Essay Example on Donald Trump's Unlikely Political Journey to the U.S. Presidency

Introduction

Donald Trump won the 2016 general elections and became the 45th president of the United States of America (USA) through the Republican Party. He became the first person to be the American president with no particular preceding military and government experience (History.com, 2016). Before that, he never held any appointed or elected federal or state office in the country. However, in 2000 and 2012, he considered presidential bids but opted not to run for office. He began his political journey in 1987 by registering as a Republican, before later turning to the Reform Party. In 2001 he joined the Democratic Party but eventually settled back to the Republican late in the decade. In 2008, Donald Trump unveiled as one of the forthright members of the “birther” movement (BBC News, 2017). The movement questioned the birthplace of former president Barrack Obama, and if the latter is eligible for the White House. In mid-2015, he declared his presidential candidacy and used the slogan “Make America Great Again” during his campaigns. His political campaigns emphasize government lobbyists, illegal immigration, and political correctness (History.com, 2016). He is a strong advocate for employment opportunities and promised to renegotiate trade deals and lower taxes. The candidate is widely known as an unapologetic politician with controversial remarks that garner global attention.

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The majority of the American people have always questioned the political experience of Donald Trump. In 2017, Zachary Crocket declared Donald Trump to be the most inexperienced American president in the history of the country. According to his research, Trump had zero experience compared to all of his predecessors, who became president after an average of 5.6 years in military service and 13 years in a public office (Crocket, 2017). The majority of American presidents had served as governors, senators, vice presidents, cabinet sectaries, or military generals. Unlike them, Donald Trump was a reality television star, businessman, and real estate developer in New York before his election to the oval office. However, Donald Trump has gained significant political experience over his first term as president, and he is ready for reelection. He has more experience now, and no incumbent has lost the American presidency since George Bush in 1992 (Smith, 2020). Unlike Bush, who faced significant obstacles such as an increase in tax and recession, Trump has several influential factors and experiences relating to economic growth, lowest unemployment rate, and stock market records.

Immigration Policy

Donald Trump has a firm standpoint on immigration policy, which marked a new era in the U.S. During his 2016 campaigns, he made his intentions clear to dismantle the immigration initiatives of president Obama and implement new ones. His new immigration programs involve arrests of unauthorized immigrants, reduction in refuge admissions, and enforcing restrictions to legal immigration (Reich, 2018). He even indicated his intentions to request state finance to fund the construction of a physical wall between Mexico and the U.S. border. Upon resuming office, Trump stepped up immigration raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE), which focused on arresting not only immigrants accused of felonies but also unauthorized ones convicted of minor crimes and even those with no criminal offense. He also suspended for ninety days, entry of immigrants into the U.S. from seven specific Muslim countries. Up to date, Trump’s administration carries on with pushing its policies and laws to limit legal immigration. Kanno-Youngs and Haberman, 2020, reported that the administration is looking forward to implementing legislation that will halt the flow of foreign workers and tighten the minimum requirements for asylum seekers.

Gun Rights

Since the beginning of the 20th century, guns have been a common cause of deaths in the U.S. in the form of homicides, unintentional and intentional shootings, and suicides. Donald Trump has, on many occasions, indicated his support for gun rights (Branas et al., 2017). Surprisingly, revenues from the gun businesses funded his presidential campaign in 2016. As a result, he possesses a threat to the success of several firearms policies at the federal level. As of 2019, Trump had not shown any interest in implementing gun control policy despite pressure from the public following a series of mass shootings. However, following the mass shootings in El Paso that left more than 30 people dead, he shared his intentions on social media that he wants legislation that will provide “strong background checks” for individuals purchasing guns. Also, a statement from White House officials indicated that Trump is pushing for red flag laws, which will allow government officials to take firearms from citizens or people who are deemed dangerous.

Legalization of Marijuana

Donald Trump has attracted mixed attention on the issue of legalizing marijuana. Initially, he indicated his support for the States Act and left the decision on marijuana legalization to the state governments. The States Act aims at prohibiting federal prosecution for individuals living in states with cannabis. As a result, analysts predicted that Trump would legalize marijuana to boost his odds in this year’s general election. However, after his election, he indicated a different direction, especially after then-Attorney General (AG), Cole Memo, rescinded Obama-era policy on marijuana. The system formulated in the Obama administration advocated for non-interference from the federal government to marijuana-friendly states. Therefore, this resulted in a conflict of laws between the two levels of government based on the subject. The AG, William Barr, has said that Trump’s administration is looking forward to Congress’ approval of laws that will end the conflict. The regulations will aim at reducing government involvement in marijuana legalization and instead relive the responsibilities to state governments. Also, a top Trump campaign spokesman revealed in a recent interview that the president has a firm standpoint against the legalization of marijuana (Angell, 2020). According to the spokesman, Trump’s legislation is that illegal drugs, including marijuana, must remain illegal.

Conclusion

Based on Trump’s standpoints and policies on immigration, gun rights, and legalization of marijuana, it is safe to say that he falls to the far right of the ideological spectrum compared to the other candidates. It means that he faces criticism for racism and harsh immigration policies. The candidate possesses a negative correlation between migration and other national disasters. For instance, he views the migrants as intruders who will steal jobs from the native citizens. Also, he uses refugees as an excuse for the existence of threats of terrorism. Furthermore, the argument acts as a justification for more border control measures such as the construction of a wall.

References

Angell, T. (2020, February 20). Top Trump campaign spokesman: Marijuana must be “kept illegal.” Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2020/02/19/top-trump-campaign-spokesman-marijuana-must-be-kept-illegal/

BBC News. (2017, January 20). Donald Trump’s life story: From hotel developer to president. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35318432

Branas, C.C., Flescher, A., Formica, M.K., Galea, S., Henning, N., Liller, K.D., …& Ying, J. (2017). Academic, public health, and the firearm crisis: An agenda for action. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3): 365-367. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303619

Crocket, Z. (2017, January 23). Donald Trump is the only U.S. president ever with no political or military experience. Vox.com. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/11/13587532/donald-trump-no-experience

History.com. (2016, November 18). Donald Trump. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/donald-trump

Kanno-Youngs, Z., & Haberman, M. (2020, June 12). Trump administration moves to solidify restrictive immigration policies. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-immigration-policies.html

Smith, D. (2020, January 26). How is the most unpopular and divisive president on his way to a second term? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/26/donald-trump-2020-election-impeachment-democrats

Reich, G. (2018). Hitting a wall? The Trump administration meets immigration Federalism. The Journal of Federalism, 48(3): 372-395. doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjy013