In 2015, shortly after Donald Trump announced that he’d be running for president, I went to one of his rallies in Sarasota, Florida. While standing outside of the rally it struck me as hilarious that the people who attended genuinely believed this self-proclaimed multi-billionaire was just like them.
When Trump’s
helicopter flew over our heads with his name scrawled across it and he offered his supporters’ children rides in his chopper, it
cemented the fact that he was totally just like them! It was
one of the most bizarre experiences of my life, and I live in Florida so that
says a lot.
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| Yeah, just an average American's living room. Notice the kids don't seem happy. |
There is a Facebook page called “Trump ‘The People’s President‘” and
there are blue-collar workers all over the country who think the real estate
mogul is “just like us.” These people think that just because he is a loudmouth
who lacks a vocal filter that he is some kind of “everyman,” but he’s not.
So,
we have decided to compose a list of some of the things the working poor face
every day that Trump has never had to deal with in his life.
It
is a fact that nowadays there is no chance of upward mobility without an
education. This reality is the reason why Democrats are fighting so hard to make college free or at the
very least, affordable, for every American.
Although parents know that the only chance their kids have of
achieving success is by going to college, when you are living below or just
above the poverty line there is no way you can put money away for their college
education. This is the reason we have1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt in the country
and a student loan debt crisis.
Donald Trump, however, has no idea what this is like. All of his
children went to prestigious schools (the Wharton School and Georgetown) and so
did he. He doesn’t know the guilt you experience as a parent when you see your
child stressed out about their mounting debt.
He absolutely cannot wrap his mind around this and he isn’t even
talking about it in his campaign–which proves that not only does he not
understand it, he doesn’t care.
4. Public transportation
According
to a 2015 Pew Research study, 11 percent of Americans said they take public
transportation on a regular basis. The people who take the bus or subway on a
regular basis are also more likely to be minorities or elderly who live below
the poverty line:
Among urban residents, 34% of blacks and 27% of
Hispanics report taking public transit daily or weekly, compared with only 14%
of whites. Foreign-born urban residents are more likely than urban dwellers
born in the U.S. to regularly use public transportation (38% vs. 18%).
Meanwhile,
Trump “the everyman” flies around the country in a jet or uses a chauffeured
car. This man has absolutely no idea what it feels like to wake up three hours
before his shift at work so that he can make sure that he is on time.
He has no idea what it is like to wait for the bus in a thunder or snow storm.
He has no idea what it is like to sit next to weirdos who invade
your personal space and stare at you.
He has no idea what it is like to worry
about whether or not he will have the $1.50 it costs to ride the bus. And
again…he isn’t talking about this on the campaign trail and he is against
raising the minimum wage.
3.
No medical or dental insurance
Since
President Obama’s Affordable Healthcare Act went into effect millions of
Americans finally have the medical insurance they desperately need, but many
still do not. More than 28 million people are
still without insurance in our country.
That means millions of people are not getting the annual
physical exams they need to stay healthy–this is not something Trump has to
deal with. He has been seeing the same doctor for thirty years and even if he
did not have medical insurance he could just pay his doctor bills without a
second thought.
Further,
even though 9 in 10 Americans now have health coverage, that does not mean they
have dental coverage:
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made dental care a required
benefit for children’s insurance, but it did not extend this requirement to
insurance for adults. Therefore, many adults who buy non-group insurance may
still have no dental coverage. In 2008, nearly 70
percent of people who bought health insurance on their own did not have dental
coverage. And without dental coverage, many adults struggle
to get the dental care they need.
Trump
has never woken up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain with a
swollen face because of his inability to afford the dentist. He has never
had to ask friends and family for money to have oral surgery. He has never
searched his cabinets for old antibiotics. He has no fucking idea what that is
like and wants to repeal the ACA.
2.
Applying for assistance
For
millions of Americans the only way to survive is to apply for government
assistance. The vast majority of the 52 million people receive help are hardworking Americans
who just have too much month at the end of their money.
They pay their taxes, work multiple jobs sometimes and just
cannot stay afloat without help. And let me tell you, applying for it is the
worst. Donald Trump has no idea what it is like to sit on pins and needles
hoping the government deems you worthy of being able to purchase food.
He has no idea what it feels like to go to bed hungry; and
ironically, if he was ever put into a situation where he needed a hand up, he’d
be one of those “moochers” his party talks about all the time. You know the
one, the person the GOP claims doesn’t pay taxes but “expects” a hand out.
Well, Trump hasn’t paid taxes in almost 20 years making
him the ultimate moocher.
1.
Poisoned water
By
now you have all heard about Donald Trump’s visit to Flint, Michigan last month. Trump wanted the people of
that city to know that he was on their side. His visit to the city came almost
a year after America found out that the state had been poisoning the mostly
African-American residents of the city for two years with lead-contaminated
water.
Trump, the guy who lives in penthouses and mansions has
absolutely no idea what it is like to worry about drinking poisoned water. This
is a very real struggle for not just the people of Flint, but in every state across the country according to
reports.
The idea that he can relate to this struggle is
as preposterous as his visit to Flint. Furthermore, Trump is an anti-regulation Republican,
so there is no chance in Hell that he is going to prevent this from happening
in other cities around the country if elected.
These
are just five of the ways Trump is nothing like us, but there are many more.
Trump also has no idea what it is like to run out of toothpaste
or toilet paper and not have the money to buy more.
He has no idea what it is like to look at his children and tell
them that he cannot afford a $5 toy.
He has no idea what it is like to not be able to get his
children a pet because he cannot afford the vet bills.
He has no idea what it is like to watch his children go off to
war so that they can hopefully live through it and get a free education.
He has no idea what it is like to go hungry, go without heat, go
without shoes or any of the other things Americans face every single day.
He
is NOTHING like us and we must do everything we possibly can to keep him out of
the White House.
Author Shannon Argueta is a
married, mother of one and is a speck of blue in the extremely red state of
Florida. She became involved in politics after becoming aware of how broken the
immigration system is while trying to gain citizenship for her husband. She has
a degree in Criminal Justice and is a proud, loud Liberal. In 2012 she
volunteered with President Obama's reelection campaign. Come join her on her
Facebook page "Angry Liberal Bitch," and tell her how awesome she is.
