CHRISTIAN HOLTON

On Tuesday, May 3, Donald Trump soundly defeated Ted Cruz and the other guy running for the Republican nomination, (I think his name is John Kasich?) in the Indiana primary.

Trump’s decisive victory caused Cruz to end his campaign and thus distinguished the last sliver of hope I had for this upcoming presidential race. As the nightmare of a potential Trump-Hillary election slowly becomes more and more of a reality, I, like many other voters, am having great difficulty deciding who to vote for. At this point it would seem that I am faced with two options.

Option A: vote for a corrupt, lying, power crazed, disgrace of a politician

Or

Option B: refer back to option A

While both of these options seem very tempting, and by tempting I mean completely horrifying, I have chosen to select option C: vote for neither Trump or Clinton in an attempt to maintain my dignity.

I will not support Donald Trump for a couple of reasons.

Many Republicans take issue with the “Never Trump” movement, as they cite the fact that the only way to stop Clinton from getting in the White House is by uniting behind Donald Trump and choosing the lesser of two evils. Even though Clinton is one of the most corrupt politicians in American history and shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred miles of the White House, I think salvaging what’s left of the shattered Republican party and conservative movement is more important than winning this election.

While a Clinton presidency would be a catastrophic horror show, it would most likely only last four years and would allow the conservative movement to heal it’s wounds and revive itself.  

A Trump presidency, however, would be utterly detrimental to the conservative movement as Trump, in true wolf in sheep’s clothing fashion, would use his faux-brand of conservatism to impose his leftist ideals and practices on the American people. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a single aspect of Trump that is conservative (not even his use of spray tan). It turns out Trump supported gun restrictions, praises Planned Parenthood, opposes free trade, was pro-choice (Trump also changed his stance on abortion five times in three days), supports a single payer health care system and higher taxes on the wealthy and even donated money to liberal politicians.

The fight for conservative principles is a marathon, not a sprint, and as a group we should be focused on electing someone who best represents our ideas, not settling for a candidate who merely uses conservatism as a mask (an orange ugly mask with bad hair to be more specific).

Trump’s previous positions, coupled with his current ones, make it evident that, if elected, conservatives would be faced with an up-hill battle, forever trying to scrub off the ugly blemish that Trump would inevitably leave on the face of the conservative movement.

Another reason why I don’t support Trump is because I believe there is a certain level of decency that candidates should be held to. I find Trump’s playground-style politics unpalatable and childish. It seems that every time Trump is faced with adversity he resorts to name calling or rumor spreading, two things that aren’t only ridiculous but also unpresidential.

Trump is also a habitual liar. Trump has lied about many things over the course of his campaign, but my personal favorite came with the Michelle Fields incident. Michelle Fields claimed that Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed her arm and yanked her, leaving bruises. The Trump campaign not only managed to tell blatant lies in an attempt to save face, but also resorted to defaming Fields by suggesting that she made up the story for attention, and even going so far as to propose that Fields’ pen could have been a bomb, all while video evidence proved that Fields was telling the truth. Trump’s affair during his first marriage also substantiates the notion that Trump isn’t exactly a moral person.

Conservatives need to unite, but not behind Donald Trump. Unfortunately, that may mean that Hillary becomes the next president of the United States, but four years of tyranny are better than the demise of the conservative movement: a likely outcome if Trump becomes president.

I am Never Trump because I have faith in the conservative movement and I refuse to place my support behind a candidate who erodes the principles of conservatism. I would much rather lose the battle than the war and conservatives need to realize that if they truly support the conservative movement, Donald Trump simply isn’t a viable candidate.