Donald Trump isn’t a name thrown around fondly in my social circles. I’d say I live comfortably in a liberal bubble, one which sees Donald Trump as an overblown joke. With the upcoming election, his name has become a household one, and is uttered with callousness and a little bit of fear. As primaries are approaching and poll results are flying in, I’m becoming uneasy about Donald Trump’s viability as a presidential candidate.

It seems as if Trump says something brand new every day that alienates a different slice of the population, yet his ratings are as high as ever. This can be attributed to sampling errors, but that doesn’t erase the fact that there are people out there who would be happy to see Trump lead our country.

If I’m going to be frank, thinking about Trump in a position of political power makes me anxious. His politics scare me, his supporters scare me, and his hair scares me. More than anything though, he confuses me. His public persona seems surreal, like a The Onion article come to life. No one could ever have anticipated his candidacy or his policies, yet he still has a very committed and serious fanbase. As a woman, a Jew, and a human, I’ve got quite a few things I’d like to say to Trump.

I’d probably first want to talk to him about the super gross way he regards women. Over the years, Trump has made his view of women quite clear- women are objects, objects useful only for their aesthetics. A simple Google search will provide those interested with a compilation of every single crass comment Trump has ever made about women, before and after his announcement of presidential candidacy. Whether it be his most recent attack on Fox News host Megyn Kelly, his vilification of breast-feeding, or his repeatedly calling famous women “fat,” “slobs,” “ugly,” “dumb,” or “gold diggers,” Trump just doesn’t seem to miss any opportunity to put down women. In addition, with the most recent Congressional approval to defund Planned Parenthood, things are looking bleak for women’s reproductive rights in the United States. As president, I can’t imagine he would do anything to progress women’s rights. If anything, I’d say he would push the U.S. back into the political climate that existed pre-women’s lib.

Many commend Trump for his honesty, but I just can’t understand the political value of insulting numerous voting demographics. This brings me to the next thing I’d like to discuss with Trump. Last week, Trump gave a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC). The overall goal of his appearance was to garner support from the RJC for his campaign, and yet it seems he is a little bit confused about how exactly one is supposed to appeal to an audience. Out of all of the ways in which he could have chosen to curry favor with this group, he chose to say things that are stereotypical at best, and anti-Semitic at worst. Some notable quotes include:

“Stupidly, you want to give money… You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money.”

“I’m a negotiator, I like you folks.”

“Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken.”

Seeing that I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t know how those in the room must have felt. That being said, I can’t imagine Trump’s comments being taken too well. If I was an old Jewish man looking to donate my money to a presidential campaign, I know that I wouldn’t respond very positively to a presidential hopeful evoking centuries old anti-Semitic tropes. I understand that most of Trump’s rude comments are intentional, that they are actually made deliberately to increase poll ratings. I’d like to say that I can’t even take Trump seriously, but that’s not very responsible, considering that many Americans do— enough to support him in the polls.

Although harrowing, the fact that Donald Trump could become President is something with which we must come to terms. As the media continue to perpetuate the feeding frenzy surrounding Trump’s latest offensive comment, we must all remain informed about relevant political matters. Those who don’t have much on the line, the elite, white men of our nation, have nothing to be concerned about. Those of us who do have something at stake- religious, ethnic, economic, and racial minorities, on the other hand, do. The time spent analyzing and fretting over Donald Trump’s popularity can be better spent educating ourselves about current critical issues. Not only that, but by taking our political socialization into our own hands, we do not risk falling into the trap of blind acceptance, of acquiescence to anything that is less than democratic. With political awareness comes power. If all else fails, there’s always hope for a brokered convention.