Thus far I’ve resisted writing anything about Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Though it is a fascinating spectacle, it has all but consumed American political media in the month since his announcement, much to the detriment of covering important issues.
But the circus is becoming too big to ignore, and too dangerous.
First off, I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact Trump will not win the Republican nomination. It’s an open question whether he will win a single primary, or if his poll numbers are like him — all hot air. But the fact remains, he is near the top in the polls and he is driving the media coverage of the Republican Party and the presidential election.
The last time Trump did his quadrennial dance of the seven veils on the question of a presidential run, his main campaign issue became President Obama’s birth certificate. This time, it has become illegal immigration. Both times an ugly strain of racism and xenophobia has perpetuated his rhetoric.
One reason he is being taken more seriously as a candidate this election is that unlike the birth certificate issue, illegal immigration is a serious problem that has to be dealt with.
Trump is correct that illegal immigration is a problem, but he’s got it backwards. Trump contends that illegal immigrants are “bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists … and some [he assumes] are good people.” It’s the opposite — most are good people and the criminals are in the minority.
That hasn’t stopped him from accusing the Mexican government of pushing undesirable citizens into the United States, saying we should invade Mexico and making wildly inaccurate claims about immigration.
For all his loose talk and loony statements, Trump is not an intellectual lightweight. One does not become a multi-billionaire without some sense. He is doing something fringe politicians have done for centuries: tap into an ugly side of the American consciousness. Other than blaming the country’s problems on “stupid” leadership, he has put the majority of our woes at the feet of foreigners.
Our struggles are not our fault, says Trump. It’s the Chinese. The Japanese. The Mexicans. Middle Easterners. They’re the ones ripping us off on trade deals, pushing dangerous people into our country and threatening the American dream.
Trump is not alone in exploiting this xenophobic narrative for political and personal gain. But he is the one shouting it at the top of his lungs and being seen as a truth-teller. It may be slightly refreshing to see a "politician" who isn't obsessed with politically correctness or so watered down like Hillary Clinton's embarrassingly weak answers in interviews. But people tell reporters and pollsters they like Trump because he “tells it like it is," not realizing that’s really not the way it is.
If we want to solve America’s problems, the solutions are going to come from here at home. No combination of bluster and isolationism will solve our trade or economic issues — it will be careful and considered negotiation. No illegal immigrant criminal army is going to wreak havoc on American streets — it will be our own increasingly violent society. And no foreign bogeyman is going to steal the American dream — it will be American corporations and American problems.
Republicans must continue to distance themselves from Trump’s fire-breathing rhetoric, ego-maniacal freak show of a campaign and dystopian view of the world. Politicians and people of all ideologies must say loud and clear: Donald Trump does not represent the United States. He does not represent our values, our beliefs and our vision of the people of the world.
Trump’s campaign has provided fodder for Jon Stewart, David Letterman and many other comedians. It has provided a gleeful press corps an opportunity for splashy eye-catching headlines that mock him and his campaign. But it’s time to stop laughing. Or pretty soon the rest of the world will be laughing at us – or worse.