The millennial

Trust an issue with Trump, Clinton

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Mr Patrick Nahhas,20, student is a first time voter and an independent who is looking outside the two major parties this election.
Mr Nahhas, a 20-year-old student, is a first-time voter and an independent who is looking outside the two major parties this election, unlike many of his peers who say they will pick the lesser of two evils.
Mr Nahhas, a 20-year-old student, is a first-time voter and an independent who is looking outside the two major parties this election, unlike many of his peers who say they will pick the lesser of two evils. ST PHOTO: MELISSA SIM

First-time voter Patrick Nahhas, 20, identifies as an independent, turning up his nose at Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintonas well as her Republican rival Donald Trump.

While many of his peers have told him they will ultimately pick the lesser of two evils, Mr Nahhas has settled on Libertarian party candidate Gary Johnson .

According a recent LA Times/USC Dornsife poll, Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton are statistically tied among the young aged 11 to 34.

"I will vote for Gary Johnson, even if there is only a 1 per cent chance he is going to win, because I can't see myself in 20 years saying I voted for one of these two candidates," says Mr Nahhas, who will be voting in Washington DC.

While his parents are Republicans, Mr Nahhas says it was towards the end of the primaries when he felt he just could not vote for Mr Trump. "He doesn't seem to know what he's saying, he doesn't answer questions, I don't know if I can trust him in office." He was particularly offended by Mr Trump's remark on a ban on Muslims entering the country.

Mr Nahhas believes it could impact the economy and relations with other countries.

When it comes to Mrs Clinton, he recognises that she has experience, but thinks she is untrustworthy and that she and her party have control of the liberal media in the United States.

He also believes she has changed her stand on issues like free trade for political expediency: "She just does whatever is popular... you just don't know who you are voting for."

Many make fun of Mr Johnson for his gaffe during an interview where he asked: "What is Aleppo?"

But Mr Nahhas says he had greater worries about the other candidates. Mr Johnson can always tap foreign policy experts for advice even if he can't point to the Syrian city of Aleppo on the map, he says.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 03, 2016, with the headline Trust an issue with Trump, Clinton. Subscribe