There have always been vague accusations that Donald Trump is a bad presidential candidate because of his possible corruption. Many people have been worried that he would assign political leadership roles to his friends and campaign donors instead of to those who are actually qualified for those jobs. Unfortunately, a new statement by Trump confirms these fears and shows just how bad his decisions could actually be.
The Trump campaign has recently leaked the news that they plan to choose Forrest Lucas as the United States Interior Minister. Lucas is an oil executive who frequently comes under fire from conservationists for his actions that harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Interior Minister would be responsible for managing all of the national parks in the United States, regulating the federal Fish and Wildlife Department, and making policy decisions for over 28 percent of the United States’ land that is all controlled by the government.
Even a brief description of Lucas’ past shows just how disastrous this choice would be. He regularly donates to groups that lobby for lax hunting laws, increased animal factories, and problematic and animal-harming situations like circuses. One of the organizations that Lucas pays spends its time attacking the Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. At one point, Lucas was even fighting to prevent a law that would stop people from running extremely cruel puppy mills in the state of Missouri. He has even been the proud founder of Protect the Harvest, an organization that claims to oppose the animal rights movement.
It is also worth mentioning that Lucas’ wife has recently been involved in a scandal after she posted on Facebook that she was “sick and tired of minorities running our country.” Lucas may not have publicly said anything racist, but it seems like he surrounds himself with others who do. The Interior Ministry is in charge of regulating tribal business affairs, so he could easily impose regulations that would take away the livelihood of many minority Native American Tribes.
A man who so recklessly pursues profit at the expense of environmental conservation and human treatment of animals is not someone who should be in charge of the Interior Ministry. The Department of the Interior is supposed to focus on preserving and protecting the vast amounts of untouched land used to create beautiful parks and nature preserves for the average citizens of America to enjoy. The wrong person in control of the Interior Ministry could easily lease public lands to drilling companies and mining corporations. Even though it would be unethical, Lucas could set in place regulations that would allow his own company, Lucas Oil, to get cheaper fuel by harming the nation.
Of course countless people are protesting the possibility of Lucas as Interior Minister, so it is important to note that Trump has mentioned his own son, Donald Trump Jr., is his other choice for the job. It almost seems likely that Trump is proposing one disastrous candidate so that he can make his son seem like the more reasonable option. After a lot of public outcry, Trump may claim that he is giving in to public pressure by no longer putting forward Lucas for the job. That would just leave his son, who is also known for reckless hunting and other anti-environment behavior, as the only other candidate. Either way, it seems likely that the Department of the Interior would end up in the hands of thoughtless men who care more about power, money, and prestige than actually protecting American wildlife and lands.