Is Trump Here to Stay?

Like a bad ex who won’t take the hint, Donald Trump just won’t go away.

Over the past month, numerous people have come up to me and asked what my thoughts are on Trump. The line of questioning is usually one of the following:

1. What do you think of Trump?

2. Do you think Trump could actually get the nomination?

3. How is Trump the GOP frontrunner?

4. What about the other candidates?

Either one, two, or all questions have been asked of me in various settings. From the produce section at Publix, to Facebook messages, to Friday nights out with my boyfriend, everyone is dying to know more about Trump’s prospect as a candidate and if I think he has a shot at winning the nomination and finding himself stranded at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue inviting people into the Oval Office only to tell them “you’re fired” upon entering.

The truth is, I’ve been avoiding writing this piece for a couple weeks as I was patiently waiting for Trump’s shine to dull and his numbers to dip in the polls. No such luck. As it stands now, Trump is leading in Iowa with 23% and Ben Carson is trailing with 18%.

After the first debate, a lot of us in the political arena thought Trump’s poor performance and misogynistic ways had finally caught up to him. While Trump suffered a minor setback, he is still raging on, both in the polls and in the media spotlight. For the first time in recent history, America has a candidate who is dominating the press while fellow candidates are unable to get above the fold. All of this Trump-mania has caused people to start talking. Whether it’s about the latest outlandish thing Trump said or about the issues America is facing. Trump has an uncanny ability to say what some (if not most) are thinking, but due to political correctness, won’t. Trump has turned the presidential race on its head and quickly become the most talked about presidential candidate in the race, but the surge Trump is experiencing is something that cannot be sustained.

Americans are fed up with business as usual and the antics going on in Washington, but this does not mean Trump will be their saving grace or is the answer to all that plagues our nation. It is also important to keep in mind, we have yet to cross the one year mark from the presidential election. We are 14 months away and that is a long time to hold the attention of the American public. I mean, even the cast of the Jersey Shore had a break in between seasons.

Trump has created a sort of mass hysteria not seen since the days of McCarthyism, which has made for a great fodder among friends, foes, and your local bartender as we all surmise whether Trump could actually win the party’s nomination. (I don’t know about you, but I’ve got $20 on Trump fizzling out.) Trump’s chance of winning the party nomination, according to my magic 8ball, is outlook is not so good. In order for Trump to become the GOP’s candidate, he would have to maintain his place as number one in the polls and win over primary voters. Currently there is not any evidence to indicate those who love Trump and have rallied behind him will actually show up when it counts and vote for him. Then again, stranger things have happened: Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Franken, to name a few.

As for my thoughts on Trump, I think as a result of him being a businessman and not having to answer to a voting record or any other strings many candidates often find themselves beholden to, he has the ability to say and do whatever he thinks. For all intents and purposes, Trump is an irrational actor, much like North Korea, and it has proven a solid strategy when it comes to entertaining the press and the American public. Nobody knows what Trump will say next, and here we sit, three months after his announcement, still watching Trump like a cat watching a goldfish swim around in a fish bowl.

We, as a country, have spent our summer on Trump-watch and some are elated to see a fresh candidate and others are horrified at the prospect of this guy being taken seriously while the other candidates fight for coverage. As for myself, I am neither surprised nor am I elated at Trump’s political star rising and his tight grip on the polls. However, I am excited to see people talking about politics in a tone of something other than the generic,”Republicans suck and Democrats are horrible.” Trump has blown open the doors on all subjects and said things that would make my grandmother blush.

Love him or hate him, Trump is here to stay. For now.