Political frontrunner Donald Trump may not be the preferred candidate for all Americans, but he has brought national attention to the Republican Party’s debates this year.
Trump has held this attention since Sept. 9 due to his comments about Carly Fiorina. Trump has held the top GOP power ranking position for weeks and continues to lead the race in polls.
“Nearly six in 10— 57 percent—Republicans now have a favorable view of Trump, compared to 40 percent who have an unfavorable one.
“Trump’s celebrity [status] and his tendency to say things in offensive ways is what brought more media attention to clashes between candidates,” Lucas Roebuck, John Brown University’s chief communications officer, said.
Roebuck was a political newspaper columnist for nearly a decade and ran for a Republican seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
“Trump’s stance on immigration is very divisive but it is also very powerful, because for so many frustrated voters, immigration is the singular issue that guides their vote,” Roebuck said.
Jacob Russell, junior engineering major, said Trump’s success has widely come from his past celebrity status, not from his current campaign.
“Things he says are displayed massively, such as his comments about John McCain,” Russell said.
Russell also believes Trump inspires debate among Republican candidates that may not have occurred without him.
“He definitely takes a radical conservative stand, but sometimes it is just to be overly conservative,” Russell said.
While Trump appears to be a candidate that will bring about change, he may not be the best person for the Republican Party, said Russell.
“Trump will stay in the news because he says stupid things,” Russell said.
Jesse Hertzberg, sophomore business management major, said he feels Trump has run a good campaign so far. One of the reasons Trump’s campaign has been so successful is because “he just tells people what they want to hear,” said Hertzberg.
Hertzberg believes that Trump has been so successful in the debates because he was able to steal the show from the very beginning, taking the spotlight by not committing to, and unconditionally supporting the Republican nomination.
Hertzberg continued by saying that he agrees with many of Trump’s policies, but he doesn’t agree with Trump as a person.
“You wonder how many people will actually vote for him,” said Hertzberg.
Trump is one of a couple of Republican candidates with no political history, but whether this will prove an overall advantage for his campaign is still undetermined.
“One advantage of having no political history is that you can define yourself however you want,” Roebuck said.
Trump will get another chance to define himself when the third Republican presidential debate takes place on Oct. 28.