Anything but politicians!

Finally, there's someone who knows where he's going, or at least that's what he'd like to have people think - strident, confident, out of line at times. For Donald Trump, facts and arguments don't seem to matter. In his campaign speeches, the 69-year-old Republican has been blowing a lot of hot air, which matches his blow-dried hairstyle. He will win, he says, because he's a winner, a billionaire. That is his mantra. That is what impresses a lot of people. Trump is leading in all the opinion polls.

In second place, there's Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. Compared to Trump, he is tranquil. He speaks with a soft smile during his lectures on America's ontological sickness: the state apparatus has grown too fat. So the doctor prescribes a tax diet, blithely dismissing the side effects. It also doesn't appear to bother him that he doesn't understand much about foreign policy and security affairs.

And the latter is what really matters when it comes to actually serving as president.

Disappointed in politicians

Carly Fiorina, too, lacks political experience. And an astounding number of Americans see this as a good thing. There's no other way to interpret the current polls, with the wiry 60-year-old leaving political heavyweights in the proverbial dust. She refers time and again to her "experience" as a top business executive. Does anyone care that her record as CEO at Hewlett-Packard was hardly something to brag about?

So where does Fiorina's popularity and that of other inexperienced candidates come from?

The main source is discontent with the political class. For years, people have watched Washington become more involved with itself than with passing laws. Republicans and Democrats block each other. Respect for both parties has hit rock bottom.

Never underestimate entertainment

It should come as no surprise, then, that many Americans are happy to see new faces in politics. For them, Trump and the others are a source of hope for a government closer to the people.

And even if that never comes, then at least it's been entertaining. Trump isn't afraid to play with taboos. He ignores political correctness and openly insults his opponents. If American voters are looking for cheap thrills, this is what they will get. But he won't solve any problems - certainly not when it comes to immigration policy.

Anti-politicians in politics - this is no new phenomenon in the United States. Just think back to the billionaire Ross Perot, who brashly announced in the early 90s in the race between Clinton and Bush that no lobbyist could ever "buy" him. Donald Trump is saying the very same thing today.

Is history repeating itself? Bill Clinton became president in 1992 because Ross Perot ran as an independent and split the conservative camp.

Will Donald Trump do the same in 2016?

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