Donald Trump, real estate mogul and reality TV star, threw himself into the Republican presidential race with a typically bullish announcement speech. He has positioned himself in an already over-crowded field of Republican hopefuls, now numbering over a dozen candidates – including Jeb Bush.
“We need somebody that will literally take this country and make it great again. We can do that”, Trump exclaimed in front of a crowded room in the eponymous Trump Tower in New York.
“So ladies and gentlemen I am officially running for president of the United States”, quoted the Washington Post .
This is not the first time that Trump has put his hat in the ring for a presidential race. In 2011 he flirted with the idea, but pulled out once he realised how poorly he was performing.
This time however, he seems a lot more serious about the matter. In March, apart from setting up a presidential exploratory committee, he began to hire staff in early polling states.
It remains to be seen how he will distinguish himself from the other Republican candidates on policy issues, mostly because he has steered clear of any policy specifics. His campaign was launched with an eccentric mix of populist rhetoric and self-aggrandising gags, so his manifesto seems to have been lost in translation.
However, these are basic points:
Rebuild American infrastructure: “We have to rebuild our infrastructure our bridges, our roadways, our airports. You come into La Guardia Airport, its like we’re in a third world country. You look at the patches and the 40-year-old floor,” quoted the Telegraph.
Evidently landing in his $100 million private 757 plane, gives him a real taste of the “third world”.
The great wall of Mexico: According to Donald Trump, the whole world is dumping their problems into the United States, and none more so than Mexico. They are bringing drugs and criminals across the border, and the current leadership has not been able to solve this problem. Make way for the Trump solution, ” I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”
So now the Trump Administration will be fighting wars against Iran, ISIS, and Mexico??
— TrueBlue Liberal (@TrueBlueLiberal) June 16, 2015 A plan to defeat ISIS: ” Nobody would be tougher on Isil than Donald Trump,” he said. “Nobody”. Other than the empty rhetoric he hasn’t given out much information on how he plans on accomplishing this.
Restore the American dream: If there is one thing he was crystal clear on, it was restoring the American dream. According to Trump, Americans have lost their spirit and he is the only one capable of reviving it. “I f I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before, and we will make America great again,” he said. His words rang along the halls of the room as he marched off to the tune of Rockin’ in the Free World by Neil Young, who is famous for being anti Republican and more importantly, Canadian.
Have a look at a rather hilarious video of Donald Trump’s most outrageous comments.
What’s in a name?
If the Republicans wanted to create a perfect candidate, their strategists would most likely pick a governor of a big swing state, with tons of experience in private sector, and a conservative record on social issue. They would somehow tune his brain to speak fluent English and Spanish. To their delight and dismay, such a candidate exists, and he has recently returned from a very successful European tour. Were his last name not Bush, Jeb – the former governor of Florida – would be enjoying the inevitability of a Republican nomination that Hillary Clinton is currently enjoying as a Democrat.
He is the son of a former president and the brother of another. If that wasn’t enough, he is also a two time governor of a major state, and has a great track record in terms of what the Republicans are looking for in their president. He is a staunch conservative who cut taxes, extended the rights of gun owners in imaginative ways, restricted access to abortion, got rid of race quotas in state universities, and introduced the most extensive school-voucher programme in the country.
In other words he is an iconic Republican, he embodies everything the party stands for and much more. In a few weeks he will become the Republican front runner, he has already raked in a whopping $100 million in pre-campaign funds – thus making the Republican committee’s job a lot easier.
There it is, the duo. Jeb Bush and Donald Trump exemplify what the Republican nominations look like at this moment. In the next few months, each candidate will be examined and eventually weaned out before one remains to take on the heavy-weight that is Hillary Clinton.
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