Not everyone can be president

Brian Chang, News Editor

It is often said that in the U.S. anyone can be anything they want. With regards to the role of president, however, that saying is being taken too literally.

When did we start to encourage politically inexperienced celebrities to run for the office of president? Donald Trump led the way, and rumors of presidential bids by Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson have surfaced. These entertainment personalities do not have the knowledge or the skills required to run this country.

As a nation, we have forgotten what it truly means to sit in the Oval Office. The president has access to weapons that could destroy entire countries, and we shouldn’t be entrusting celebrities with those. Besides, a person’s ability to deliver a speech doesn’t indicate anything about their ability to lead. While Winfrey can speak passionately about female empowerment, she should not be elected. She has an almost nonexistent political background and is known for her talk show rather than her leadership qualities.

Granted, Winfrey would likely be a better president than Trump, but just because he lowered the standards for the presidency does not mean they should be kept there.

Never before in the history of the U.S. has a totally inexperienced president been elected. Ronald Reagan served as the governor of California before being elected president. Barack Obama was a senator. Dwight Eisenhower lead the Allies to victory in  World War II. These so-called “outsiders” all had backgrounds in military or political fields. The celebrities who talk about running for president nowadays have none, and will have no idea how to act when confronted with the reality of being the leader of the free world. How can we trust a celebrity to make decisions regarding deals with foreign ambassadors, drone strikes, wars and a host of other problems?

While celebrities like Winfrey may be inspiring, the job of the leader of the U.S. constitutes more than simply being a role model. The extreme divide between this country’s two major political factions points toward a greater issueour political system is in trouble, and another celebrity-turned-politician isn’t going to solve our problems. There is no substitute for actual experience, and in a position as important as the president of the U.S., it is crucial a qualified individual is at the helm.