To Trump or Not To Trump?

Republican candidacy forerunner and business tycoon Donald Trump has caused quite a stir with his recent remarks on banning Muslims from entering into the United States following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California, being linked with the Islamic State.  “We need a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States while we figure out what the hell is going on”, he said.

Even though, a majority of Americans have rejected his views with, 60% of Americans viewing Muslims favorably, according to a recent poll conducted by NBC, Trump still managed to garner support amongst Republican primary voters who seem divided on the issue. While, it is too early to accurately predict who would triumph in the elections, Trump has caused a lot of distress among the American Muslim community, against whom hate crimes have reached an all-time high. Within the last week, 19 different hate crimes have targeted the Muslim community in America, instigated by Trump’s hateful remarks. The most recent took place in Phoenix, Arizona where a local Islamic Community Center was attacked and a mosque in Coachella, California was firebombed with people inside.

Internationally, Trump’s harsh views have cost him business losses in the Middle-East and condemnation by leaders in Britain, France, Canada and Israel. Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal referred to Trump as a “Disgrace” on Twitter and British MPs will commence dialogue on banning the reality television show host from entering into the United Kingdom, following a recently filed petition.

All of this can have serious implications on domestic and international politics, especially if Trump is triumphant in the upcoming Presidential Elections, which even though at present seems unlikely, but could possibly happen if further terrorist incidents occur. A weak economy and a government perceived as unable to handle internal and external threats, could cause another surge in support for Trump, if he is nominated as the prime Republican Candidate. Even now his controversial statements have kept him in the limelight of the media and lead to an increase in his popularity.