Donald Trump, a real-estate developer and presidential candidate with a net worth of ten billion dollars, has remained in the spotlight for many years because of his controversial actions. From publicly insulting women and calling them “fat pigs”, “slobs”, “disgusting”, “animals”, “dogs” and many more pernicious remarks, Trump has failed to develop a respectful image in the eyes of many; however somehow Trump has managed to become the leading Republican nominee in the 2016 presidential race (Nelson).

But wait, there’s more.

A statistical graph created by CNN showed that Trump had won the majority of votes in fourteen out of twenty states clearly showing the vast number of voters who support Donald Trump; but how can so many individuals support someone who has disgraced women, repeatedly expressed profanity on television, and attacked race groups with absurd stereotypes?

Well, here’s the sad truth of how Trump is winning.

Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, has depended on the lack of education of the American people in order to take advantage of their political immaturity and gain their support and vote in the presidential race. The foundation behind Donald Trump’s political success lies within the politically uneducated mass public. Therefore the problem is not Donald Trump, but rather the blind Trump supporters.

Many scholars have analyzed the tactics used by Donald Trump in his speeches and how they affect the shallow brains of his supporters. As an American political rhetoric scholar, Jennifer Mercieca examined the rhetoric used my Donald Trump in his speeches to the American people. Mercieca evaluated that Donald Trump relies on demagoguery to “make false claims and promises, and arguments that are based on emotion rather than reason.” As a registered voter, it is your role as a twenty first century citizen to base your voting choice on reason and facts; however it is clear that many Trump supporters are blinded by the pathos of Trump rather than his logos. Mercieca also evaluated how Trump supporters allow “ Donald Trump [to appeal] to [their] fears,” which is a major political problem for the election. Since Donald Trump supporters are too easily persuaded and convinced with emotion, they unfortunately can not make smart and logical voting choices. Even as children, we were constantly reminded to not let our fears get the best of us, however it is clear that thousands of American people have sadly, and not surprisingly, fallen into this trap by submerging themselves in Trump’s demagoguery. It is evident that by simply listening to Trump’s political proposals, any politically educated voter would not support Trump so easily. For example, in an interview conducted by CNN anchor Jake Tapper,  Donald Trump “[refused] to condemn the Ku Klux Klan” on live television. I mean what good could there possibly be in a radical Klan that kills people because of their skin color? Any responsible and mature voter would be quick to recognize Trump’s insanity by this comment however, it is sad to say that a study conducted by BBC journalist Anthony Zurcher revealed that thousands of voters in fact congratulated Trump on his actions with the justification that “[voters] get what [Trump] really believes in, even if everything that [Trump] says isn’t what is the right thing exactly.” It is embarrassing to acknowledge as a twenty first century voter that this statement has been shared among thousands of Trump supporters who believe that saying what is on your mind magically makes you the most qualified presidential candidate out of a pool of governors and professional political workers.

Unfortunately, there have been multiple instances where Trump supporters continued to support Trump in a time where he conducted great wrongdoing. On Monday December 7, 2015, a report given by a CNN journalist revealed that Donald Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” The United States has millions of Muslims working as doctors, lawyers, managers, and many other professions and banning the entry of Muslims would cause a huge breakout within society, leading to violence and disruption. After such a  radical, inflammatory statement we would think that Trump’s votes would plummet; however we can never seem to quite predict the “brilliance” of Trump supporters. After Trump’s plan to ban Muslims entering the U.S., a poll conducted by CNN showed that 64% of Trump supporters didn’t view the comment as harmful or offensive. When such a great percentage of Trump supporters support such an illogical and insane statement, it is clear that there must be a similarity between them that causes this lack of logical sense. This similarity lies within the demographic of Trump supporters. According to Arbiter News, up to an astonished 43% of Trump supporters have a high school degree or less. This alone goes to show the level of immaturity and lack of political education among Trump supporters. It is our duty to educate ourselves in order to make the best decisions for our society;  however it is evident that many Trump supporters lack this education that is so key to a functioning society. Some may say that it is not the fault of uneducated people for voting for Trump, however through a logical standpoint,wouldn’t it be completely their fault? If one is not politically educated enough to vote, then it is their obligation to simply not vote rather than vote for such a radical man who has been paralleled with what political rhetoric scholar Jennifer Mercieca called “polarizing figures like George Wallace, Joseph McCarthy Father Coughlin - even Hitler.”

Now I am not here to ridicule Trump supporters, call them stupid, or change their perspectives; but I simply want to address the rising problem of political ignorance in society. What you take from this article can be that Trump is an amazing leader or Trump is another Hitler, or you can see beneath the written words on this page and realize the lesson of this article: Think before you act. I’m not here to attack Trump supporters, but rather I’m here to point out  the ignorance of the mass public in hopes of initiating a sense of duty and responsibility in the actions of the public. Next time you go to a voting booth, go to school, or simply go to a friend’s house think about whether you have truly placed your personal knowledge and values in your decision.

Works Cited

"Demographics of Donald Trump Supporters." Arbiter News. N.p., 6 Jan. 2016. Web. 13 Mar.  2016.

Diamond, Jeremy. "Donald Trump: Ban All Muslim Travel to U.S." CNN. Cable News Network,  8 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Mercieca, Jennifer. "The Rhetorical Brilliance of Trump the Demagogue." The Conversation. N.p., 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

Nelson, Libby. "Here Are All Donald Trump's Insults to Women That Megyn Kelly Asked  about."    Vox. N.p., 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Schreiber, Barbara A. "Donald Trump." BritannicaSchool. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016 .

Seamons, Kate. "Donald Trump's Muslim Comments Must Have Hurt His Poll Numbers, Right? Big Fat Nope." Newser. N.p., 12 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Zurcher, Anthony. "Who Are Donald Trump's Loyal Supporters? - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.