Real estate magnate. Emmy-nominated TV star. Author. Grandfather of seven. And now, potential leader of the free world. Since arriving on the political scene in late 2015, Donald Trump has captivated voters, young and old alike, and many Trevians have been entertained by his antics.

Insults and jeers have defined Trump’s political career to this point: between deliberately insulting Jeb Bush’s wife in an early GOP debate, to using his Twitter account to call out Democratic candidates and even media outlets like ABC and CNN, Trump has been known to speak his mind. New Trier Senior, Patrick Graham commented on the way Trump expresses himself, saying, “I respect his integrity but I don’t respect his insults. I respect that he sticks to his guns, but I don’t respect his guns.”

Leading the Republican polls across the nation as the first primaries approach, Trump’s popularity has soared as he sticks to his approach of verbally attacking his opponents. Rick Hohlt, a GOP strategist and CNN analyst said, “Trump is attracting a new class of voters. He’s got the mo, he’s got the masses.”
Holding the “mo,” or the minute, and grabbing the attention of the voters has been essential for Trump as he travels across the country campaigning. “He’s very interesting, but I don’t like the way he attacks non-Americans, too. My parents said if he gets elected, we’re moving out of the country,” junior Carlotta Smalla, a native of Switzerland, said.

AP Government teacher Lindsay Arado also touched on Trump’s recent attraction of voters.

“I think anyone who can attract as much attention and support as he has can be considered a legit candidate,” Arado said. “However, part of my frustration as a teacher and as a citizen is that he is less likely to have actual policy proposals and instead tends to prey on people’s fear and anger.”

Similar to what Arado expressed, the fact that Trump has taken both the polls and the nation by storm has some other Trevian voters worried for the future. Seniors Graham and Spencer Farina agree that “there is no way that his campaign isn’t a joke.” What started out as a proclamation has turned out to be a serious threat to the GOP nomination.

While Trump is a Republican, his own party is scared of what he could do with the power he has amassed in recent months. Specifically, one of Trump’s statements has members of the party rattled: “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” Trump’s announcement immediately drew backlash from both sides of the political spectrum.

Some of Trump’s spirited claims like these have gone awry, however, and his surging in the polls could be due to a lack of a solid Republican Party. Arado expressed her doubt on the subject, saying, “I don’t know if there is a unified GOP. It seems the party is pretty fragmented.”

Despite party issues, one senior in particular was adamant in his plans to vote for Trump next fall. Zack Schreier, a fiscally-conscious AP Government student, commented on Trump’s success and how his attacks have drawn him in.

“Trump is tremendous. He’s a winner, a real winner. He has 43% in the polls, while [Jeb] Bush only has 3%, so you see how his tactics are working. It would be a waste of my vote because he’s going to win no matter what,” said Schreier. Schreier also alluded to the fact that Trump speaks his mind as one of the main reasons he supports the sandy-haired billionaire in his quest to become President.

Despite senior Jesse Richter saying that Trump reminded her of “that cartoon character with the brown, floppy hair,” and being torn apart by the media, Donald J. Trump must be taken seriously.

The last two Republican candidates to lead the polls at this point in the year during the 2008 and 2012 election processes went on to take the GOP nomination (McCain and Romney), and with a large, uncertain field of Republican candidates, perhaps what the party needs is an outspoken, glamourous nominee to take on whatever the Democrats have to throw at them.

Trump’s no-nonsense, lack of political correctness has gained him support throughout the masses, and it could be time to realize that this man could be the next leader of the free world.

As Hohlt so accurately described him, “Trump is a wild card, a flamethrower, a man with no known party loyalties and no coherent political principles, a thrice-married casino mogul and reality-TV star, a narcissist.”

At this point in the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump is a legitimate candidate for president.