To truly understand the rise of Donald Trump and the mindset of his supporters is to look at the controversial decisions of the past two presidents.

President Obama’s policies (eg. the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), the Iran Deal, and the closing of Guantanamo Bay Prison) have sparked controversy among not just mainstream Republicans, but also Americans from all walks of life.

Tack that on to a grueling war in the Middle East and you have a large portion of American citizens who are skeptical of the Democratic Party’s ability to deal with major issues both domestic and international.

Knowing this information and how Trump gained large support so fast, it is easy to see his stance for the future.

Trump’s policies are largely domestic and isolationist; they are primarily made to benefit America and it’s citizens through means of economic, political, and even educational reform. One reform tactic is a 35% tariff on companies that left the United States to help curb the declining job market plaguing the US today.

Trump’s popularity can also be seen in the polls. In the Republican Primaries, he had a massive 43% of the vote. That may not sound like much until you consider the fact he was running against 16 other candidates!

So where does he get his appeal? The answer to that is sixteen years of built up frustration over seemingly unending war in the Middle East, plus financial turbulence in the US following the Iraq War.

For sixteen long years, two presidents have failed to solve these major issues and have discredited career politicians in the eyes of a large number of Americans. This creates an environment in which someone who is not a politician needs to step into the ring.

Donald Trump has a reputation as a shrewd and successful businessman who isn’t entrenched in the bureaucracy that is modern America. These qualities are what made him so popular in the primaries and even in the general election. The sheer distrust many Americans rightfully feel towards politicians whom they feel betrayed by is what drives his approval ratings up.

Controversies and scandals, such as the famous Clinton email scandal or the lack of initiative shown in the Benghazi Attacks and even the Obama Administration’s role in the destabilization of Libya have only made Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” sound more like a reality.