Donald Trump does not have the right conservative values

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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

Hope Howard, The Independent

As an American and as a millennial, I would never want to associate myself with a party that supports Trump. But in America, we’re still divided into two outdated labels: you’re either a conservative Republican or a liberal-minded Democrat. So, where does this leave me?

I’m a journalism student from the United States and I had the amazing opportunity to intern at the Independent for a few months. I’ve noticed the question I get asked the most in the UK is, “What’s your opinion of Trump?” I honestly answer. He is the worst.

For the most part, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics because it tends to bring out the worst in people, especially in America today. On both sides, there was a lot of anger.

Before Trump, I wasn’t ashamed to call myself a Republican, but now I feel like I have to explain myself: “No, I’m not one of those Republicans.”

It is time to introduce a new type of conservative party in America, because the new age of conservatives are not Trump supporters. In fact, they are very liberal socially, conservative fiscally, and prefer to keep religion out of politics.

However, after living in the UK for a few weeks, I’ve noticed that people here tend to think exactly the opposite, associating anything slightly conservative with racism or sexism. I am also amazed to see that most people here believe that Americans are idiots. Yes, we’re noisier than the average tube person, but we’re not stupid. We never saw Trump coming. In fact, we didn’t vote for it. Hilary Clinton won the popular vote, but the Electoral College put Trump in office.

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Side note for my new British friends: the Electoral College is not that complicated. Basically, each state gets a number of representatives (based on the state’s population) who vote after the people, representing the voice of the people. In theory, the Electoral College is supposed to prevent Americans from doing something astronomically stupid. In this case, it didn’t work.

On average, Clinton got more votes from people in more populous states, like California, but in fewer states overall. So he got a smaller number of electoral votes. Conversely, Trump won smaller population states, which ended up getting him more electoral votes overall.

So, I apologize for my party, but I want to remind others that there is hope for the United States. Every four years we hold a new presidential election, allowing the political pendulum to swing to the other side every two years. This system creates polarization, but also ensures balance from a larger perspective.

But now that Trump has ruined the name of the main conservative party, which represents a very unpopular and small part of the American people, I am not sure that this pendulum will work the way it used to. This is a good thing. Let’s consider this a reality check for the Republican Party and for all American politicians. Don’t swing too far one way, or you won’t be able to come back.

All this said, I am not ashamed to identify myself as a conservative. I don’t want a lot of taxes. I am skeptical of nationalized health care, although, yes, I think it is necessary. I have faith in the private sector to create opportunity. I believe our national debt needs to be seriously reviewed and I am a fan of national security. But I’m also pro-choice and I believe global warming is a real problem. I believe that all races, sexualities and genders should be treated equally. I welcome immigrants and hate guns. Most importantly, I believe Trump is the worst.

Even though I’m very confident in my political beliefs, I know it’s not for everyone. You will never hear me say that my thoughts are superior and I would never try to convince someone to think otherwise. In fact, I celebrate difference of opinion and often prefer diversity of thought.

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