According to Machiavelli in The Prince, “when they (leader) can rely on themselves and use force, then they are rarely endangered. Hence it is that all armed prophets have conquered, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed.” (The Prince, p.64) Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President of the United States, arguably the most significant office position in the World, is using both the literally and metaphorical force of his supporters to increase his chance of winning the election. A current nationwide issue of major significance throughout the Republic Party during this election year is the protection of the Second Constitutional Amendment, the right to bear arms. In a simplistic explanation, Republicans for the most part support the Second Amendment while Democrats fail to see its necessity in current times. Due to this split, it is the supports of Trump who possess weapons for the most part so if there was hypothetically to be a second Civil War or a large enough divide within the country, Trump would be able to rise to power with his armed supporters, which, in accordance with Machiavelli, would increase Trump’s probability of success. A leader who does not have a forceful presence is unable to remain in power.
