For a video that claims that he delivered the best speech of all time, I had high expectations, and I went into it with an open mind. But he did not deliver. I kept waiting for it, for that moment of presidential glory and hopefulness, hoping that despite myself I would not get shivers down my spine and goosebumps on my arms, but luckily I did not. There was no wow moment, no glimpse into the greatest leader that ever was or ever will be, no moment of presidential inspiration. It was a clumsy stand-up routine, and not all that funny. I kind of felt bad for The Donald for the first time, and saw that he just really wants a big hug - a hug that will come at the cost of our planet and our future if he were to win.

The man & his policies:

For the sake of perspective, let's take a brief look at this man's background and record. Like virtually every billionaire in the world today, he received a generous head start from his father who was a real estate developer in New York and who left the family somewhere between 250 and 500 million dollars. One of five children, born of an immigrant mother no less (she wouldn't have been allowed into the US under his policies), he followed in his father's footsteps and studied real estate development. He came of age during the Vietnam War and was able to avoid the draft on five separate occasions, four for academic deferral and once for heel-splints. While he has managed to amass quite a fortune (estimated at four billion by Forbes, but Trump claims that the figure is more in the ten billion range) he has had four of his businesses file for bankruptcy and has had a string of business ventures fail quite epically . While entrepreneurs do often have to fail in order to succeed (Steve Jobs, for example, had his fair share), that's fine in the private sector but not when a nation is on the line. He is also know for being incredibly defensive when his net worth is estimated at even a dollar less than he himself thinks it to be . In fact. he's overly-defensive and sensitive about every criticism cast his way.

But let's talk about Trump the man, and his character, or lack thereof. He is known as a bully , and his intimidation tactics are well-documented . He often criticizes people based on their appearance when he has no other recourse, and although he is often touted as being liked for his straight-talk, he verges on obscenity almost daily. His racist remarks about Mexican immigrants lost him business deals with Macy's, NBC and Universal amongst others, and his claim to be "really good at the military" is completely unfounded.

The problem:

His incredibly obtuse policies on ISIS, healthcare, immigration, social security and other issues just don't stand up to a moment of scrutiny healthcare, immigration, social security and other issues just don't stand up to a moment of scrutiny - and they would be dangerous policies in practice. He wants to build a wall between Mexico and the US and make them pay for it? Let's get real for just a moment. The fact that anyone can entertain that kind of thinking is downright scary in these downright dangerous times. The fact is, he is utterly unqualified to be the president of the United States in every possible way. His policies Make America Rich Again). His supporters may argue that they need a businessman to get them back on track, and they may, but they also need so much more - much more than Trump can offer. And this is where the fact of his rising popularity needs to be addressed as a national problem. His incredibly obtuse policies on ISIS,healthcare, immigration, social security and other issues just don't stand up to a moment of scrutiny - and they would be dangerous policies in practice. He wants to build a wall between Mexico and the US and make them pay for it? Let's get real for just a moment. The fact that anyone can entertain that kind of thinking is downright scary in these downright dangerous times. The fact is, he is utterly unqualified to be the president of the United States in every possible way. His policies often ignore the other branches of government, the limits of presidential authority and the US's other global commitments. Even his economics, which are his supposed strong suit, do not hold up to scrutiny in the geo-political world in which we live. Does anyone think that this man can create real, working relationships with other nations in this fragile and unstable world? His whole platform revolves around America and America alone, and his appeal is to those who want wealth for the nation and screw the rest (read. His supporters may argue that they need a businessman to get them back on track, and they may, but they also need so much more - much more than Trump can offer.





The only thing that 'The Donald' really has going for him is a lot of money and a talent for getting the media to pay attention. But these are not the qualities of a great leader. In fact, he paid people $50 to wear Trump shirts and cheer at his announcement speech. He has also used 'like farms' to rack up the likes on Facebook, hence the disproportionate amount of Filipino and Manilan supporters overseas. Needing likes on social media is what teenage girls do, isn't it? A reactionary man who shows his thin skin over and over is not the stuff of a leader. In fact, if he were in office, his thin skin would cause him to launch war after war. When he has the power to not simply insult someone on Twitter because they fired a shot at him, when he has the power to launch nuclear bombs on them, then we are truly doomed. And his latest gaffe: he wants to have all Muslims in the US put on a registry.