Written by: Sohini Ashoke

Given that Palo Alto is known to be very liberal, most Gunn students probably support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump; however, there are some Trump supporters on campus.

For junior Alex Turner, Trump’s straightforward approach toward global issues is refreshing. “Throughout the debate I saw Trump pointing out problems I noticed, and doing well,” he said. Although Turner is aware of the controversy surrounding Trump’s statements, Turner does not see why people are making a big deal out of them. “I don’t see him as racist,” he said. “I see him as bringing up problems we currently have that need to be addressed.”

Senior McKinley Kalar has faced hate because of his alliance with Trump. “I face a lot of prejudice for supporting Trump,” Kalar said. “I’ve gotten a lot of mean comments, even some from teachers; I have had people confront me, yell at me. It’s kind of sad to see how many people are close-minded and won’t talk to me about their views, and instead just shut people out.”

Like Turner, Kalar understands that many people think Trump’s statements are controversial, but believes that looking at the overall candidate is more important. “No candidate is perfect, and you have to take every- thing with a grain of salt,” Kalar said. “Instead of trying to scrutinize every little thing, you have to look at the candidate [Donald Trump] from the big picture.” Kalar also believes that Trump’s attitude during the presidential race will benefit the country. “I feel like a candidate who is not afraid to say the things on his mind is good for the country at this point,” he said.

Junior Mitchell Mertz prefers to focus on the policies, not the person. “[Trump’s controversial state- ments] make it really hard to choose a side because I really don’t like Hillary’s policies,” Mertz said. “I also don’t like Donald Trump’s personality, but I like his policies which is what matters in the long run.”

Sophomore Sara Michaelian says that although Trump was not her first choice, she believes he will do his best for the country. “Donald Trump symbolizes the true American spirit; he’s very patriotic and so am I,” she said. “Out of all the three previous candidates [Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump], he really wanted the best for America. His policies were very much into bringing back what the Founding Fathers wanted for our country. He wants to bring back the American spirit. People these days don’t want to vote and are stomping and burning the American flag, and Donald Trump will bring back that American spirit.”

Mertz does not fully support Trump; however, he sees Trump as the better of two evils. “I support Donald Trump more by necessity than anything else,” Mertz said. “I don’t really like him as a presidential candidate, but I like him more than Hillary. I don’t really like what Hillary is doing involving health care and open borders and Syrian refugees. There needs to be more regulations on those things, and Donald Trump will do a good job on that.”