Donald Trump is the best candidate for President of the United States of America.

I disagree with him on some matters; I agree with him on others. Some things he says are insightful, and some things he says eclipse the levels of absurdity with which I am familiar.

I could analyze his stances on various issues and present them through the lens of my own personal bias. I could, but I won’t. I’m self-aware enough to understand that this would serve no purpose other than sating my ego, and, quite frankly, Trump’s politics are not what make him the most qualified candidate for president.

The reason for Donald Trump’s seemingly inexplicable success as a candidate is not political; it is mathematical. The vast majority of candidates in this election and its precursors has consisted of a flock of precise, deliberate career politicians whose every stance, speech, and action has been carefully calculated to optimize voter approval and campaign donations—not to mention the strong influence of massive corporations on American politics. Unorthodox candidates such as Trump were relegated to a niche role in the political landscape, usually only drawing support from edgy teenagers with dark senses of humor, such as myself. The bulk of campaign funding and support went to Politician Man, whoever was playing that character at the time.

Trump shuns the plague of marketing that has infected American politics. He isn’t afraid to say things that might offend people if he thinks they ought to be said. Better yet, he seldom apologizes when he does. He has a genuine personality and a genuine sense of humor. He speaks as if speaking to a friend, not as a soulless businessperson trying to make a sale. Honesty is a scarce and undervalued attribute, especially in politicians. It’s how we properly address the matters at hand. It’s how tangible change materializes. Shielding oneself in a shroud of euphemisms might not change much, but it sure will attract moderate voters.

As a scientifically-oriented individual, I was on the verge of suffocation due to laughter when I heard Trump’s stances on vaccination and climate change. I could not disagree more with Trump’s blatant disregard for empirically acquired evidence. But I trusted that these ideas were his own, not the ideas of a special interest group feeding him notecards and a check of an exorbitant sum of money. I felt that, if I could persuade Trump through ideological and empirical means, I could actually change national policy.

Am I being too idealistic? Probably. Is Trump’s personality too strong for a lay person such as myself to make an impact on presidential activity? Perhaps. Is he perfect? Certainly not. But he is an overdue breath of fresh air in a hypoxic political landscape. The flood of generic, stale politicians has let the cancer of special interests and corporate influences metastasize into a disengaged federal government devoid of authentic concern for the people it supposedly represents.

Donald Trump’s stances are also quite poorly defined, especially in comparison to his opponents. A Washington Post article from August 2015 chronicles this phenomenon for various issues du jour. In the April 21, 2011 edition of the Des Moines Register, Trump admitted that his views on abortion have shifted in recent years. If you go far enough back in time, you can even find instances of Trump changing party affiliations. In 2004, he claimed to “identify more as [a] Democrat.” Many people might cite this as a flaw, indicative of his inadequacy for the position. I disagree wholeheartedly. Trump’s undifferentiated stances leave him open to discourse, at least much more so than any candidate with a trite and static position.

Another concern of skeptics is the president’s need to work with Congress. Trump, as I am sure many readers are already aware, does not have the most amiable personality. It’s tough to imagine that he would be able to, or even want to, maintain a healthy relationship with his legislative coworkers. This certainly could provide a hindrance to his ambitious plans for the presidency. Regardless, I find this to be another desirable trait in a presidential candidate. The president is one of the few voices who can properly admonish Congress when it misbehaves. I can guarantee that Trump would not hesitate to jeopardize the reelection of a rogue Congressman attempting to shut down the Federal Government. Trump never has been one to capitulate, even to his allies. I think we can all agree that the American Congress is flawed, and it isn’t going to put pressure on itself to change.

America is tired of stale, cookie cutter politicians that treat them like statistics. Americans are tired of slimy salespeople like Ted Cruz that make David Icke’s conspiracy theories seem somewhat reasonable. Donald Trump is putting the humanity back into politics. He’s transforming American politics from a horse race for big businesses into an open market for criticism and discussion. He’s demolishing the boundary of censorship that has been stifling proper discourse for decades, if not centuries.

Also, he has nice hair.

Melchreit is a member of the Class of 2018.