Listening to and watching Donald Trump talk with Fox News’s Sean Hannity about how rich he is and how smart he is was truly a vomit-inducing moment. The notion that this extremely successful egomaniac would ever be President of the United States is surreal. It’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on steroids.
Now we learn that he is going to announce whether he is going to run on the season finale of “The Apprentice.” The show is scheduled to air on May 15. Reportedly he will hold a press conference to announce the decision about being a candidate in the Trump Tower in New York “a few days after” the finale.
This is such a naked sham for the purpose of getting lots of viewers for his show that it should be embarrassing to everyone who has, even momentarily, taken his phony “campaign” to gain the Republican Party’s nomination seriously. Hannity was snookered or, more likely, he was using Trump to hype his show’s ratings and vice versa. In a similar fashion, Fox’s Greta Van Susteren has of late used Trump appearances for her show.
Just as I and others cautioned voters in 2008 that Barack Obama was a completely unknown quantity with a totally fabricated life story, it behooves me to warn voters to GET SERIOUS about Trump.
Running the nation requires credentials that go well beyond being a successful businessman. America has coast-to-coast successful businessmen and women, but if a company’s CEO makes bad decisions, the Board of Directors can fire them. You can’t say “You’re fired!” to the President of the United States until the next election.
Let me get the formalities out of the way. I am not jealous of Donald Trump because he’s rich. Much of the population is richer than me and I could not care less. I understand that Trump has exhibited considerable business acumen, but that is not the same as political acumen, nor does it suggest that it prepares him to deal with heads of state and the nasty events that occur; frequently unexpectedly.
Nor has everything Trump has put his name to been a great success. He gambled on gambling in Atlantic City and that was a bad bet. Fortunately he owed the banks so much money he could write his own ticket. In fairness, all the casinos took a bath. Instead of gambling, the few people visiting Atlantic City these days are there to buy its famous salt water taffy.
Trump is a strident self-promoter. He is a bombast. He lacks subtlety which, for his line of work may be a good thing, but for someone to whom we would have to trust the future of the nation, what he lacks most is the experience that a professional politician acquires over time. I hate to admit this, but it is true. The lack of this experience and judgment is blindingly apparent in the current White House resident.
Trump wants to win—all the time. Politicians want to survive with their principles reasonably intact and a fat government pension. It is a whole different mindset. The ones the voters reject tend to become lobbyists.
We have a history of presidents who just stunk up the job because they came to it as engineers like Hoover and Carter or ivory tower scholars like Wilson. For a long time, Americans elected a succession of generals because the president’s job was mostly about expanding the size of the nation, generally by shooting our way to the West Coast, or fending off Barbary Pirates, yet another of Thomas Jefferson’s many achievements.
Presidents become celebrities AFTER they’ve been in the office. Few are celebrities going in unless, like Obama, their celebrity is totally manufactured by skilled public relations professionals. After two years in the job, the only things we know for sure about Obama is that he’s a moron, probably a Muslim, and definitely a Marxist.
If you want business acumen, Mitt Romney has it to spare. True, he’s a bit of a RINO, but it’s hard to find a Republican these days who isn’t. Gov. Pawlenty is a politician and that is not a bad thing. Gov. Huckabee was a politician, but is now a successful anchor of his own show on Fox News. He is going to stay put. Rep. Bachman is the political equivalent of your ex-wife, smart and, like Trump, impossible to shut up. There's a reason we haven't heard from Sarah Palin lately and that's because she's smart enough to not want the job.
I guarantee you that, within one month of his inaugural, you would be kicking yourself for voting for Trump. His incessant need to demonstrate he knows best and is the greatest president ever would be the mirror image of Barack Obama’s crazed ideology.
Right now Trump is a novelty, a distraction, a false hope. There’s plenty of time for the campaign process to sort out who will be the Republican choice. My bet is that Trump will announce he’s not running. If I am wrong, the happiest man in America will be Barack Obama.
© Alan Caruba, 2011
16 comments:
Trump is to POTUS as our local egomaniac is to Mayor...
We don't need an egomaniac in office ANYWHERE, as a Mayor is bad enough, but as a POTUS? That would be a disaster...
Mmm, I hope Donald Trump is satarizing your average politican with this pompous act of his. It would be great laugh but that's it.
Now that I know I am not alone in Not being rich, Electing the Trumpeter would be the second worst mistake of the century, first being the anointed one being elected as 44th President, a mistake from which we may never recover from. Well Alan my amigo.... How about ole Newt....probably too much baggage! How bout Christy. Please give me a little hope anyway that the "probale muslim" will be defeated by SOMEONE of character and experience! Alan what are you doing in November 2012??
Great Post
Brady
I usually agree with you Alan, but I think you are overlooking one important factor...Trump is probably the only potential candidate who has a clear understanding of how to defeat Obama...attack...attack ...attack him!...McCain refused to and lost. There are better candidates...but none have the gonads to play hardball better than Trump!
Some people are speculating that, given the fact that Trump's biggest love is MONEY, he might be getting PAID to split the conservative vote. I certainly wouldn't put something like that past the Obama camp.
Regardless of whether he's a paid spoiler or not, Trump has a history of supporting Democrats and bashing Bush. He's never going to convince me that he's a true conservative. His arrogance and immorality grate on my nerves, and call me crazy, but I'd like to be able to respect and admire my President for once. So, unless this election comes down to Trump vs Obama, I could never support him.
You have to love the shots he's taking at Obama though. If Obama is paying him, I'm at a loss to explain what their strategy is at this point. He can keep it up from now until 2012 and it wouldn't upset me though.
Alan,
"The Donald" is no more serious about running than he was the other times he "ran". I will admit that he has been able to direct the action, change the topic and force real candidates to think about what the public expects now from them now, but the reality is this. He is the head of a major entertainment business and this is advertising for him, which makes it advertising for his business enterprises. He's a showman, and this is advertising he couldn't have bought at any price.
Donald Trump is the 21st century’s answer to P.T. Barnum, and I have no doubt that would find that flattering.
Rich
Besides everything you've written, I wouldn't be able to stand watching him talk with his mouth open for four years!
America can not survive “Dumb and Dumber” presidents - which we would surly have if Trump won a presidential election. Trump can not beat any candidate that is on or near the horizon of running on the republican ticket. Until you think through it you might say that if Trump campains against Obama during the primaries some of the fools that listened to Obama might listen to Trump. Trump might persuade a lot of the dummies that voted for Obama that they were dummies, but he will never earn the nomination. If he got out at that point....okay. But, NO, he would then run as an independent. Obama would then be reelected. Trump is a lose, lose, lose situation.
I agree with your characterization of Trump; however, your dismissive and sexist swipe at Michelle Bachmann is unfair and offensive. Please, Alan, "your ex-wife" is beneath you.
"Please, Alan, "your ex-wife" is beneath you."
Not any more... LMAO
Trump may not have the persona to be POTUS but some of his ideas aren’t too bad. If we are going to spill our soldier’s blood around the world playing policeman and doing the dirty work for the regional powers (a.k.a. Saudis) who don’t want to get their hands dirty, we ought to be charging for services rendered. We defend S. Korea, Japan, the Middle East, and others. Meanwhile they are kicking our butts economically. Our defense budget is going to have to be addressed sooner or later. Charging for military protection would be a way to do it. Trump is right that China and other countries are sucking the life-blood out of us. They are getting richer and we are getting poorer. They will destroy the US without ever firing a shot. The trouble with experienced politicians is that none of them have the guts to do what is right for the country. They only look out for number one and the next election. They lie, they don’t answer direct questions, and they calculate every word of drivel that spews out of their mouths so they can’t be held accountable for anything. Obama is the king of drivel. I never heard one man talk so much and not say anything. I detest and despise professional politicians. They are what is wrong with Washington DC. Donald Trump may be an egomaniac, but he is decisive and doesn’t pull any punches. I for one think that is such a breath of fresh air. The two-bit dictators in the world like Chavez and Ahmadinejad would sit up and take notice of someone like Trump. I want a strong, decisive, leader for my President, not the limp, wet, dishrag type like Carter, Obama, and the wannabe McCain in the last election. So who among any of the Republicans contemplating running for President (aside from Trump) show any kind of hutzpah? Unless Christie or Rubio run, we’re dead in 2012.
Although I don't envision Trump actually running or that I would actually vote for him, I have to agree with TBob--he is the only one with enough balls to attack the current pretender in chief !! We are only going to kick that muslim out by going after and continually attacking him--no let up !!
I actually like your comment about Ms Bachman-- she is sharp , but ----
@Beer Can: Thank you.
I always urge friends of this site to be optimistic. It makes the beer taste better!
With his bombastic style and huge ego, maybe, just maybe, the Donald will communicate some solutions to issues plaguing this country. I don't think I could vote for him, but I like some of his ideas - getting paid as the world's police, and especially 25% tariff on consumer goods made outside the USA.
I hope some of his ideas catch on.
Plus, since my daughter is a hair stylist, she'll enjoy increased revenue from those who wish to emulate their new hero.
@Alan:
Now you're done it!:-)
MEMO FROM THE DESK OF DONALD TRUMP
RE: ARTICLE AT WARNING SIGNS
Dear Mr. Caruba
"YOU'RE FIRED!"
Sincerely,
"The Donald"
Having been around some of his businesses in the past and watching his dealings with local distributors, I can't say I would be enamored with a Trump candidacy for many reasons. Having said that, I wish other Republicans (Sarah and Bachmann excluded from this statement) would show the balls Trump has in not only attacking this Marxist leaning president but also the other horrible things being pushed as part of the President's agenda. Thank God someone out there is bringing it to the forefront and in this case it's someone with enough "celebrity that even the disinterested are paying attention! Not sure what it will bring in the end, but it is refreshing to see someone who can actually stir the pot pretty good!
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