By Caitlyn Morral @caiterthot
The 2016 presidential election cycle is in full swing and Americans are weighing in about who they want to become our nation’s next leader. So far, the biggest surprise is celebrity and billionaire Donald Trump who seems to be capturing most of the attention.
Among students at St. Bonaventure University, reactions to Trump’s candidacy are mixed.
“I feel like Donald Trump would make on of the worst presidents that we’ve ever had, and that he would destroy this country,” said Mark Ventrice, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major.
Other students are not quite sure what to make of Trump’s run for the White House.
“I have mixed feelings about Donald Trump,” said freshman biology major Shiki Dixit. “I would definitely vote for Kanye West if he were to run, or any other hip-hop artist or rapper who is able to fix the deficit.”
Trump isn’t the first celebrity to have political aspirations. In the past, celebrities like Wyclef Jean, Stephen Colbert and Roseanna Barr have made serious – and not so serious – and not so serious – runs at political office. It is also important to remember that our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, made a name for himself as an actor before he entered the political arena.
On Aug. 30, West announced at this year’s Video Music Awards that he intends to run for president in 2020. Recently, a handful of St. Bonaventure students considered people in the media today, and assessed their chances in future elections.
“If I had to pick a celebrity, I would pick Jon Stewart,” said freshman biology major Joseph Giglio. “He’s someone who’s already heavily involved in politics as it is.”
“Honestly, I would have voted for Waka Flocka when he was trying to run, because I thought that he was the best option as a candidate,” said sophomore and strategic communications major Sydni Kreitzburg. “In the future, I wonder if Nicki Minaj would run because she’s such a powerful woman figure. At the same time, I feel like she would only run as a joke.”
Only time will tell which celebrities will actually launch presidential campaigns. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see if Trump can ride his fame into the Oval Office.
intrepidsbu.com 