Trump the Bear



The fact that Waldo, a cartoon bear, could run for Parliament and become extremely influential to the point that he eventually ruled the world, as seen in an episode of Black Mirror, is terrifying.  This animation was not meant to become a Member of Parliament; nonetheless, he was a runner-up, so voters had to have taken it seriously.  When in a discussion panel, Waldo verbally attacked his opponents and criticized their government.  Throughout the campaign, Waldo never stated his plan of attack for conquering issues and relied on what he is: a source of comic relief.

This is a character from television, who is well-known for mocking others to an extreme, an outsider to politics, and who does not have a clear course of action.

Does this sound familiar?

To me, President-Elect Donald Trump fits the bill.

Of course, Donald Trump is not a cartoon bear; however, the idea of him running for President of the United States was just as absurd as an animation.  Trump, like Waldo, is a bully that can get away with saying anything offensive.  Several times, Trump insulted his opponents, either verbally or through his Twitter account.  Two days before the election, Trump’s aides confiscated his Twitter account.  Once a video was released featuring Donald Trump and Billy Bush on a bus, voters like me were disgusted by what they heard.  After the release, Billy Bush was fired from his position at NBC.  What happened to Trump?  Nothing. He responded by saying it was “locker room banter.”  Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump made headlines with his outrageous comments, making this past election exhausting for voters to watch.

Despite my personal beliefs, I can understand why Donald Trump could be a, not necessarily likeable, but a tolerable candidate.  Although he definitely is one now, Trump has stated, “I am not a politician,” and that he can get things done.  Trump is an outsider to politics.  To some voters, an outsider may be more effective than the experienced wife of a former president.  After all, the past few elections have had candidates who were related to previous presidents either by marriage or by blood, e.g., Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush. 

From his platform, I view Donald Trump as a misogynistic, homophobic, and xenophobic President-Elect.  Despite my strong dislike, he will become President of the United States on January 20. 

Behind Waldo was a voice actor, a real person, who was not a politician and who did not want to run for Parliament in the first place.  So maybe behind this image of Trump, there is a real, caring man.  After all, Trump is a friend of Kathie Lee Gifford.

In spite of my political beliefs, I hope that we, as a country, give Donald Trump a chance to prove that he is not some character on a television show.