Donald Trump: The Despicable Rise Of The Republican Party

The Despicable Rise of Donald Trump

The Republican Party has played an integral role in American politics for decades. It is the party of Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan. But, regretfully, it is also the party of Donald Trump, a reality TV star and real estate developer, who has turned the race for the world’s highest office into a circus. Donald Trump is a controversial figure, and, as such, has given new life to long standing divides within the Republican Party, and, good or bad, has made the party the laughing stock of the world, and has handed the keys of the White House to the Democratic Party for another four years. The rise of Donald Trump is troubling for the Republican Party and the United States, and there are

For example, the Freedom Caucus is a “band of about 40 lawmakers who pride themselves on holding conservative values and giving Republican leadership fits” (Kopan). The Freedom Caucus is a congressional party caucus in the U.S. House. They hold views far right of the center and it is notorious for being uncompromising and unforgiving. The caucus is extremely powerful because of the fact that it has just enough House seats to have influence in House and Republican Party rules and procedures. It is responsible, along with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, for the debt ceiling crisis in 2011 and the government shutdown in 2012. Groups like the Freedom Caucus are in every corner of the Republican Party, and they drive Party divisions and infighting. As a result of that infighting, far-right groups have gained considerable power, and are now an important constituency in national elections. That important constituency, with its newfound voice, demands far-right candidates. And Donald Trump fits the bill

It’s a fact that ninety percent of Republican voters are white. Therefore, the Party fares poorly in the nonwhite vote. “…Mitt Romney won just 17 percent of the nonwhite vote in 2012, down a bit from the 19 percent John McCain won in 2008 and a steeper drop from the 26 percent George W. Bush won in 2004. Had Romney performed as well as Bush among nonwhite voters, he, too, would have won Ohio” (Weigel, Sullivan, Lowery). That means a number of different things. First, the Party, with such a high number of one voting segment making up its ranks, does not have the capability to understand the viewpoints of minority voters. Secondly, with minorities being a large voting segment, the GOP can no longer win national elections without them. Finally, without the viewpoints of minorities, the GOP is more prone to hateful bigots like Donald Trump harnessing power in its ranks. Because of all those factors, it was easy for Donald Trump to gain power in the GOP and destroy it for years to come.

To conclude, Donald Trump’s rise to the top of the GOP campaign field has surprised nearly everyone. He has been a channel for anger, and an annoyance to GOP leaders and millions of people around America. While other forces, like the media, have also contributed to his success, the main factor in his rise is a GOP that is in desperate need of reform to meet the needs, wants, and ambitions of a rapidly changing