Unless you’ve excommunicated yourself from social media, given up watching TV or reading the news since the campaigns for the US presidency began (which, to be honest, we wouldn't blame you for because the rise of Donald Trump has been enough to make anyone want to stop paying attention) you’ll know that the billionaire reality TV star has surprised pretty much everyone by doing rather well.
In the beginning Trump’s decision to run for office was treated by the media as a bit of a joke but as he continues to poll well, far ahead of the other Republican candidates for the nomination. Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s consistent wins in the polls have demonstrated that he’s more than just hype and hot air, or at least voters perceive him to be more. His very successful business brand does translate into politics. Trump has shown himself to be more than a clickbait candidate and now many people, including us, are now asking the question:
Could Donald Trump Actually Become President?
Barack Obama has said Trump won’t make it because being President is a ‘serious job’. However, in short, the short answer is yes. It’s completely possible because the billionaire businessman is currently the frontrunner in the race to be his party’s candidate for the White House. In theory he could go up against the Democrats nominee (currently looking likely to be Hillary Clinton) and win.
However, there is a longer, more complicated answer and that is: maybe, it's possible. So, here’s your need to know about the situation after yesterday, aka Super Tuesday.
First Off, What’s Super Tuesday?
It’s one of the most important days during the election period – a large number of primaries and caucuses all happen at once across the US in 13 states.
Super Tuesday comes at a crucial point in all of the candidates’ campaigns, it’s a make or break moment for them.
Who won on Super Tuesday?
Yesterday Donald Trump outstripped his Republican opponents once again, coming in ahead of his main opponents Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich, placing him firmly as the frontrunner for his party’s nomination.
However, Hillary Clinton won big. She came in ahead of her main opponent, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, consolidating her lead as the Democratic frontrunner.
What do the Super Tuesday results actually mean?
Both Clinton and Trump have a clear lead over their opponents and it’s likely that they will end up going head to head in a bid for the Whitehouse. That’s not to say it’s all coming up roses for either of them, though. Hillary lost in Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota and, of course, in Bernie Sanders' territory, Vermont. Trump, equally, lost in several states where he might have expected to win.
Hillary’s main opponent, Sanders, will now likely bow out so that the Democrats are not divided. The Republican Party, on the other hand, will remain a party torn apart with a former reality TV star and billionaire whose policies seem to change daily sweeping the board while professional politicians like Cruz and Rubio trail behind him.
So, Could Trump Really Win the White House?
Yes, if he won the Republican nomination, he could, but as things stand, he has met his match in Hillary. CNN have analysed the polling data and projected that a Clinton/Trump head to head contest would see Hillary coming ahead 52% to 44% among registered voters.
Hillary would face a far tougher contest if she were to go up against Rubio or Cruz, according to the same projections. So, potentially, Hillary is more likely to win if she goes up against Trump. In a rather perverse twist of fate, despite the scaremongering headlines, Trump could actually be good for Hillary’s chances. He may be likely to win the nomination but, as things stand, he’d be unlikely to win the presidency against the former Secretary of State.
Of course, it’s important to remember that polls aren’t exact and they often get it wrong. Anyone remember the last British General Election where pollsters got it totally wrong and their data completely failed to predict an outright Conservative majority? Anyone?
At this point it really is all still up for grabs. At the end of last year experts predicted that Trump’s media hype wouldn’t translate into votes, this year they’re being proved wrong at every opportunity. The Republican party have let Trump go all but unchallenged until recently because the general consensus was that he wouldn’t be able to ride a wave of media hype all the way to the White House. He, however, has continued to defy their expectations and go from strength to strength.
At a victory rally in Miami, Clinton said:
‘It’s clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher and the rhetoric we’re hearing on the other side has never been lower.’
It is a high stakes election and it’s far from over and there’s absolutely nothing funny about the fact that Donald Trump, a man who wants to build a wall between America and Mexico, and only this week has refused to disavow an endorsement from the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, is running for the presidency of the United States and coming ahead of seasoned politicians.
How Has Trump Done It?
In his autobiography The Art of Deal Trump put his success down to one thing, ‘I play to people’s fantasies’ he wrote. ‘I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration – and a very effective form of promotion.’
It remains to be seen whether voters across America will continue to buy into his peculiarly sexist, xenophobic, casually racist and decidedly unpolitical correct fantasy version of the American dream, making it a reality.
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After The New Hampshire Primary, Could Donald Trump Actually Become President?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.