Firstly, I must make this much clear: I am not a Republican. However, I do respect those who champion fiscal responsibility as an ideological platform, as well as those few GOP candidates who have proven their political mettle and entered the arena with more than just empty promises (John Kasich, for example). No matter whether I agree or disagree with their policies, at the very least they make concrete statements about what they plan to do in office via their respective "On the Issues" statements and comments on the campaign trail.
Here's the problem I have with current poll numbers. Two Republican presidential candidates with absolutely no experience in government or politics are dominating the field -- one who is virtually always factually incorrect and shows increasingly apparent signs of mental illness (Carson) and one who is blindingly ignorant with no regard for minorities, women or the values of sensitivity and rationalism essential for becoming head of state (you know who I'm talking about).
There are two inevitable phenomena which have greatly contributed to Trump's popularity. Firstly, Trump is a celebrity. Celebrity status obviously puts you in the national spotlight, but it's far more potent than you'd guess. Secondly, he's far removed from politics compared to the other candidates. He's inexperienced. Nowadays, that may actually be advantageous. Ben Carson shares the latter classification, and he's head and shoulders above the rest of the GOP field, other than Trump.
But I'm not here to talk about Carson. As alarming as it is that Carson rose in the ranks the moment he started making completely nonsensical statements, it's even more alarming that Donald Trump has continued to Donald Trump is a more of a persona than a logician. He's bold, unafraid to speak his mind. It would be erroneous to construe this boldness as a virtue, however -- it's more like he simply has no filter and takes pride in being insensitive and ignorant.
He knows that he is offensive but doesn't care, he shamelessly acknowledges that he inflates his net worth, but believes it's okay because politicians lie all the time according to a deposition between him and a lawyer back in 2007. Isn't that contradictory? Shouldn't he be the "businessman" who will "make American great again," the breath of fresh air that the nation needs in a field over-saturated with manufactured political banter? Well, according to himself, The Donald sees his own vices as acceptable because politicians do the same. And to quote Donald Trump, "politicians are stupid." No hypocrisy here, clearly.
Now, people who support Trump often see his directness as his greatest virtue, a no-nonsense style that's sorely needed in the presidential field. They love Trump because he's "transparent." Too bad he's not. He's actually untruthful in the majority of cases and takes pride in his malicious business practices. Observe Trump's profile on the PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter. Not as abysmal as Carson's, but pretty damn close. That should be enough to convince anyone that the man either simply ill-informed or a pathological liar. We might never know whether Trump is consistently wrong because he's lying or wrong because he's just wrong, but neither is a good look for him. If he's lying, then he's anything but transparent. If he's just wrong, then he is transparent -- but it doesn't mean much to be able to see through someone when all that can be seen is ignorance.
His act of playing the tough guy on foreign policy resonates with a lot of Americans, but it's frankly because many voting-age individuals also happen to be short-sighted and unwilling to probe beneath the surface-level mirage which Trump has conjured. He typically likes to make generalized statements about a future course of action, but is unable to elaborate. In short, he has an end goal and no procedure. Not even a first step. If you want evidence of this, watch his debate with Bill O'Reilly from an August airing of Bill's controversial television program. Trump just keeps tiptoeing around O'Reilly's questions without actually answering them. He believes that he can get Mexico to pay for the hypothetical "Great Wall" on the border just because he says so.
We tend to say that politicians also tiptoe around the issues, and that Trump isn't a politician. Well, it seems that instead of strategically avoiding answering a question due to comprehension of the consequences like politicians do, Trump is just avoiding the question because he has no answer -- at least not a practical answer. It may be because he lacks the foresight and intelligence, it may be that he's unable to provide substance as opposed to fluff.
His words are basically nothing, he just presents them in an air that makes him seem authoritative. He drowns out the other candidates during debates with crude colloquialisms. After all, it's pretty damn easy to just shrug a question off and make some joke about your immeasurable wealth if you do it the right way. Trump simply has a unique brand of loudness that breaks through the noise and masks the lack of substance in his "arguments." People eat it up, which is what Trump wants. They've all just mistaken his arrogance and delusion for confidence and charisma.
Now I can see why he's appealing to those who fail to actually research Trump or analyze his psyche, but I see him as appealing in a comedic way: it's hilarious that someone so grossly under-qualified could run for president. He talks big but has no experience in government. He talks big but has no plans. He talks big but still gets his ass handed to him in Twitter wars. He talks big and... you get the point. He gains popularity by being "different." Yeah, it's novel and interesting at first, but do you really want this man at the nation's helm? Do you want to elect this person based on novelty value?
And for those who argue that Trump's business prowess makes him a prime candidate for the presidency, know that several of the companies that bear his name have declared bankruptcy. Trump, however, denies having declared bankruptcy himself though many reports claim that he has been. I hope for his sake that he hasn't ever gone bankrupt, since only a man of immeasurable fiscal irresponsibility could possibly go from riches to rags (MC Hammer, anyone?). Especially when you're given the privilege to transfer into Wharton thanks to daddy's connections and start with upwards of a million inflation-adjusted dollars right out of college. And, just for the record, Trump considers this era of his life difficult. Tell that to John McCain, buddy.
Trump made it big because of his inheritance and financial boosts from the government, survived because of bailouts, and continued to build the entire facade by stepping on people and selectively excluding the multiple outside factors that led to his ridiculous wealth. Just Google something along the lines of "how did Donald Trump become rich" for the basics. Also note all the organizations which are now cutting ties with Trump, including NBC. There goes that $250 million paycheck for The Apprentice. Makes one wonder -- is Trump really that brilliant a businessman?
Now even if Trump happened to be the business genius he claims to be, that doesn't guarantee that he's the right man for the job. Personality-wise, he's self-centered and shows a nearly complete lack of empathy. In psychology, that's called being a sociopath. The best leaders in the world have kept in mind the interests of the state, not their personal interests. All of Trump's statements seem to point to the fact that he will do anything to grow his personal influence and wealth. He parades around his wealth and uses it as a justification for why everyone of lesser wealth is a "loser." First, it appears he wanted to be better than everyone by being richer than everyone (if he really thought otherwise, why would he make such a big point out of his wealth?). Now he wants to be better by being richer and more powerful. Anyone should be able to tell that Trump isn't in it for the good of the nation, but for the good of Donald Trump.
TL;DR -- Trump is not a true straight-shooter, he just hasn't lied about his beliefs in the past two months. What he does lie about, however, is nearly everything else. Trump has no experience in legislating, in the bureaucracy or in government leadership, while other candidates in both the Democratic and Republican parties have. Voting for the other presidential front-runners is like investing in a mutual bond with consistent returns while voting for Trump is like putting your life savings on a casino table. Perceived charisma is also not a good indicator of how qualified a person is as a leader. Especially if that so-called charisma is derived from narcissism, racism and a lack of self-control. Just open a history book and you'll see why.
TL;DR TL;DR -- A vote for Trump is a vote misplaced. Do some research and it should become clear as day. If you still want to vote for Trump, just know this: there's got to be a reason why every Republican candidate hates him, and I'm sure the rest of Capitol Hill shares the same sentiment. I think it's safe to say that The Donald won't get past the Electoral College anyway. It's your vote, use it intelligently.