By Harrison Thweatt

Donald Trump is recognized in this election as having polarizing views on immigration, economic stimulus, and gun control from his democratic opponent and even his former republican opponents.  Until recently many never believed he would be described as a moderate.  Trump began his career  in real estate with his father’s company,Elizabeth Trump and Son (now the Trump Organization), in the late 1960’s. Trump shapes his image as  a mostly self-made businessman, claiming little financial dependency on his father, Fred Trump, at his entrance in the real estate market. This powerful rhetoric has attracted many supporters that feel he has the fortitude to be politically incorrect and make statements that most would be fearful of saying.

In the past two months Trump’s campaign has been given a shake down from top to bottom.  Mr. Trump has fired two campaign managers and passed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton multiple times in the election polls only to recede once again.

Many of Trump’s supporters are drawn to the fact that he is not a career politician as his opponent is.  Trump heavily reminded those viewing the first Presidential debate that he was in fact an intelligent businessman and would run the country in such a way.  He attacked Clinton’s former support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the same breath, stating that it was the “worst deal in American history”, as it forced American workers to compete with those from other countries who would work for far lower wages.

Though Trump did not specifically mention his plan for immigration reform during the course of the debate, he remains firm is his stance to limit immigration by thoroughly vetting immigrants. This reform would be instated with his controversial campaign to build a wall along the U.S./Mexico border that he claims would be funded by the government of Mexico.

The republican candidate has just recently released his tax plan that would allow for tax breaks of both upper and middle class households. This plan would be similar to one instituted during the Reagan presidency. Trump hopes that allowing the wealthy to keep more wealth will put more money back into the“starved” United States economy and give incentives for large corporations to move production back to the United States which would in turn generate revenue and massive job creation.

Following the first presidential debate, Trump’s popularity among voters has taken yet another hit at the polls. According to a Huffington Post general election poll updated October 3, Trump currently stands 4.7 percentage points behind Clinton.  He conceited to Clinton and moderates with his rhetoric about gun control, abandoning his steadfast literal interpretation of the second amendment.

Trump began the debate with strong statements concerning the large scale outsourcing of domestic jobs to foreign countries like “China” by large scale American corporations. He began to respond quickly to Clinton’s ploys to trap him and was unable to respond to her comment about his currently undisclosed tax returns.  Leaked documents have confirmed Clinton’s and other opponents’ suspicions of Trump’s unwillingness to pay federal income tax, revealing he has not paid or not paid in full income tax since 2001.  This has prompted internet mockery of Trump and potentially will hurt his already suffering voter numbers as the election approaches.

QUICK FACTS:

Education: Trump is looking to modify education by giving students the ability to choose schools  and charters. He also believes in relieving student debt but has not commented on his plan to do so.

Guns: Trump is a strong supporter of the second amendment. He wants to continue expanding law enforcement and believes in expanding access to mental health care to reduce violent crimes.

Healthcare: Although Trump believes in affordable access to healthcare, his plan is to repeal the Affordable Care act in favor of a new system. He wants the patients to be the primary decision makes and allow for the sale of health insurance across state lines.

Immigration: Trump’s position on immigration centers around the idea of prioritizing Americans first. He wants to overhaul border security by building a border wall to reduce illegal immigration.

Jobs and Wages: Trump’s primary focus is on reforming the tax code and preventing unfavorable free trade agreements. He wants to focus on improving domestic infrastructure by building jobs at home.

Social Issues:  Trump believes that life is the most fundamental right and the federal government should protect it by not allowing abortions.

Taxes: Trump is looking to cut both business and personal tax rates. Also, he wants to add deductions for costs associated with taking care of children.

Trade: Trump wants to end large free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement. He believes they harm the economy and job growth.