Caileigh Winslade
Recently, the 2024 Presidential runners were released, and surprising to some, former president Donald Trump is the front-runner for the Republican party.
Currently, he’s on trial for many, many charges. He’s been indicted of 34 felony false record charges and is still being investigated for election interference, mishandling sensitive documents and his role in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the New York Times.
But that’s not all. On May 9th, Trump was found liable by a New York jury for sexually abusing journalist E. Jean Carroll in a department store in the 1990s. The jurors also believed Trump had defamed Carroll by calling her sexual assault claims a “hoax” and a “con job,” according to NBC. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, the former Trump White House Communications Director, told CNN she brought countless reports of Trump’s sexual harassment to the chief of staff during her time working at the White House. She said, “I thought the way he engaged with women was dangerous.”
Griffin added, “Voters need to pay attention, and folks of my own party need to stop making apologies for this man.”
Despite all these trials, investigations, and now his sexual abuse charge, Trump is still allowed to run for president next year, and it’s almost as if the trials aren’t even happening. Trump recently campaigned in New Hampshire, not even mentioning his civil trial, which has taken place without news cameras allowed, or any of the legal issues he faces. All he did was simply remark about how that day a poll was released showing him in the lead in the 2024 Republican primary field, which has actually risen since he was indicted.
Jennifer Horn, a former chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, said, “To see a former and potential future president of the United States confront all these legal issues at once is bizarre. But what’s really disturbing about it is that he’s the front-runner for a major political party in this country. And you can’t just blame that on him. You have to blame that on the leaders of the party and their primary base.”
So, why is Trump still allowed to run for president? Why does he barely acknowledge his alleged crimes and the abuse he’s caused? How can someone who’s known to be dangerous to women, now proven by a jury, be allowed to compete to be the face of our country?
During the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, rioters began to chant “Hang Mike Pence,” referring to the former Vice President during Trump’s time in office. In response, Trump simply said, “Mike deserves it,” and that the rioters were not doing anything wrong. He also defended the rioters in an interview with ABC.
“Trump should not be allowed to run again given how he handled the situation,” said a senior at Chi Arts High School about the January 6th attack. “Instead of being the bigger person and standing alongside the country he is supposed to be protecting and backing up, he’s letting his supporters do whatever they please, endangering innocent people.” Not only has Trump’s actions put people’s lives in danger, but they believe the said continuous actions by the former president “presents itself poorly in a global sense” — hurting the U.S. as a whole.
“Lawmakers are supposed to make laws for the people. Not just to cover themselves,” said Pip Boland, a senior at Amundsen High School. He suggested increasing security to prevent events like the January 6th attack from happening again, and more importantly, adding a law that says people charged with a federal crime can’t run for president.
“The White House needs to root out its corruption.” Boland said. The best way? Starting with rooting out corrupt presidential candidates.
By Caileigh Winslade, Senior, ChiArts
Instagram: @fairytwist / Twitter: @silverrebi
Help us continue to lift youth voices in their schools and communities. Donate to True Star at: elevate.truestarfoundation.
