On Monday, Jan. 15, registered Republicans in Iowa caucused as the first voters in America to voice their opinions on which candidate will trail the closest behind Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. 

With the election now just 10 months away, candidates such as Tim Scott and most recently Chris Christie are dropping their bids for president for the most popular candidate to be determined. Thus far, polls are far and away suggesting that Donald Trump will come out victorious in Iowa, which has come as no surprise to the American people. 

Prediction:

At this time, I believe that Donald Trump will, as unfortunate and as scary as it seems, prevail on Monday night. This man has the ability to manipulate the minds of Americans into believing such an enormous lie about the 2020 election to the point that they are willing to do anything he commands, even if that means the destruction of democracy. Alluding to the Republican Party of today wanting to do away with our democracy is not a far-fetched idea by any means, rather it is the only realistic point of view. The Republican Party is no longer the respectable institution it once was — that Republican Party died with John McCain. The party’s ideals have become destructive and dangerous for the American people and do not align with the core principles of genuine republicans. This era and the future of the Republican Party have been tainted by the borderline authoritarian ideals of Donald Trump. 

I believe that Nikki Haley will prove herself to be the far superior candidate to Ron DeSantis, and that following the caucus, I believe that Ron DeSantis will suspend his campaign. There is the possibility of Governor DeSantis attempting the position of vice president, most likely with Donald Trump, considering DeSantis’ entire campaign has mirrored that of Donald Trump almost exactly. Nikki Haley has been gaining immense traction in her competition with Governor Ron DeSantis and is a rarity in the Republican party when it comes to people I would be relatively content with having in office. Yes, of course, Governor Haley has incredibly conservative ideals, however, she is not dangerous and she has the moral integrity with respect to democracy in the United States.

Ron DeSantis has had a complete joke of a campaign. He has not been successful in governing the state of Florida, what in the world made him think that he could run the entire country? The state of Florida under the tyrannical rule of Ron DeSantis is falling apart economically, academically and socially. If Ron DeSantis were able to scrounge enough support to somehow win the presidency, the same would be the state of our entire nation, and we simply cannot allow this to happen. 

Reaction: 

Tonight was unsurprising, yet still disappointing. While most of me knew that Donald Trump would win in Iowa, I was still holding onto a sliver of hope that enough people came to their senses about the danger that both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis pose to this country and our very democracy. 

What would it take for voters to lose their support for Donald Trump? Seemingly, anything goes. 

What more should it take than the words “I will be a dictator on day one”? If you are not infuriated about the things that come out of Donald Trump’s mouth, then you are not paying close enough attention. 

What I am surprised about is how big of a margin that Ron DeSantis held over Nikki Haley. I would have expected there to be more support for Nikki Haley since she is the only real candidate in the Republican Party, whereas Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are seemingly one and the same. The DeSantis campaign has been plagiarizing nearly every move that is made by Donald Trump, so why are both he and Ron DeSantis receiving such a large portion of the vote? 

To even try to imagine what another four years of the Trump regime would mean for domestic issues, such as the influx of migrants that are entering the United States, or the opioid epidemic that has been plaguing the country for the past nearly 50 years, is a horrifying thought. Trump-era policies have historically been actively regressive, for example, the striking down of Roe v. Wade which was made possible by congressional Republicans blocking the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court while doubling back four years later and rushing their own justices onto the bench to overturn precedents that have long been the law of the land. 

An even scarier thought is to imagine what our foreign relations would consist of under another Trump administration. The Trump administration was absolutely detrimental to our foreign affairs when it comes to the environment, with the Trump administration pulling out of the Paris Agreement, which was agreed upon by 196 parties. Actively legislating against improving the climate is not the platform of any respectable political institution, let alone one that should be at the helm of the most powerful country on Earth. 

If you have gotten to this point and you are terrified of another four years of Donald Trump, you are not alone, but now is not the time to panic, at least not yet. Iowa has not chosen a winning candidate in 24 years and only about 2% of the total delegates in the United States are awarded to Iowa. All hope is not lost. 

The American people need to know better, our democracy depends on it.

Jackson Small is an opinion writer. Contact him at [email protected]