This current presidential season has been saturated with rhetoric that has not graced American politics for a very long time. If one is to believe the rhetoric of Donald Trump, then both the United States and the rest of the world is one giant dumpster fire. Trump has branded himself the calm in this storm and one who has the temperament and backbone (and most recently the stamina) to endure turbulent times. In doing so, he has adopted the historical arguments of strongman leaders throughout the world.
Donald Trump has centered his campaign around this notion, betting voters will be overwhelmed by his showmanship and bluster instead of looking at the substance of his message. This approach has worked as “The Donald” trounced more than a dozen other candidates to become the Republican nominee.
His next hurdle is to beat “crooked” Hillary Clinton using the same message, candor and bullying tactics. While the post-Democratic Convention polls are trending downward for The Donald, the world remains on edge because of what his potential presidency represents for America and the global stage. While counting out Trump at this point in the election cycle is foolish given that he is within striking distance, the question I ask is: Would all of America benefit from a strongman president?
History informs us that other strongmen have led some of the greatest nations. Hitler came to power in Nazi Germany, blaming the country’s problems on those who were not of the Aryan race, and then used this excuse to commit one of the worst genocides the world has seen in recent history.
Closer to home, Americans elected Andrew Jackson as the seventh president, and he rallied them against the “savage” Native Americans of the Southeast. This action created the Trail of Tears and led to one of the largest genocides of Native Americans in North American history.
Augusto Pinochet came to power in Chile, creating fear about communists who waited in the wings, silently plotting to take over the country. By creating hype around the communists, he was then able to label any type of dissent as communist. This led to a genocide of many democratic freethinkers including priests, media and students.
These three leaders are considered strongmen because of the rhetoric they used and the way they wrongly united people; they unjustly perpetuated stereotypes and classified marginalized groups as dangerous. In short, strongmen are treacherous to the concept of a civil society because after they rise to power—even through democratic means—they abuse their power to do things that should not be done. And while no one can predict the future, history can teach us that strongmen should not be given power to carry out their warped visions.
Trump has been doing the same thing by uniting Americans against peoples of Latin-American origin and Islamic faith. His bombastic rhetoric leads his followers to believe these groups are the ones who are slowly eroding the fabric of America. He plays on their inner fears by rallying his supporters against the ‘other.’ Many of his supporters feel emboldened by his rhetoric and have been documented committing hate crimes against minority groups across the nation. Trump’s strongman arguments are usually simplistic in nature, relying on emotional manipulation. Yet when asked about how these groups are actually hurting America, Trump and his supporters grasp for straws and rely on shouting nationalist and populist slogans, denigrating “those people” and using bullying tactics.
In every single instance the boogeyman hasn’t—and still to this day—doesn’t exist. It is a fictitious ploy used by all of these strongmen as a means to create a scapegoat everyone can blame for the shortcomings of the country.
Americans shouldn’t fear people of Islamic faith as the Quran tells followers to act in a pacifist nature, and Americans shouldn’t be angry at Latin Americans as they often work jobs many Americans are too proud to do. It may be worth it for Trump supporters to consider that the boogeyman doesn’t exist in the world, but rather Trump is the mirror reflecting those fears.
So no, Mr. Trump, America does not need you. What makes us strong is the way we come together as a country, understand our differences and negotiate a middle ground for the common good to weather the storm. Your divisive rhetoric does the opposite, playing on the fears of those who feel they have been wronged by a boogeyman. You cannot hope to truly lead this country if you cannot first unite it. The most ironic part of all of this is that the dumpster fire is Mr. Trump and the rest of the world is calm when compared to him.
Carlos Holguin is a member of the Class of 2019.