“America first!”
It is impossible to ever tune into one of President Donald Trump’s speeches and not hear these two words belted from his mouth.
The phrase is almost always followed by cheers and applause from the crowds at Trump’s rallies because these Americans feel like Democrats do not love their beloved red, white and blue like Trump does.
Although this “America first” mentality seems to isolate the U.S., it gets patriots around the country fired up about a president who sure does seem to love America.
This fiery passion is exactly what the winner of the Democratic primary needs to display when going one-on-one against Trump: a passion that presidential candidate Bernie Sanders obviously does not have.
As much as Democrats hate to admit it, this race is going to be a lot closer than they hope.
Trump’s approval rating is currently sitting at 49% according to data collection and statistical website Statista.
It is alarming for those opposed to the president considering former president Barack Obama’s approval was around 45% during the third year of his first term.
You might not see this support reflected walking around a college campus in the heart of Silicon Valley, but Americans sure do love this man.
Trump’s support base is so large that he received 31,000 votes in this month’s Iowa caucuses and around 130,000 votes in New Hampshire.
Trump’s success shows him surpassing Obama’s and former president George Bush’s numbers in Iowa and nearly doubling the numbers in New Hampshire according to Politico.
There are a variety of reasons why Trump might be doing so well, but you can’t deny that a major reason is his blatant display of patriotism.
A poll by Washington D.C. based publication, The Hill, showed that 47% of Americans think speaking poorly about the nation is unpatriotic and another 24% said that they aren’t sure about their opinion.
That leaves a small 29% who think criticizing the country is in fact patriotic.
I am quick to identify myself in that minority, however, I am not trying to win an election for president of the United States.
When there are so many Americans swaying between who to vote for, it is not the most welcoming thing to bash the country they live in, which is why conservatives don’t seem to be scared of “the Bern.”
As of now, Sanders is the front-runner in the primary. Although his appeal is massive among democratic voters, his socialist beliefs could discourage potential supporters who don’t want such radial changes.
Right-wingers absolutely love to jump in their time machines and bring up an interview from 1985 where Sanders said, “It’s funny. Sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is because people are lining up for food. That is a good thing! In other countries, people don’t line up for food. The rich get the food and the poor starve to death.”
Although Trump’s love for Russian president Vladimir Putin has not scared off socialism haters, Sanders’ obsession for socialism really irks people a whole lot.
Moderates, Republicans and baby boomers don’t want to hear about making the U.S. into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of America.
The possibility that Trump would make Sanders look like an unpatriotic fool on the debate stage is extremely high as Trump excels at making his love for the country a talking point in itself.
Although I refuse to endorse any one candidate to go against Trump, there sure is someone running whose nationalism causes conservative quivers: South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Despite the fact that Buttigieg’s politics could still be categorized as radical, it’s impossible to argue that he doesn’t love America even more than Trump.
Not only has Buttigieg served as an intelligence military officer in Afghanistan, but he is also mayor of a major city in one of the most conservative states in the union.
Comparatively, Trump dodged the Vietnam draft five times according to Business Insider and had never served in an elected position before winning the presidency.
Yes, Buttigieg is openly gay, which may frighten away a lot of homophobic Americans, but that didn’t stop him from receiving a standing ovation at a Fox News town hall in May 2019.
Yes, attendees at a Fox News event stood up and clapped for a gay Democrat – incredible.
Buttigieg is not a perfect candidate, but to beat Trump’s rhetoric you need to show that you love this country more than he ever could.
Democrats need to learn from former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s mistake when she called Trump supporters “deplorable.”
You need those deplorable votes to win an election.
But, the Republican Party is the party of the elephant and elephants never forget.
