Daily Times

“I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened,” – President John F Kennedy.

The latitude of Donald Trump’s popularity has proliferated to every demographic, as was demonstrated by the Republican caucus in Nevada. Trump has managed to even defeat Ted Cruz among evangelicals. He has permeated into every type of conservative group, from very conservative to moderately conservative. Many believe that Trump is not responsible for enticing the masses that support him with his racist, condescending rhetoric. Their view is that the racism already existed within his followers and that Trump is merely voicing their inner thoughts. This is an oversimplification of a much more serious problem: the fact that Trump is actually legitimising their hatred as a potential leader.

We may perceive the demographic of Donald Trump’s supporters as mostly white, poor and under-educated. However, a recent poll under the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that the most statistically significant factors contributing to what defines a Trump supporter are the fear of terrorism and authoritarianism. The fear of terrorism is quite a given among supporters of a candidate who has based a significant portion of his ideologies on the hatred and fear of ‘the others’. Trump’s pledge to ban all Muslims from entering the US (even US citizens) is undoubtedly deeply rooted in inciting fear among his followers. It is based on the premise that all Muslims are terrorists and not worthy of entering US soil.

Unfortunately, Trump’s xenophobia does not stop here. What about the 3.3 million Muslims already living in the US? Many of them serve in the US armed forces, public office, medicine, law, etc. Well, Trump has also devised a plan to penalise and marginalise them. His plan is to issue badges to all Muslims in order to identify them. Sound reminiscent of one of the most atrocious crimes in history? Incidentally, Trump is very often compared to Adolf Hitler. Moreover, the former Klu Klux Klan grand wizard urges followers to vote for Trump to protect the legacy of racism. Let us think about these facts very carefully.

Trump also pledges to have a database to track all Muslims. He also states that he will have “absolutely no choice but to close down some mosques where some bad things are happening”. He curiously gives no elaborations, though, but then that is typical of him. He even went so far as to criticise President Obama for visiting a mosque to demonstrate his support of the Muslim community, saying that maybe the president feels comfortable there. We all understand Trump’s insinuations but the real question is: had President Obama felt more comfortable in a mosque, would that be illegal, immoral or unconstitutional?

Sadly, Donald Trump’s scorn does not stop there. Another community that has been the object of it are the Mexicans. Wanting to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to keep them from entering the US and referring to all Mexicans as rapists obviously makes his critics conjure up the image of a racist, sexist, xenophobic demagogue. Reverting back to the authoritarian characteristics of Trump’s followers, it is quite clear why this would be a common trait in them. By definition, authoritarians obey. They rally to and follow strong leaders. They also have aggressive reactions to outsiders, especially when they feel threatened.

Donald Trump is decidedly making his authoritarian inclinations evident promising to ‘Make America great again’. His plans for the US-Mexican border wall, closing mosques, banning Muslims from entering the US and deporting 11 million illegal immigrants, even those who have had children born on US soil are hardly characteristic of what truly makes the US great.

Trump has figured out that inciting fear of others is a commonly used technique in the political chess game and one that is particularly fruitful for fascist gains. Donald Trump’s candidacy for president may have seemed amusing to many: the billionaire who wants to be president, saying whatever pops into his mind and zipping in and out of political rallies on his private jet. This variety show was unfortunately not short-lived. His victories in the South Carolina and New Hampshire primaries and the Nevada caucus are a jolting reminder that Trump may actually win the Republican nomination for president, placing him frighteningly much closer to winning the general election and the presidency. It is of utmost importance at this point in time to be conscious of the fact that Donald Trump’s ideologies, rhetoric and proposals are not in the least bit humorous and actually never were. They are menacing, not only within the US but also globally.

To take things even further, in January of this year, a YouGov/Economist poll revealed that nearly 20 percent of Trump’s supporters disapprove of President Lincoln freeing slaves. Very curious for supporters of a candidate running for office representing ‘the party of Lincoln’. From all that has been seen and heard of Donald Trump thus far, his goal is the instigation to divide, polarise and marginalise, all points that are counterproductive to good leadership. ‘Make America great again’ has never been further from the truth as it is with regards to Donald Trump.

The writer is the political analysis editor of Turkey Tribune