What a world we live in.

Ever since the end of 2015, the presidential election has dominated the U.S. headlines. It is what some (myself included) consider one of the most interesting elections in U.S. history. It has certainly lived up to the hype. Now, nearing the end of the 2016 election, there are two remaining major party candidates: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Before we begin, I want to get something off my conscience – in general, I try to be nonpartisan on most political issues, including the election. However, this year as we all know, is an exception in so many ways. Just looking at the approval rate of both candidates (below 50% for both) gives you an idea of how absurd the 2016 presidential election is. I definitely support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. I think that just a quick look at the candidates justifies my position on this issue.

Emerging triumphant from a pool of seventeen candidates is Republican Donald J. Trump. A man of a lot more than a few words, Mr. Trump claims to have given up a flourishing business and a rich life full of grabbing women by the p**** to “make America great again.”

On the other side of the political spectrum (a whole world away, it seems), Democrat Hillary Clinton won the nomination over Bernie Sanders in a race much closer than it should have been. Clinton, who has come under fire time and time again for not releasing the emails on her private server, remained strong and kept her head in the game. Even now, she is incessantly moving towards her goal of becoming the first female president of the United States.

We’ve all seen and heard the things Donald Trump has said and done–the most recent being his lewd statements about women in an interview with Billy Bush, and that’s just the latest quote–if I had a penny for every time Donald Trump said something offensive, or rude, I would probably have a small loan of a million dollars. Trump has called women slobs, disgusting, and many worse derogative terms. He even called a former Miss Universe “Miss Piggy.” This is absolutely ridiculous and I cannot believe he has the audacity to say things like this. Sure, people say Hillary Clinton is dealing with trust issues and comes off as “cold and calculating,” but I would take that in a heartbeat over Donald Trump. At the very least, she isn’t a rude, insulting maniac. It’s just an added bonus that she knows what she’s doing and has experience in the field of policies.

Plus, I believe that Clinton is a good person at heart. Sure, she may have had bad judgement at times, especially involving the email “scandal,” but everyone makes mistakes. I think that deep down, Hillary has good intentions and, unlike the Donald, will put all Americans first, not just rich white people. If someone calls Mexicans rapists, thinks Muslims should wear ID tags, how are we supposed to trust that he would be fair to all U.S. citizens? I’m a minority myself. I know what it’s like to be discriminated against, mocked, laughed at, just because my family is Chinese. Who knows what life would be like if someone who regularly targets minorities becomes president? Would racism become the norm, something that’s accepted, even encouraged? That’s one thing I definitely don’t want to find out.

This election, there’s been a lot of talk about trust. People say Hillary is untrustworthy because she won’t release her emails. But here’s another thought: what about Donald Trump’s tax returns? Every presidential candidate for 40 years has released their tax returns. What makes Trump special? Why shouldn’t he release his tax returns? As Hillary said during the first Presidential debate, it’s probably because he hasn’t paid taxes in 18 years. The evidence is clear; as reported by the New York Times, Trump claimed a staggering $916,000,000 loss. According to the Times, this would allow him to escape paying taxes for up to 18 years. What’s crazy to me is that he boasts that not paying taxes and cheating his way through the system makes him smart.

Donald Trump loves tooting his own horn. We hear him bragging about himself, his company, and his success everywhere; at one of his rallies, during his speeches, even on stage at the presidential debates. He claims that he sacrificed things and served this country; however, the New York Times revealed that Trump dodged the draft. He didn’t serve in the army during the Vietnam War, due to a condition described as “bone spurs in his heels.” What raises a question is that Trump, before the mysterious condition somehow appeared, was very healthy and never had been injured before. How did these bone spurs just happen? And isn’t it such a coincidence that right as he’s about to go into service, Trump gets this “get out of jail free” card? Seems a little fishy to me. What makes it even worse is that he then turns around and attacks the family of a Gold Star soldier who gave his life to his country during his service in Iraq. How could he do such a thing? Their son, Humayun Khan, was an army captain, killed in action 2004 in Iraq, during an attack when he was trying to save his comrades. The fact that Trump would attack this honorable soldier’s family, who has made such a huge sacrifice, makes me sick to my stomach. If he never sacrificed anything himself, if he never felt the pain that Khan’s parents felt, he has no right to insult them in that way.

America, is this the man you want as president? Do we want someone who abuses women, who targets minorities, who insults even the families of gold star soldiers? Or do we want someone who can keep a calm head under pressure, who would know what she is doing as commander-in-chief, who would bring America together rather than tear it apart?

Just some food for thought.

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.