The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.
At The Miami Student, we cannot agree on what might be the right next step for this country in the upcoming election. What we can agree on with unanimity is what will be the wrong next step for this country: voting for Donald Trump.
In this case, we are not posturing as liberals or as democrats. We are stating a fact. Mr. Trump does not have the capabilities as a businessman to keep his promises, he does not have the knowledge as an international presence to keep innocent people safe and he does not have the conscience of a decent human being to remedy the cracks that his campaign has further exposed in both the American system and the American public.
Trump has said that he will bring all manufacturing jobs back, withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and renegotiate the United States' NAFTA agreement in order to get better jobs for Americans. But he knows what infuriates manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and carpenters alike because he's put thousands of them out of work by not following through. In the past three decades, Mr. Trump has been involved in over 3,500 lawsuits, a large number of which have to do with him not paying everyday Americans for work that they've done for his businesses.
Since 2005, Trump's companies have been cited 24 times for failing to abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying overtime or minimum wage. Over 200 mechanics liens filed by contractors or employees saying that they have not been paid for work done on Trump's properties or for his companies have surfaced and resurfaced, and that's since the 1980s. The Freedom Kids, the little girls that performed at Trump's rally earlier this year, are now suing him too. Why? Because they never got paid for their support of him.
Trump has said that he will keep Social Security as it is to stay even with the Democrats in this election. He says he will save the program by "making America rich again." But even now, with this promise, he is wavering. His policy advisor Sam Clovis said in May that he would be willing to make changes to Social Security if he is elected. His proposed tax reforms, which give more relief to the top .01 percent than the bottom 60 percent of taxpayers combined according to Politifact, would expand the federal deficit by $10 trillion over the next decade. His aforementioned promise of Social Security would not survive this deficit. Another promise for America's workers and small businesses unable to be upheld.
Trump has said he will bomb ISIS and take their oil. He says he will do this by putting ground troops near those oil fields and "circle" those sites. But that is literally the only detail that our possible Commander-in-Chief has planned, as he won't commit to a number of troops to be deployed to these areas. Even if he wanted to do this, he would have to invade Syria, he would have to have an occupation plan that spans years, and for those nation-building fanatics out there, he would have to invest billions of dollars on reconstruction. Another way to destroy our economy and create more enemies around the world.
Trump says he will build a wall. He says he will make Mexico pay for it. He says Mexican immigrants are "rapists," that "they're bringing crime." He has said he will put a full ban on Muslims entering the country (with the exception of athletes and other "important people") until "we can figure out what is going on," like all practicing Muslims are members of ISIS. He has actually said "Laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that." Earlier in that interview, he said he only wanted Jewish men counting his money. In a profile in 1992, Trump said in reference to women, "You have to treat 'em like shit." During the race, he has insulted women for their appearance, their relationships, called women a "piece of ass," and made crude remarks towards female anchors and interviewers. He has openly said that he is a "traditionalist" and does not support the gay community. He even once mocked Serge Kovaleskia, a New York Times reporter with a congenital condition called arthrogryposis. There is one thing that is true, it's that Trump excels at marginalization, racism and sexism, not to mention his natural proclivity for discrimination.
At the beginning of the election season, both the media and the American public (aside from a few diehard Trump fanatics) saw Trump's campaign as a joke. The election turned into a reality TV show and then we saw how Trump thrived in madhouses. We saw it turn from a sideshow to a full-blown disaster, and people are suddenly taking Trump seriously when he hasn't actually changed the core of his campaign or promised anything more concrete than the fact that he will "make America great again."
This election, there is a wrong choice. We know that to be Donald Trump.