chancellor stating there were a few tickets available to attend the invite-only session. I read this email from class, and decided I could skip an enthralling history lecture about the Mughal empire and go check out this once-in-a-long time opportunity.
I walked for about 15 minutes to the Weidner Center where the event was held. I was directed to stay on the street, not too close to the multitude of police cars from various outlets. I arrived at the front of the Weidner center and saw approximately 30 of my peers chanting various anti-Trump slogans. While Iām not by any means a Trump supporter, Iām not the kind of person to engage in meaningless protest. I certainly support freedom of speech, but why would I expose my beliefs in the form of picket signs and shouting? What does that accomplish? Nonetheless, I asked a police officer standing near the front of the center if any tickets were available, to which he replied there were none. Even though I donāt agree with many of Trumpās ideas, I still would have gladly accepted the opportunity to hear him speak, because who wouldnāt want to see the most controversial public figure in the world speak when given the chance? Nonetheless, I was told at 11:45am that Trump hadnāt arrived yet, so I hoped Iād get a chance to see his motorcade pull in at the very least. About five minutes later, five black Suburbans pulled up to the back doors of the Weidner (nearly out of my sight), and again I missed my chance to see the Donald. Still, I did what most 19 year oldās would do and added a picture of Donaldās motorcade (featuring two Secret Service agents) to my snapchat story for all my friends to see.
The most value I received from skipping class and going to the Weidner was the half-hour conversation I had with an obvious Trump supporter. Letās call this man John, and his perspective on the political state of the United States completely changed my view on Trump and Trumpās supporters. To be clear, I still donāt like much about Trump aside from his terrific golf courses, but I gained incredible insight from an everyman about what people see in Donald Trump. Since Trump likes to paint stereotypes of people, Iāll admit my friend Johnās picture could be found in the dictionary definition of a Trump supporter. A man of about fifty, Johnās mustache, baseball cap, and old-school work jacket (you know the kind) told me most of what I needed to know about his political views.
To backtrack, I donāt come from a very political family. My dad owned a dealership and voted Republican just like his dad before him. Therefore, I was a Republican until I had the initiative to become engaged in the political process myself. My two siblings, both highly educated professionals, are staunch democrats, so Iām forced to stay on top of politics for late-night holiday political banter. My current view on the state of the 2016 election is as follows: I donāt see an electable candidate on either side of the aisle. I like Bernieās passion for what he says (like many of my generation), but Iām skeptical of his plans to nearly shatter our democratic and free market environment. To many people like John, the term āsocialismā is nearly as intimidating and scary as āterrorismā, and that brings me to why Donald Trump could very conceivably be the next president of the United States.
John is terrified. Heās actually horrified of how America runs right now. He hates the idea that he canāt go to a store and purchase products with stickers that say āMade in the USAā. He cited that he knows many Canadians who complain about being taxed to death, and that Canadaās universal healthcare system is so minimally covered that once you turn 65, āthey donāt care if you die.ā He, like all of Trumpās supporters, appreciate that Donald says whatās on his mind, regardless of what it is. John defended Trumpās apparent sexism, citing the Donaldās claims that ā[Heād] hire all women if I could.ā
John could sense I wasnāt really a Trump fan, but he asked me point blank, āWhy do college-aged kids not like him?ā It was a great question, and I had to take a minute to respond on behalf of the millions like me. I told John that I donāt like Trumpās arrogance, and his blank claims about his business connections from all over the world. For Trump to say, āI know the best negotiators in the world, most of whom you donāt even know about,ā doesnāt do anything for me. I told John (to his agreement) I donāt like how Trumpās campaign is driven by winning states and demeaning his fellow candidates (insert āLyinā Ted Cruzā reference). I respect that Trump doesnāt care what people think of him, and that he says whatās on his mind. Iāll give him that. Yet, the primary reason why I can not support anything Trump does is his attitude that he knows everything about everything. HE has the answers. HE will fix this country. Politics donāt work like that. Being the president involves working with a team of people smarter than you, who work harder than you, and most importantly, help you. I think asking for help is a sign of weakness in Trumpās mind. Trump is a brilliant businessman, and thatās why heās one of the richest people in the world. He may have gotten there all by himself I donāt honestly know. But one man simply can not run the free world with an attitude that he knows all. While Trump may be on Forbesā top 100 richest individuals list, heās not on the short list of the worldās smartest. Savvy business tactics donāt constitute to a successful presidency. I question whether politicians inside and outside of the US would take Trump seriously if elected, and Iām afraid that America could become the laughing stock of the world if Trump is president.
John responded to my argument by hopefully claiming that things would change when Donaldās in charge. He told me that Trump would build a great cabinet, and heād be alright in foreign policy. John hopes, but Iām not convinced he truly believes that.
What fascinated me most about my conversation with John was his views on his own safety and security in America. While he may be retired or close to it, heās afraid that weāre losing jobs faster than we can replenish them. Heās willing to pay more for a product made domestically if it helps his neighbor keep his job. He wants to keep the money heās taxed and spend it in the marketplace. I get that and respect it. I countered by telling him (to his chagrin) my generation is the complete opposite. I buy shopping products almost exclusively online, because I want the product for the cheapest price I can get it. Iām not alone in that mindset. Call it college-kid syndrome or call it greed, itās reality. I donāt see that changing anytime soon, and that is threatening to American jobs no doubt. But that doesnāt mean Iām willing to spend 25% more on the same product because itās made here. I think my world is bigger than America. A satisfied world means a satisfied America. Isolation from the global marketplace isnāt the answer for the United States. While we canāt loan China money we donāt have, we need to stimulate more money within and outside of our borders to fix our debt problem.
While John worries about the state of our job market, heās downright fearful of terrorism in the United States. He wakes up afraid for his safety in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He talked about how he walked the streets of Paris a number of years ago to armed policeman on every street corner. And heās worried about his safety here. John and I are in agreement that ISIS is alive and thriving in the United States, and that is scary. However, that doesnāt make me afraid to walk the streets of a big city, or attend a Packers game with 80,000 of my closest friends. ISIS needs to be combated and eliminated before something major (like really major) completely changes the course of human history. I firmly believe that kind of attack is a fair possibility. If ten people could kill hundreds in Paris, how much damage could a thousand militants do worldwide? Johnās number one priority as an American voter is that our government āMakes America Safe Againā. We talked about how good ISIS is at attracting dejected Muslims to join their cause. When I pointed out ISISās interpretations of Islam donāt represent Islam as a whole, John replied āThen why donāt the Top Muslimās do something about it? Why do they refuse to support the US in stopping these people? The only way we can get rid of [ISIS] is to get rid of them.ā
John proposes that Muslims better adapt themselves to American society. His grandparents came from Germany, and they didnāt bring all their customs with them, why do Muslims have to? If a Muslim woman took off her headdress and walked alongside John, heād feel safer. That amazed me. Does that make John a racist? Not necessarily. Heās legitimately afraid of people unlike himself. And thatās what Trumpās here to combat. Trump represents millions of Johns across the country who live their life in 2016 America in legitimate fear. Numerous times John told me heās afraid of what could happen down the road. He never stated specifically what heās afraid of, but that a change needs to happen before we have to cross that bridge. This is what Trumpās purpose is. To change a country before something happens. āMake America Great Againā loosely translates to āMake America Different Before Something Happens.ā Trumpās constituency is people like John, who are by no means ignorant, by no means racist, by no means bad people. If anything, John is more American than me. But this isnāt the 1950ās anymore. āThe American Dreamā is much different than it used to be. Traditional American values donāt mean as much in this society. If John gets his wish and Trump is elected, change will come. But Iām not sold that change would be in the right direction.
I walked for about 15 minutes to the Weidner Center where the event was held. I was directed to stay on the street, not too close to the multitude of police cars from various outlets. I arrived at the front of the Weidner center and saw approximately 30 of my peers chanting various anti-Trump slogans. While Iām not by any means a Trump supporter, Iām not the kind of person to engage in meaningless protest. I certainly support freedom of speech, but why would I expose my beliefs in the form of picket signs and shouting? What does that accomplish? Nonetheless, I asked a police officer standing near the front of the center if any tickets were available, to which he replied there were none. Even though I donāt agree with many of Trumpās ideas, I still would have gladly accepted the opportunity to hear him speak, because who wouldnāt want to see the most controversial public figure in the world speak when given the chance? Nonetheless, I was told at 11:45am that Trump hadnāt arrived yet, so I hoped Iād get a chance to see his motorcade pull in at the very least. About five minutes later, five black Suburbans pulled up to the back doors of the Weidner (nearly out of my sight), and again I missed my chance to see the Donald. Still, I did what most 19 year oldās would do and added a picture of Donaldās motorcade (featuring two Secret Service agents) to my snapchat story for all my friends to see.
The most value I received from skipping class and going to the Weidner was the half-hour conversation I had with an obvious Trump supporter. Letās call this man John, and his perspective on the political state of the United States completely changed my view on Trump and Trumpās supporters. To be clear, I still donāt like much about Trump aside from his terrific golf courses, but I gained incredible insight from an everyman about what people see in Donald Trump. Since Trump likes to paint stereotypes of people, Iāll admit my friend Johnās picture could be found in the dictionary definition of a Trump supporter. A man of about fifty, Johnās mustache, baseball cap, and old-school work jacket (you know the kind) told me most of what I needed to know about his political views.
To backtrack, I donāt come from a very political family. My dad owned a dealership and voted Republican just like his dad before him. Therefore, I was a Republican until I had the initiative to become engaged in the political process myself. My two siblings, both highly educated professionals, are staunch democrats, so Iām forced to stay on top of politics for late-night holiday political banter. My current view on the state of the 2016 election is as follows: I donāt see an electable candidate on either side of the aisle. I like Bernieās passion for what he says (like many of my generation), but Iām skeptical of his plans to nearly shatter our democratic and free market environment. To many people like John, the term āsocialismā is nearly as intimidating and scary as āterrorismā, and that brings me to why Donald Trump could very conceivably be the next president of the United States.
John is terrified. Heās actually horrified of how America runs right now. He hates the idea that he canāt go to a store and purchase products with stickers that say āMade in the USAā. He cited that he knows many Canadians who complain about being taxed to death, and that Canadaās universal healthcare system is so minimally covered that once you turn 65, āthey donāt care if you die.ā He, like all of Trumpās supporters, appreciate that Donald says whatās on his mind, regardless of what it is. John defended Trumpās apparent sexism, citing the Donaldās claims that ā[Heād] hire all women if I could.ā
John could sense I wasnāt really a Trump fan, but he asked me point blank, āWhy do college-aged kids not like him?ā It was a great question, and I had to take a minute to respond on behalf of the millions like me. I told John that I donāt like Trumpās arrogance, and his blank claims about his business connections from all over the world. For Trump to say, āI know the best negotiators in the world, most of whom you donāt even know about,ā doesnāt do anything for me. I told John (to his agreement) I donāt like how Trumpās campaign is driven by winning states and demeaning his fellow candidates (insert āLyinā Ted Cruzā reference). I respect that Trump doesnāt care what people think of him, and that he says whatās on his mind. Iāll give him that. Yet, the primary reason why I can not support anything Trump does is his attitude that he knows everything about everything. HE has the answers. HE will fix this country. Politics donāt work like that. Being the president involves working with a team of people smarter than you, who work harder than you, and most importantly, help you. I think asking for help is a sign of weakness in Trumpās mind. Trump is a brilliant businessman, and thatās why heās one of the richest people in the world. He may have gotten there all by himself I donāt honestly know. But one man simply can not run the free world with an attitude that he knows all. While Trump may be on Forbesā top 100 richest individuals list, heās not on the short list of the worldās smartest. Savvy business tactics donāt constitute to a successful presidency. I question whether politicians inside and outside of the US would take Trump seriously if elected, and Iām afraid that America could become the laughing stock of the world if Trump is president.
John responded to my argument by hopefully claiming that things would change when Donaldās in charge. He told me that Trump would build a great cabinet, and heād be alright in foreign policy. John hopes, but Iām not convinced he truly believes that.
What fascinated me most about my conversation with John was his views on his own safety and security in America. While he may be retired or close to it, heās afraid that weāre losing jobs faster than we can replenish them. Heās willing to pay more for a product made domestically if it helps his neighbor keep his job. He wants to keep the money heās taxed and spend it in the marketplace. I get that and respect it. I countered by telling him (to his chagrin) my generation is the complete opposite. I buy shopping products almost exclusively online, because I want the product for the cheapest price I can get it. Iām not alone in that mindset. Call it college-kid syndrome or call it greed, itās reality. I donāt see that changing anytime soon, and that is threatening to American jobs no doubt. But that doesnāt mean Iām willing to spend 25% more on the same product because itās made here. I think my world is bigger than America. A satisfied world means a satisfied America. Isolation from the global marketplace isnāt the answer for the United States. While we canāt loan China money we donāt have, we need to stimulate more money within and outside of our borders to fix our debt problem.
While John worries about the state of our job market, heās downright fearful of terrorism in the United States. He wakes up afraid for his safety in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He talked about how he walked the streets of Paris a number of years ago to armed policeman on every street corner. And heās worried about his safety here. John and I are in agreement that ISIS is alive and thriving in the United States, and that is scary. However, that doesnāt make me afraid to walk the streets of a big city, or attend a Packers game with 80,000 of my closest friends. ISIS needs to be combated and eliminated before something major (like really major) completely changes the course of human history. I firmly believe that kind of attack is a fair possibility. If ten people could kill hundreds in Paris, how much damage could a thousand militants do worldwide? Johnās number one priority as an American voter is that our government āMakes America Safe Againā. We talked about how good ISIS is at attracting dejected Muslims to join their cause. When I pointed out ISISās interpretations of Islam donāt represent Islam as a whole, John replied āThen why donāt the Top Muslimās do something about it? Why do they refuse to support the US in stopping these people? The only way we can get rid of [ISIS] is to get rid of them.ā
John proposes that Muslims better adapt themselves to American society. His grandparents came from Germany, and they didnāt bring all their customs with them, why do Muslims have to? If a Muslim woman took off her headdress and walked alongside John, heād feel safer. That amazed me. Does that make John a racist? Not necessarily. Heās legitimately afraid of people unlike himself. And thatās what Trumpās here to combat. Trump represents millions of Johns across the country who live their life in 2016 America in legitimate fear. Numerous times John told me heās afraid of what could happen down the road. He never stated specifically what heās afraid of, but that a change needs to happen before we have to cross that bridge. This is what Trumpās purpose is. To change a country before something happens. āMake America Great Againā loosely translates to āMake America Different Before Something Happens.ā Trumpās constituency is people like John, who are by no means ignorant, by no means racist, by no means bad people. If anything, John is more American than me. But this isnāt the 1950ās anymore. āThe American Dreamā is much different than it used to be. Traditional American values donāt mean as much in this society. If John gets his wish and Trump is elected, change will come. But Iām not sold that change would be in the right direction.
