Gerrit Goodwin/ campus news editor

In June when Donald J. Trump first announced he would be tossing his toupee in the ring on behalf of the GOP, I, like many others, couldn’t help but scoff at the idea of him realistically achieving the Republican nomination, let alone the presidency.

However here we are, a few weeks away from the primaries with Trump holding 38 percent in the polls and Ted Cruz coming in second at 21 percent. And those of us who sneered and made grandiose claims of his inevitable downfall might have to accept that we were wrong.

The truth is Trump is trending despite his bombastic and polarizing statements, but perhaps that is what makes him so endearing to potential voters.

Perhaps it’s the strong-arm that Trump presents himself as, the unwavering candidate who stubbornly stands by what he says, or it could be the unending surge of media attention that Trump receives that keeps him in the forefront.

Regardless, Trump has clearly struck a chord with those tired of the political rhetoric, those angry and disillusioned Republicans who are anti-establishment and fear another terrorist attack, illegal immigration, violation of the Second Amendment and economic insecurity.

While it is still a long shot of him actually becoming president, especially with Hillary Clinton to contend with, it has become more likely than was anticipated in 2015.

Between Bernie Sanders the Democratic socialist, Hillary Clinton who likely committed treason and Trump who will likely nuke us back into the stone age, I can’t say I am overly enthusiastic about this upcoming election. However, I’ve never felt a deeper sense of responsibility when it comes to being involved in this year’s political process because if this is the way the world ends, I would at least like a say in it.