After months of deliberation, the Iowa caucus is finally upon us and Donald Trump is the best choice for the Republican Party in the 2016 presidential election.

Is he the most conservative candidate? No. Has he made some foolish comments? Yes. But these are not the be-all and end-all. In the search for a president, it’s important to look for someone who displays strength during tough times, has superior knowledge of economics and shows passion for the well-being of the citizens of the United States. All of these are traits embodied by Trump more than anyone else in the Republican field.

As a graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s esteemed business college, The Wharton School, Trump is by far the best candidate to fix the economy. As stated on Trump’s website, big corporations who decide to ditch the United States for Chinese labor will be taxed heavily.

He is a billionaire businessman who has faced adversity from competitors around the globe. Trump has driven his company to greatness in the face of opposition. Hopefully, he will do the same for the country. Trump will have to surround himself with a team of foreign policy experts, but he already has a base for what it takes to lead on the world stage.

Apart from keeping more Americans working every year, Trump’s critically acclaimed tax plan will aid middle income families by drastically lowering taxes. He has also pledged to simplify our extremely complex tax code so that more people can understand how much they’re paying and why.

The best part of it all is that Trump has said he is self-funding his campaign. If Trump becomes president, he has the freedom to look out for the common people.

In addition to tax reform, Trump has also set the tone for the Republicans on education and illegal immigration. He has come down hard against Common Core testing methods that allow bureaucrats in Washington to teach our children. Also, after getting a positive response from voters, several Republicans have piggybacked on Trump’s idea to build a wall between the United States and Mexico as well as to crack down on illegal immigrants already in the country.

No, it’s not constitutional to survey mosques or ban Muslims, and it’s ethically wrong to degrade reporters. So it’s understandable why people may shy away from supporting Trump in his run for president. However, most of Trump’s tactics have been for the better.

In a statement denouncing the Republican hopeful, the Syracuse University College Republicans recently stated, “The GOP could become the party of fear and anger, or the GOP could use this opportunity to redefine itself as the party of reform and opportunity.”

The problem with this reasoning is twofold. First, many Americans fear the national security threats facing the country. Secondly, reform is exactly what Trump is aiming for now. Especially for the Republican Party, the system in Washington is broken, and Trump has demonstrated that he is the one to invoke the much-needed change.

That’s why he is the best candidate to make America great again.

Kyle O’Connor is a sophomore sport management major and political science minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at kdoconno@syr.edu.

Published on February 1, 2016 at 12:17 am