In 2016, Donald Trump threw his hat in the ring of the Republican primaries for the chance to become president. He was put up against the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton—and he won. To say that no one wanted him as president, modern controversies aside, wouldn’t be a fair statement. At the time, people felt as if an outsider from politics could shake up the status quo and make actual change in D.C., and Trump played right into it. On Nov. 8, 2016, Trump pulled off a 304 to 227 electoral victory, allowing him to walk into the Oval Office.
But once in office, President Trump, like many presidents before him, faced the challenge of fulfilling the promises he made to constituents along the campaign trail. Some of the largest included: repealing and replacing Obamacare, building a wall along the Southern border and forcing the Mexican government to pay for it and creating 25 million new jobs over the next ten years. So how did the Trump administration do? Well for starters, it failed at repealing and replacing Obamacare. It built 52 miles of new wall on the 2,000 mile border with Mexico and cost the American taxpayer $46 million per mile (White House archives). And the spectacular claim that Trump would create 25 million jobs was simply him taking credit for the strong job market already created by the Obama administration, which saw enormous growth in 2014 and 2015 (Washington Post). So where does this leave us?
Trump was not a horrific president, but don’t be confused, Trump is not some kind of political prophet here to restore the conservative glory of the United States: Donald Trump was an impressively unimpressive president. He was shockingly average. He was mediocre; other than job growth and a decent economy—not horrible and not record breaking—what did he do? His real achievements in the United States were the conquering of the media and the changing of American political culture. Trump harnessed media coverage, from both the left and the right, to make himself the topic of discussion 24/7. He weaseled his way onto the internet through platforms like Twitter. And through these efforts he exposed the ugliest sides of American politics by enabling the far-right. Trump, as per usual, plays the crowd around him and feeds into whatever his supporters think or believe. He has given validation to conspiracy theories such as vaccinations being a hoax and to extreme conspiracy groups like QAnon (AP News).
Along with aiding the spread of harmful conspiracies, it seems that Trump also has no respect for the very office he desires. This was seen on Jan. 6, 2020, when the failed presidential candidate incited a riot to try and overturn the election results, which he lost fair and square. This attack on centuries of American democracy is not only embarrassing but horrifying. Political violence has been on the uptick since, with one of the most notable events being Trump’s attempted assassination, which was attempted by someone whose views of Republicans being an opponent to democracy were validated by Trump’s own extreme rhetoric. It is no secret that Trump has committed irreparable damage to the perceptions of politics and squandered any faith/trust Americans had in their governing institutions. He was as average as a president can be, yet somehow the sun wouldn’t rise without him.
Donald Trump has been in the American political scene for almost a decade now. From the tweets and rallies to ramblings and speeches, we are exhausted. The election we now face in 2024 is one of opportunity. We are given the chance to finally put a nail in this coffin of extremism and political hatred; to wash our hands of this tumultuous time of American politics. On election day, the ultimate decider of the future will be at the ballot box. There, the choice to reunite the United States of America should stand above any other.
