“Make America Great Again!” – A man riddled with melodrama, perfectly accompanied by a crude and bigoted nature, Donald Trump seeks to capture the hearts and minds of fanatical patriots of the United States. With policies ranging from plans to build a ‘border wall’ between the US and Mexico to an almost complete rejection of eco-friendly green fuels, Trump has the media going wild with bewilderment, only adding to his theatrical character, making the world shudder with disgust and worry. Will Trump rise to power? Is this man the next US president? It’s hard to tell, and it seems unlikely, but Trump has got unrealistically far already. So now the world can only watch and wait in disbelief, as a sense of impending doom hangs over America.

It’s hard to imagine how Donald Trump has been able to get as much support as he has; perhaps his almost extremist and backward policies speak to many Americans who previously had no figurehead to voice their opinions through, Americans who had been quietly standing by, waiting for their ‘(White) Knight in Shining Armour’. From wealthy beginnings, Trump acquired $1 Million from his father, an amount which he claims to be “a small loan”. He used this money to invest in real estate, and made further large profits in this area. In 1990, his father, with a net worth of $400 million, passed away and Trump inherited a considerable amount. To this day, Trump’s net worth has increased to around $4.5 billion, and is currently no.121 on the ‘Forbes 400’ rich list.

His political campaign started in the year 2000, and has been running (unsuccessfully) since then. Trump is a Republican, and Republicans typically have conservative views in regards to social issues, meaning that they would oppose gay marriage and abortion, yet support the right to own a firearm. This view is seen as ‘anti-progressive’, as it is against the modernisation of society. These social views often are the biggest differences between the two main American parties.

The main focus on Trump is the controversial nature of his policies. Not only are some blatantly racist, he shows little care for the global environment and acts as if America is a great business opportunity, caring only about money and wealth. He believes, as astounding as it may seem, that North Korea is controlled by China, and regularly urges them to remove Kim Jong-un from power. He also believes in the reinstatement of US military bases in foreign countries, claiming to protect the interests of the US. Not only this, he claims that the only way to deal with North Korea is “with nukes”. Along with militaristic and war mongering ideals, he supports the right to own a firearm, and states “the right to carry a gun saves more lives than it costs”. In addition to this, he recognises that some of the many massacres throughout America are caused by mental health issues, but yet he does not wish to provide help or care for those in need, nor tackle the problem at its base – by abolishing the use of firearms by public citizens, and restricting gun trade across America.

Another controversial topic surrounding Trump is his view on abortion. He is pro-life, meaning he does not think abortions should be allowed in any case. He plans to cut funding to the ‘Planned Parenthood’ organisation which deals with reproductive issues and cases, providing fantastic work helping women and teenagers prevent and deal with unwanted pregnancies. This organisation, which has helped millions and millions of women across America and the world, he would try to degrade and slowly demolish. This opposition to abortion also shows his lack of respect for women’s rights, as a woman’s body is her own and no one else’s to decide what happens to.

A particularly infamous highlight of his many, many intriguing policies is his complete opposition to those of Islamic faith. Trump calls for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” as he believes terror organisations are being bred in America by Muslims. In his ignorance, Trump stands by these claims, failing to recognise the difference between peaceful religion and extremism – and persecutes one faith due to his bigotry and prejudice. He does not call for a ban of Catholics, despite the IRA. He does not call for a ban of Protestants, despite race terror such as the KKK. He does not seem to realise the implications of singling out and targeting one group based on the acts of others yet he still has support. I’m not sure whether the fact that Trump still has support should be considered a fluke, an anomaly in political history, or a serious highlight of the ineptitude of the American education system.