This article was one of the submissions for The Signal’s Fall 2016 opinion writing contest.
By Alyssa Bononcini
One of the greatest privileges of turning 18 years old is the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election. I have never been an individual who was interested in politics, and I was often a shadow in the background as I listened to relatives and friends debate certain topics. However, the two U.S. presidential candidates have caught my attention and compelled me to speak out.
When I first was made aware that Donald Trump was running for president, I thought it was a joke. I honestly could not stand the guy or his egotistical behavior. As time went on, my opinions have changed drastically. I now support him, not solely for the reason that I am a Republican and he is the nominee, but rather that I strongly agree with his viewpoints on numerous topics. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, will never obtain my vote.
One of the attributes that every leader should possess is honesty. We all know Trump is not afraid to speak his mind, despite the reactions that may ensue. On the contrary, almost everything I have heard come out of Clinton’s mouth has been refuted and makes me question why anyone would want her to make choices for the United States.
She mentioned numerous times in her campaign that she was “under sniper fire” upon landing in Bosnia in 1996, while video footage has proven this to be false. In her speech at George Washington University in 2008, Clinton said, “There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to the base.” In the video, she is shown greeting a number of people with no apparent threats.
The most well-known lie is Clinton denying the deleting of emails from her private server, for which she is no longer being held accountable. She even went as far as proclaiming that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest. In a Politifact article, Louis Jacobson provides the encounter between Clinton and Hillary. In the discussion, Clinton told Hillary that her mother, Dorothy, read an article about Hillary’s mountain climbing and had liked the name and decided to name her daughter after him. However, the mountain was climbed in 1953, while Hillary was born in 1947. Hillary had not reached fame at that point in time and could not have inspired Clinton’s mother.
Although it may be a trivial lie, it is still dishonest all the same. Honesty is the most important trait to me in any situation, and I could never trust this woman to run this country.
Unlike most presidential candidates, Clinton does not have a standpoint in which she truly believes. From what I have seen, she tells people what they want to hear, even if the statement is contradictory to what she has said in the past.
Do we really want the first woman president to be an individual who will do anything for her own personal gain, rather than someone who is genuine and wants to benefit others? Rather than holding herself accountable for her actions, she switches the focus to Trump and hopes that the country will ignore her crimes.
I may not agree with Trump’s loose tongue and often racist remarks, but I do believe he will be honest and an asset to helping this country. He has a business-oriented mind and the confidence that comprises a leader.
A vote for Trump is a vote toward making America great again.
