Editor's note: The Deseret News has asked the major presidential candidates to share their views with our readers. We've published exclusive op-eds from Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. We are pleased to offer this exclusive op-ed from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In just over two months, Utah and all of America will choose our next president. The bottom line is that we can’t afford a third Obama term, and that’s what Hillary Clinton represents. Utahns know that after eight years adrift under President Obama, we need to make America great again by supporting our law enforcement, ending illegal immigration, defeating ISIS, bringing back jobs and restoring conservative values.
Under the Obama-Clinton administration, lawlessness has run rampant. We have witnessed the tragic murder of police officers, slain in the line of duty in Dallas, Baton Rouge and New York. We cannot tolerate this anymore and we must stand with the brave men and women who put themselves on the front lines of defending our communities. They deserve better treatment than what they are getting, and when I become president, we will work with law enforcement to restore law and order.
While we embrace our nation’s history of legal immigration, we cannot allow illegal immigration to continue jeopardizing our nation’s safety and upending the economic well-being of our middle class. We will build a wall on our southern border to end the inflow of drugs and crime that puts communities all across our nation at risk. Politicians have talked about border security for years, but they have done very little to achieve it. Those same politicians are more concerned with being politically correct than protecting our people. However, securing the border should not be controversial — it should be common sense.
Radical Islamic terrorists continue to spread their warped ideology through the brutal murder of innocent people across the globe. We watch as they kill women and children simply because they cannot tolerate another person’s religion or way of life. Unfortunately, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have enabled this by leading from behind in world affairs. They refuse to even identify radical Islamic terrorism by its name, and when tragedy occurs, they do not take action to stop future attacks. ISIS now occupies large swaths of the Middle East, recruiting, training and harboring killers — we must take more aggressive action to stop these radical, barbaric murderers before they commit more mass atrocities.
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Politicians also weigh down the ingenuity and work ethic of our businesses and citizens with government decrees in order to advance politically correct goals — goals that too often are completely divorced from the economic reality faced every day by most Americans.
When I am president, we will make smarter trade deals and bring back good paying jobs that will reignite the engine of America’s economy. Just last week, I laid out the choice for the American worker — highlighting the true difference between Hillary Clinton and myself.
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Hillary Clinton — who has spent her career voting for tax increases — plans another massive, job-killing $1.3 trillion-dollar tax increase. Her plan would tax many small businesses almost 50 percent. On the other hand, I am proposing an across-the-board income tax reduction, especially for middle-income Americans. This will lead to millions of new, good-paying jobs.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have tried to undermine our religious liberties on the altar of political correctness. They have challenged the rights of businesses and religious institutions to speak openly about their faith. Undermining religious liberty has been a trend in the Democratic Party for decades.
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As a leader in the Senate facing re-election in 1954, Lyndon Johnson succeeded in passing into law an amendment to threaten pastors with the loss of their church’s tax exempt status if they opposed or supported a candidate for election or re-election from the pulpit. As recently as their convention in Charlotte, N.C., in 2012, the Democrat delegates overwhelmingly booed when the presiding official asked to have the word “God” put in front of the phrase “given talents.”
I oppose government interference with all Americans’ rights to freedom of religion and speech, which are guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. I will appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who respect the right of all Americans to practice their religion not just in the privacy of their homes, but in the public square, in their professions and in the conduct of their businesses.
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We will also protect the rights of the unborn, one of our most sacred responsibilities. I am proudly pro-life and believe that every child must be given the opportunity to live in a safe home raised by a good family. Hillary Clinton disagrees; she supports spending your tax dollars to pay for abortions and has criticized those of us who are pro-life.
I will also continue to support state and local control and will rein-in federal bureaucracies that issue edicts from an ivory tower in Washington, D.C. The people of Utah know best how to manage their land — much better than the federal government.
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Earning support and trust from the voters of Utah is a top priority for me. It is why I am pleased to have the endorsement of so many great leaders like Gov. Gary Herbert and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, among others. As the people of the Beehive State know, the result of this election could have catastrophic consequences for our businesses, religious institutions, military and families, or it could unleash remarkable growth, safety and prosperity for generations to come.
A lot of things are said in political campaigns, but through all the noise, I want you to know two simple truths about how I will govern as your president: I will be honest with you, regardless of the political consequences, and I will wake up every morning and do everything in my power to make America great again for all Americans.
Donald J. Trump is the Republican nominee for president of the United States.