Just when you thought he was done with surprises, Donald Trump opens his mouth and spews out ridiculousness.

In addition to building a wall and making Mexico pay for it; keeping all Muslims out of the country and saying a woman had “stuff coming out of her wherever”; Trump now wants to make it easier for himself to sue news organizations that criticize him by opening libel laws.

At a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, Trump said if he would win the presidency, he would open up libel laws “so when they [newspapers] write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We’re going to open up those libel laws. So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they’re totally protected.” http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/02/donald-trump-libel-laws-219866#ixzz41QKPzatd

Under the current law that was decided by the Supreme Court in 1964, public figures, including politicians, can win a libel suit against a media organization only if that person can prove the organization had published a statement or information with malicious intent, knowing the information was completely incorrect.

The reason that law is in place is so news organizations can serve as a watchdog for the public, overseeing public officials to ensure they are not abusing their power. If Trump wants to make it easier to sue news organizations for all their money, the United States would lend itself to higher risk of losing the standard of democracy news organizations help maintain.

Any crooked government official who is known to have wronged his or her constituents is known most likely because a media organization did its job digging into the issues.

This is the man who is leading in numerous polls, a man who could potentially receive the Republican party’s nomination in hopes of moving on to the presidency.

Granted, Trump does deserve some credit for constantly keeping these issues in conversation, forcing other leaders and citizens to think about these important subjects.

However, the fact Trump holds this position in the polls now is frightening. We cannot elect a person, no matter what party, who has obviously shown a desire to eliminate some of the main pillars on which this country was built: freedom of speech, diversity and immigration.

We cannot elect a man whose last name has turned into a racial insult, at least for the students from Dallas Center-Grimes High in Des Moines — which has a largely white population — who chanted “Trump!” repeatedly after the school’s basketball team had lost to Perry High School, which has a more diverse student body. 

Basically, Donald Trump cannot be president, simply for the fact he is attempting to eliminate some of the basic rights upon which America was built.