Donald Trump, once widely known for his business prowess and real estate domination and his widely popular show The Apprentice, has been in the news recently for other reasons besides being incredibly wealthy – he’s running to be the next President of the United States.

And he’s doing quite well. Like seriously, really well.

Trump announced his candidacy for Presidency in early July of 2015, and Republican polls immediately began to skyrocket in his favor. He now leads the Republican race by roughly 15 points on average per poll. Trump’s campaign is anything but traditional. Best described as a tour de force, Donald has been lighting up the campaign trail with his massive rallies and controversial statements.

Actually, controversial might be an understatement. Bombastic. Embroiling. Wildly inappropriate. Those might be better words to describe what has been said by the potential leader of the free world.

These brash statements only seem to be fueling Trump’s fire. Even after making comments that would sink even the most watertight campaigns, The Don just keeps swinging. “It feels like no matter what he [Donald Trump] does he just gets more popular,” said one Bob Jones student. This student (who wishes to remain nameless) is right. His numbers are only going up. That’s right. Up.

But why?

What once baffled news analysts and voters has now become blaringly clear. The man can pretty much say whatever he wants. Like, literally whatever he wants. He’s politically incorrect, and as one student put it “he just doesn’t seem to care.” He says what others don’t – and he doesn’t apologize for it, regardless of how offensive the statement is or the backlash he might he receive. Here are two reasons for Trump’s unlikely popularity:

Media Coverage

Trump is well known. Almost a household name before announcing his candidacy. Now one can’t seem to get away from him. The media can’t get enough of him. What is Trump saying this time? What is Donald Trump doing now? He’s the buzzword, the hot topic. The man sells. And perhaps this media coverage is why Donald is doing so well. Trump has more news coverage than all of his republican competitors combined. “It feel’s like he’s the only thing on the news these days. I understand he’s a controversial figure, but I would like to at least see other candidates” explains senior student Luke Whaley. Trump recieved 234 minutes of undevoted time on nightly news networks between the months of January and November, with his next closest adversary, Ted Cruz, recieving only 7 minutes of airtime. Those numbers are drastically skewed towards Trump. With numbers this disproportionate, it becomes clearer and clearer as to why Trump is leading this marginally this deep into the race. Agreeing or disagreeing with Trump is the only option people are given, but they aren’t shown any alternatives. This could be at least one explanation as to why his poll numbers are so high.

Simple Answers

Trump’s answers are incredibly straightforward and elementary to understand. Don’t like illegal immigrants streaming into the U.S? Let’s build a wall. When protesters ask how we pay for it, tell them you’ll make Mexico do it. How? Well, we can worry about that later. The same goes for terrorism, global politics, trade agreements, the economy, social issues, Trump has a consistent approach to answering all questions. Keep it simple. Blame other people. Blame the powers in charge, blame immigrants, blame the other party, blame those in your party, and offer an answer to the problem those people have caused, and promise to fix it. In case ever asked how to carry out said plans, simply tell them “You won’t even believe how well I’m going to [insert issue here]”. Oh, and just in case The Trump is ever stumped, just avoid the question altogether.

People are upset. Both the democratic and republican sides are at each other’s necks, both becoming more and more polarized with each passing election. Trump is a representation of the people on the right who are tired of the political establishment. In a recent poll, 80% of people said they do not trust their representatives in Washington. That is insanely high. With this level of skepticism and distrust, it is no wonder Trump is doing so well. “He isn’t a career politician, and a lot of people resonate with that” noted senior student Will Davidson.

Regardless of why he is doing so well, he is doing well. And whether or not we agree or disagree with his antics, comments, or policies, one has to admit – this has been the year of the Don.