Trump and the legacy of the Republican Party
Donald Trump’s ascent into the presidency was one of controversy and rather strong opposition. Racist, sexist, white supremacist and unfit for president are all slander that has been used to label him as an individual. Trump, while potentially having good ideas and approaches on issues, comes off as a radical Republican unable to fill basic etiquette of being our nation’s president. His inexperience as a politician has shown throughout his presidential campaign and is likely to still continue throughout his time in office. With all this said, Trump may not show-case the classiness or experience of former presidencies, but he is still is our nation’s Republican president. Rather than stomp on him as a leader and feed into his “twitter fights,” is it possible to look past his radical views and instead place emphasis on the ideas of the Republican Party as a whole? Does Trump fairly represent the Republican Party?
In recent news, the Republican Party has been stereotyped as the political party for white wealthy men who disregard the rest of society in order to benefit themselves as individuals. Those of other parties often define them as the upper-class who are better off than the rest of society in the fact that they strive for individual growth in wealth rather than as a nation as a whole. This is simply untrue and partly due to the perception the Republican party gathered over the course of the election months in 2016. Historically the Republican Party has been a supporter of equality and opportunity for all individuals to prosper. According to history.com the party dates back to 1854 during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Republicans, known at the time as “Whigs”, were formed in supported of an anti-slave America and opposition to Jackson. They believed in a small government in which the people would have a say in social and economic issues arising in the nation around them. It is this ideology of allowing the people to represent the government and allowing all races to take part in a government that is still strongly held forth in the Republican Party.
Some of the greatest former U.S. presidents have been republicans. Abraham Lincoln, the man who abolished slavery, was himself a Republican at the time he was elected into office. Theodore Roosevelt, creator of nation parts was a republican, along with Ronald Reagan who ended the cold war and pulled many of our troops out from over seas. As the facts show, this party’s extended history is one that has supported peace, one that has promoted the conservation of forests around the country, and that has ended enslavement. It is unfair to label a party based on lack of knowledge and research.
Trump is not an accurate representation of the Republican Party as a whole. The party clearly has more substance than it gets credit for and fundamentally it is structured to build a better government in which the people have a voice. Through supporting free enterprise and focusing on stimulating the economy the government can better service the people in comparison to some of the other congressional parties. In choosing to abstain from stereotyping the Republican Party the nation as a whole can become better equipped to make voting choices. Trump may be our Republican president during this point in time but one man cannot dictate all that a party is and will be.
