I’m a woman and I’m proud to be voting for Trump

I’m a female voter in college. I grew up in two deeply blue states – New Jersey and California – and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I attend UC Berkeley, and am a part of the most outlandishly progressive student body in the country. And I am not only a proud Republican, but a staunch Trump supporter.

Strangers often remark that my political views are an oddity, and that I couldn’t possibly support Donald Trump due to my age and gender. By adversaries I’m told that I’m self-loathing, and by friends I’m told I break the mold; but for me, “the mold” is a small-minded, limiting, judgmental concept to begin with.

I can’t recount just how many times reporters, classmates, and colleagues have begun a question about my ideals with the phrase “As a woman…”.

Well, as a woman, I am gifted with the ability to bring new life into this world. As a woman, I actively reject the widely-debunked pay gap myth. As a woman, I was raised to have confidence, to expect nothing more than what I have earned, and to see my accomplishments through no lens of imagined adversity.

And as a woman, I am disgusted by education, the government, and the media – overwhelmingly left-wing institutions – claiming that I should vote based on the anatomy of my genitalia rather than the logic of my brain. I choose to repudiate the lie that an elitist, corrupt, career politician better represents my life, ideals, experiences, and needs simply because of her gender.

That lie is true sexism.

On Tuesday, I will cast a ballot for the candidate not under federal investigation, for the candidate whom I see as the rational, superior choice. My decision is not a protest vote, or a party-lines vote, or a vote with any reservations – not in the slightest. And my vote is a vote, not an endorsement of every word, every action, every breath Trump has ever taken. Because in a two-party system, no candidate will perfectly represent you; you must choose who falls closer to you on the ideological spectrum, who better shares your worldview.

And I unequivocally support Donald Trump as the better of only two options in an election sitting on the crux of fundamental and irrevocable change to our country.

In a list of many, there are five primary reasons I’m unabashed in this decision:

Foreign policy

The world is in chaos, largely due to the failed foreign policy decisions of the Obama Administration and Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. Overthrows of dictators led to the power vacuum that has allowed terrorist organizations such as ISIS to usurp control and expand globally. Our country desperately needs a leader who is willing to call our enemies by name and prioritize American lives first and foremost, and that is Donald Trump; Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, refuses to use the words “radical Islamic terrorism”.

Business practices

Donald Trump is a longtime businessman whose success in the private sector is predicated on his ability to prioritize performance and results, hire qualified and hardworking people, and delegate responsibility appropriately. I firmly believe he will carry this philosophy of leadership and meritocracy into the White House. Additionally, it’s time our federal government started treating our national budget the way we treat our own bank accounts – we desperately need a private sector, business-minded approach to reigning in the national debt and lessening the burden on businesses, American workers, and their families.

LGBT rights

Donald Trump has been an active supporter and advocate of the LGBT community for decades, well before Hillary Clinton decided it was politically advantageous to switch her position on same-sex marriage. Back in the 1990s, Trump told the Advocate he would gladly have LGBT individuals in his Cabinet if ever elected president.

Political disconnect

Our country is rightfully frustrated with Washington, and for far too long our elected officials have failed to truly represent their constituents and champion the needs and wants of everyday Americans. We desperately need a political outsider who will fight the political establishment and do what is practical and effective, and that is Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton has made the same stale promises for decades and is owned by financiers ranging from Wall Street to Saudi Arabia, and will fix nothing.

Clinton corruption

Hillary Clinton is the single most corrupt presidential candidate in American history, and if it weren’t for her vast financial backing and tremendous influence from decades in government, the Democratic voters would’ve rejected her as the nominee; and, in fact, they tried to. But not only has Clinton colluded with the media, worked with the DNC to undermine the democratic process, lied to Congress, obstructed justice, admitted to manipulating the public, and orchestrated secret foreign policy on a private email server, her foundation’s entanglements have proven that the Clintons’ goal is money, not public policy change. She claims to support women and LGBTs but accepts donations, support, and influence from human-rights abusing countries.

Despite the media’s absolute bias against him – studies have shown a staggering 91% of Trump’s media coverage has been negative – and University of California, my university system, employees comprising the largest Clinton donor bloc, I have chosen to forge my own path and to fight the overwhelming bias around me, to dare to be different on a campus that prides itself on free expression. I have been publicly maligned and denounced and I’ve had property stolen and damaged, but it has only made me more resolute.

Now, I’m not saying Donald Trump is perfect. I’m not even saying he’s close (but that’s less a fault of his and more the fallibility of humanity). But I unequivocally stand by the fact that he is the better choice, and that we need a new perspective, an outsider voice, and a breath of fresh air in The Swamp.

Trump’s largest so-called scandal to-date is the “Trump Tapes”, an issue I’m constantly asked about due to my gender (and, quite frankly, sick of discussing). This is a textbook red-herring, conjured up to distract from the lengthy list of horrifying impropriety Hillary Clinton has revealed during her time in elected office.

Trump’s comments were in bad taste, but in no way condoned sexual assault, which is at all times inexcusable. He was being cocky, and bragging about the popularity and attention brought about by celebrity fame; it was clearly hyperbole and a joke. If any allegations against him are proven true, my position would change, but at this time, nothing has been proven and in fact one prominent accuser has dropped her lawsuit.

Further, it is beyond hypocritical for the Clintons, of all politicians, to comment on this. Bill Clinton has admitted to two extramarital affairs, been accused of many more, and has long-faced allegations from critics that both him and Hillary have maligned, shamed and mocked those women.

Did Donald Trump (and should he have) put his foot in his mouth? Absolutely. But 30 years of actions speak louder than cherry-picked 30-second quotes, and Trump has a lifelong track record of treating his employees equally and fairly regardless of their backgrounds or demographics.

His past as a gregarious entertainer does not preclude his ability to be an effective leader.

He’s a New Yorker. He talks loud and fast, and minces few words, but what he says he means. He’s driven and dependable. He’s eyes-wide-open about the realities of the world. And unlike Hillary Clinton and down-ballot candidates on both sides of the aisle, he’s owned by no donors, political backers, special interests, unions, corporations, or even party leaders. He is a true populist, the result of a grassroots movement based in rejection of the status quo and a fight for leaders and politics of the people, by the people, for the people – just as Bernie Sanders was for the left (or claimed to be in the primary).

As the Chairman of the California Republican Party, Jim Brulte, frequently says, the only candidate you agree with 100 percent of the time is yourself. And that couldn’t be truer here. On one hand, you have a candidate with some character flaws, and on the other hand, you have a candidate that has revealed a complete lack of a moral compass. In a choice between the two, I’ll take the former any day, and so I will proudly pull the lever for Donald Trump come Election Day.

Disagree? Message The Tab UC-Berkeley and we’ll publish your response.