Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator, traced the historical roots of the Democratic Party and criticized how its image changed from its conception to the current day.

On Monday night during a lecture hosted by Syracuse University’s College Republicans, D’Souza discussed his views on politics, the presidential election and how he believes Donald Trump’s election will impact the United States.

D’Souza was born in Mumbai, India, and came to the U.S. as a high school student through a rotary exchange program, toward the end of Jimmy Carter’s presidency. He attended Dartmouth College and said his interest in politics began when Reagan was president, something he referenced multiple times during the speech.

“I come from a country where you can honestly say politics doesn’t really matter,” D’Souza said.

He was intrigued that self-government actually existed in the U.S. and that people seemed to be able to take charge of their lives, he said.

D’Souza’s interest in politics continued throughout his life, and he created documentaries, such as the well-known “Obama’s America” and “Hillary’s America,” in addition to writing books based on his political leanings.

As a staunch conservative, D’Souza said the Democratic party has been “the deadly enemy of the little guy” for years.

“A lot of the story we’re told about American politics is dead wrong,” he said.

D’Souza said even though slavery has been blamed on the country’s founders, Democrats supported slavery and became a party of lynching and segregation. He went on to say that the Ku Klux Klan became the official terrorist organization of the Democrats.

In the 1960s, the parties switched sides, and along with that, many views on certain issues, he said.

“The Democratic Party has never once admitted its own history,” D’Souza said.

He also spoke in length about the recent presidential election, calling the current moment an interesting one in American political history. He pointed out that from the 1820s through much of the 20th century, the American political system has been dominated by a single party.

In addition to the presidency, Republicans next year will control the House of Representatives and the Senate.

D’Souza added that because the Senate confirms judicial appointments, and Trump has the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice, the Republican Party could potentially dominate all three branches of government.

D’Souza admitted that even leading into election night, there were an array of forces in favor of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He said the “three big megaphones of America” — academia, Hollywood and the media — all worked to support her.

Yet Trump still won.

“Which of us thought we’d be saying that? I certainly didn’t,” D’Souza said.

He also stressed the idea that he thinks Trump isn’t trying to remake conservatism, but is trying to reform the Republican party as a whole, something that D’Souza said he feels needs to happen.

On the night of the election, rather than a feeling of elation, D’Souza said he simply felt relief.

He said the past eight years didn’t really offer much growth and felt as if Obama was standing outside of U.S. looking at the country like a “petulant child.” He added that, in his eyes, Hillary Clinton would’ve been even worse.

“I think (Trump will) bring some refreshing changes to America,” D’Souza said.

Published on November 16, 2016 at 1:23 am

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu