To the identity-obsessed left, the words “minority” and “woman” are at odds with being a Republican. But I am proudly both, and on November 3, I will vote for President Trump, not despite my identity as a woman and a minority, but because of it.
As a Chamorro (indigenous Guamanian) whose father grew up in Hawai’i, less than a block from where President Obama went to school, I had great hope in 2008. Soon, those hopes were dashed. Eight years of anti-construction policy and open-border policies sent my family into immense debt; after just four years under President Trump, we are prospering.
My family’s story is not an isolated case. For many families, President Trump came as a lifeline in a time of need. Here are just a few reasons that I am voting for Trump:
1. Unprecedented Economic Growth
Under Trump, minorities are thriving economically. Before the pandemic, the Black and Hispanic unemployment rates were at a record lows. 5.6 million Americans have come off of food stamps and 2.4 million have been lifted out of poverty, including 1.4 million children. The Trump Tax Cuts have established nearly 9,000 Opportunity Zones (areas in low-income areas that give tax advantages for specific investments) across the US and territories, prompting $100 billion in private capital investment. Nearly 35 million Americans reap the benefits of Opportunity Zones.
My own family is a perfect example of how Trump’s economic policies have uplifted low-income Americans. Obama’s policies in housing, immigration, and regulation, nearly destroyed the electrical business my dad spent more than 20 years building. President Trump’s progress towards stopping illegal immigration has increased wages, and therefore also construction prices. My dad’s business has not only recovered, but grown exponentially: instead of having to look everywhere for work, he now has too much business to handle.
Unfortunately, Coronavirus has undone much of the economic growth Trump has worked so hard to build. However, I trust the President with the best economic track record in living memory to handle the difficult task of rebuilding the economy, far more than I do a washed-up Obama hold-over who supports the Green New Deal and raising taxes to unimaginable rates.
2. Addressing Disparities in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Human Trafficking
In November 2019, Trump enacted a long overdue executive order which recognizes the large number of indigenous women and girls who go missing or are murdered every year. This is the first bill that directly tackles the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Trump has taken a stand and is working to end these horrible acts, which are disproportionately common on indigenous women. More broadly, Trump has taken steps to end the grim and oft-overlooked issue of human trafficking. Federal law enforcement has more than doubled convictions of human traffickers since Trump’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) initiative.
3. Reversing Biden’s Harmful Crime Bill
In 2018, President Trump passed historic prison reform via the First Step Act, which mitigated inequalities in sentencing laws, and led to the release of over 3,000 citizens so far, over 90% of them African American. It was Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill that necessitated this reform. After passing his bill, Biden bragged about its harshness, saying, “We do everything but hang people for jaywalking in this bill.” Before President Trump enacted major criminal justice reform, countless people received lifelong sentences for petty drug crimes with no hope of receiving probation or parole.
Trump’s policies have rectified the harms caused by liberal legislation, reuniting thousands of former inmates with family members they didn’t expect to see again.
4. Female Empowerment
From day one, Trump has supported and encouraged the women around him. While working mothers often face challenges, Trump believes women can balance careers in the White House and motherhood. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, is the first woman to manage a winning presidential campaign. Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the first woman with school-age children to sit on the United States Supreme Court. White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, has a daughter who will turn one in November. All of these women were extremely successful in their careers leading up to Trump’s appointments, and were certainly the best choices for their positions in every instance.
On the other hand, the main qualifications for Biden’s VP pick, Kamala Harris, were race and gender. Selecting a running mate purely for her identity as a token minority is deeply offensive: it implies she has nothing better to offer. By prioritizing her race and gender over any real qualifications or accomplishments, Democrats reduce women and minorities to political pawns whose value derives from their cosmetic factors and not any of their own accomplishments.
5. Improving Education
President Trump has prioritized improving educational opportunities for Black Americans. President Trump has stood up for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) like no other president. Securing HBCUs’ permanent funding ensured that black education can prosper in the United States. Trump has also advocated for school choice to improve education standards in inner-city schools where poor and minority kids have been stuck for decades. Democratic leaders have been opposed to school choice, because educational freedom for minorities threatens their corrupt allies: teachers’ unions.
School choice is also important in rural areas. My own village in Southern New Mexico, population 1300, suffered massively from lack of school choice. In a neighboring town, a school had bullying and drug problems so rampant that students could not use the restrooms without an attendant. I was lucky enough to attend a better school purely based on my zipcode. With school choice, the students from the neighboring school could attend a school that would give them more opportunities to succeed.
President Trump is not a perfect man, but unlike countless politicians that came before him, he has fulfilled his promises. My family has a debt of gratitude to pay him. Actions speak louder than words, and from the actions Trump has taken in his first four years, he has earned my vote for four more.
