Conning people has been an integral part of Donald Trump’s life since he was a young man. Lying or exaggerating whenever it was useful is second nature for him, to make him look better than he actually is. And deceiving individuals was automatic, to make it seem as if he was doing something special for them, when he was actually taking advantage of them. Everything he did was to increase his wealth or for self-aggrandizement, to bolster his own ego which must have been crimped in his childhood. Trump the man has a lousy self-image and has to constantly remind everyone how terrific he is, how rich and how smart he is.
Trump has always done anything necessary to beat the system. By hook or by crook, it has always been critical that he best everyone he’s ever dealt with, or at least make it seem that way. No problem using unethical, questionably legal, or even illegal methods, as long as he came out on top. He couldn’t stand having another person able to say that he or she had gotten the better of him; that he had been a loser. For him, that’s the worst epithet that can be employed to describe a person. (And Trump utilizes it liberally for anyone who opposes or criticizes him.)
Trump has also used women to reinforce his self-image, conning them into believing that he liked them before moving on to the next one when his attention span faltered. (Three marriages and how many failed relationships?) His modus operandi also included using women as arm candy, so other men would envy him and he would be held in greater esteem. Fidelity was never an issue for him. Self-gratification and self-aggrandizement were more important.
And he learned at an early age to avoid responsibility for his actions. When younger, his father had been around to get him out of jams, with money or connections. While the Vietnam War had raged, brave Donald had gotten multiple deferments for education. Then when his time had come to go into the service, he had gotten off the hook when a doctor had declared that The Donald had a bone spur on his heel and wouldn’t be able to tolerate the rigors of Army life. (Give me a break! How much do you think that one cost his daddy?) Yes, The Donald who claims that he loves veterans is actually a draft dodger; a coward unwilling to fight for his country. He was happy to leave the job of protecting democracy to all the poor slobs unable to get out of the service; who didn’t have rich fathers to send them to school and manipulate the system to have them evade the draft. And it’s Trump who says that the system is rigged. He’s right. But it is and has been rigged for guys like him. Money and connections.
And the poor slobs who did the fighting in Korea, Vietnam, and America’s more recent wars, are the ones now supporting Trump for president, believing his con that he’s going to do something for them. They’ve been deceived by the lies he’s told them, promising jobs and the industries he’s going to bring back to America, how he’s going to rid America of illegal immigrants and build a wall across the border with Mexico to keep immigrants out. But ask him about the Trump brand suits, ties, shirts and hats that are manufactured abroad, about the undocumented immigrants he’s used on his construction jobs, about the small businessmen he refused to pay for the work they did.
The Donald’s history has been one of constantly scamming gullible people to steal money. There was “Trump University” which scammed students for tens of thousands of dollars they couldn’t afford, getting them to sign up for real estate courses that were going to make them rich by learning Trump’s secrets. Instead, Trump took their money and left them with nothing in return but debt. And there was the “Trump Institute” that did more of the same. Trump’s businesses included his ownership of the New Jersey Generals Football Team that went belly-up and made Trump a loser. And Trump Airlines with the Trump Shuttle was another losing venture for him.
But even worse were his casinos in Atlantic City that went bankrupt, costing investors millions of dollars, employees their jobs, and contractors, sub-contractors, and small businessmen the payments they were owed. The Donald, however, claims that he walked away from these bankruptcies having made plenty of money. Too bad for the suckers who trusted and believed in him.
Now he’s asking the whole country to trust and believe in him. He says that he’s going to make America great again, protect it from terrorism, and reduce crime (even though crime is already at an all-time low). Trump says that he knows more about ISIS than the generals, though it’s not clear where he’s gotten his information or what his plan is to eliminate ISIS. Maybe Putin told him. (Trump’s called General Allen, a four star Marine Corps general a loser because he’s supporting Hillary.) Trump says he gets his foreign policy and military advice mainly from himself, because he’s so smart.
Though Trump has made lots of promises, he hasn’t told us how he is going to get all of these things done. He’s conned people into believing and trusting him in the past and they were all hurt by him. Just trust him and believe in him. He knows what he’s doing and is the only one who can make America great again. Really! Should anyone trust or believe in him given his history. To me, it sounds like the consummate con.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020