Not “Just” a Birther
Back when a Trump presidency seemed just as likely as President Obama actually being born in Africa, Donald Trump’s odd fixation with the birther movement was weird and racist, like an old relative. Now that we could possibly see Trump in the White House in a couple of months, the fact that Trump would entertain such a ludicrous myth for so long, despite clear evidence proving otherwise, taking until just a couple of days ago to refutes birtherism, is disturbing. In a TV personality, it almost makes sense. Obviously Trump would do whatever it takes to get more attention, so as to in turn make more money off of the publicity. However, the United States will be led to ruins if led by a president who allows his or her pride to make him or her avoid confronting the truth, who naively believes ridiculous conspiracy theories and who entertains racist rhetoric. The fact that Trump has finally refuted birtherism doesn’t redeem him in any way, and that he would make the absurd claim that Hillary Clinton spread birtherism continues to prove that Trump lives in a world of fantasy.
"Birtherism is clearly rooted in racism, and yet a fair amount of the American populace insist upon perpetuating it."
The prevalence and persistence of birtherism has never ceased to amaze. Believers fit right in with holocaust deniers. Both movements somehow remain existent despite clear evidence otherwise and discriminatory tones. Birtherism is clearly rooted in racism, and yet a fair amount of the American populace insist upon perpetuating it.
A white president never had to deal with his constituents questioning his nationality in such a way. Obama’s dark skin made him inherently “foreign” to those questioning his birth. Birtherists used the movement to justify their feeling that Obama doesn’t belong in office by virtue of the circumstances around his birth. The persistence of the movement despite the release of Obama’s long form birth certificate proves that the theory is not grounded in fact, but in the discomfort a portion of our population feels at the decline of their supremacy and the rise of minority groups.
That someone who served as the poster child for such a movement has found such success in popular politics reveals an uncomfortable truth about the American electorate, or rather the Republican electorate. The people who support him are comfortable supporting someone who doesn’t make decisions grounded in fact, and who continues to believe in wild fantasies despite strong evidence otherwise. They support someone who promotes racist rhetoric. Just because Trump has finally dropped the ridiculous fallacy that is the birther movement in an effort to appear more presidential or rational doesn’t mean that birtherism is no longer relevant to this election. Just three days prior to Trump’s announcement denouncing the birther movement, Trump refused to refute the birther movement. No one of presidential material would even question renouncing a clearly racist conspiracy theory, let alone actively promote it. While Trump may have finally made an active effort to shed birtherism, the fact that it has taken him this long, and that he continued to espouse it despite clear evidence being made available to dispute it remains relevant evidence on his character.
Trump refusing to apologize for his role in perpetuating the birther movement, and that he would make the ridiculous claim that Clinton is somehow responsible for the advent of the movement also gives reason to question Trump’s suitability for the presidency. It’s basic decency to apologize after disrespecting someone. Trump has once again prioritized his ego. Trump has replaced one conspiracy theory with another, again showing that his reasoning is rooted in fantasy and delusion, albeit this time the theory isn’t rooted in racism.
With the presidency of the United States comes immense power. In electing someone to that office, the American people must take extreme care in selecting someone with the proper temperament to hold that office. The birther movement is one of many examples that highlights why Donald Trump is not suited for the presidency. Although I feel that in saying that Trump doesn’t have what it takes to be president, I’m beating a dead horse; poll numbers suggest otherwise. A fair number of American people either don’t care or don’t realize what kind of man Donald Trump is. The presidency is far too important of an office to risk putting a man such as Donald Trump in it. For that reason, we must continue to shed light on Trump’s character, and highlight the impact of his choices as much as possible, to ensure that the American electorate knows exactly what it’s getting into on election day.