It’s election season, which means that many people are evaluating their personal morals to cast their vote on politicians to represent them. President Donald Trump is seeking reelection as the Republican party nominee, but some of the more traditional Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from him. Traditional Republican voters share their worries over Donald Trump on the YouTube channel called “Republican Voters Against Trump.”
Now more than ever, it seems that the divide between political parties has grown vast and uncrossable. Our nation’s current leader is divisive, isolating and defensive, yet he represents one of the two major parties in the U.S. While the values of the Republican party have certainly evolved over time, the core values center around low taxes, free market economy, gun rights, immigration restrictions, increased military spending and often view social issues from a religious standpoint. Donald Trump preaches these values, but preaches a lot of other things too and has overall changed the way that the Republican party is viewed.
The thing is, hatred isn’t a partisan issue, or at least, it doesn’t have to be. For every right wing value there is, Trump seems to take it a step further. Trump is not just a Republican. He’s not just leaning to the right. He has swung himself far into the alt-right. He’s supported by numerous nationalist extremist groups and crazy conspiracy theorists. The fact of the matter is that Trump’s views are so full of hate that he is isolating himself from his own party. Just because you’ve been a registered Republican does not and should not mean that you have to vote for Trump. Any voter, but especially Republicans, should look at their own values and evaluate which nominee will truly support them this election.
Four years ago, we knew a lot about Donald Trump, but four years later, we’ve learned so much more. We’ve heard hatred spewed from his mouth, and at this point, it is impossible to ignore. While ‘Republican’ and ‘Trump supporter’ used to go hand in hand, there is a whole world of difference now. Many people argue that you shouldn’t judge your friends or the people you surround yourself with on their political views, but I find it hard to not do so if someone says they are voting for Trump. Supporting Trump is no longer supporting the Republican party; it’s supporting hate.
Supporting Trump means that you support all of the racist, homophobic, sexist and classist things he has ever said and done. Supporting Trump means ignoring scientists, denying climate change and women’s rights to their own bodies. Supporting Trump means that you’re choosing to ignore the hundreds of thousands of people that lost their lives due to COVID-19 because our President was too proud and ignorant to take safety measures seriously.
I have always emphasized the importance of voting with compassion and Donald Trump is the least compassionate person I can imagine. I don’t believe that he represents the Republican party; I believe that Trump represents hatred.
