Donald Trump is taking over headlines again, but this time the stories aren”t about the actions of the man himself, but of the people rooting against him.
In the past few weeks, violence and other rowdy behavior has broken out at several Trump rallies, instigated both by Trump supporters and protestors. The level of insanity has continued to rise over time, as do many other things that involve the presidential candidate.
Erin Bamer
Argonaut
Recently, Trump protestors blocked traffic leading to another rally in Arizona. Cars were backed up for miles, as people against the GOP frontrunner parked their cars in the middle of a highway and wouldn”t let anyone through. Some protestors even jumped onto cars that tried to push through the barrier they created. In the end, three of the protestors were arrested.
While I can”t deny that the prospect of Trump being the next president of the United States is a terrifying one, it”s illogical to think that these types of violent and crazy protests will do much to prevent Trump from doing well in the primary elections.
These protestors are not going to stop Trump supporters from voting for him come election day. If someone is pro-Trump, there”s a reason, and regardless if that reason is good or bad there is nothing anyone can do about it at this point. Trump fans are loyal to the bitter end.
Furthermore, protestors should know that attacking Trump is fruitless. Marco Rubio is enough of an example of that. When he tried to copy Trump”s strategy of smear campaigning and made jokes about the candidate”s orange pallor and the size of his hands, he fell even further in the polls. The only person who seems to be able to make low-blow comments work in his favor is Trump himself.
These violent protests will only serve to cause physical harm to human beings and make people who are against Trump seem mentally unstable. None of it will ever hurt Trump”s chances at the White House at all. If a bunch of Broncos crashed a UI recruitment event to wreak havoc it would harm BSU”s reputation more than it would prevent prospective students from becoming Vandals.
It is perfectly fine to be against Trump and his campaign for the presidency. In fact, I would go so far as to say it”s a smart state of mind to be in. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
Having a different opinion than someone else shouldn”t be something to be upset about, and it certainly doesn”t justify violence. These outbreaks at protests and Trump rallies will only make things worse, and have the potential to fuel further violence.
Instead, peaceful discourse is the way to go. Even though it is less dramatic and is the exact opposite of what Trump would probably do, remaining rational is the best way to get a sound message across to others.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer