Donald Trump’s entry into the Republican presidential race is another indication of the sad state of America’s political system. As an American icon, he represents vanity and greed, and all the things that are bad about the nation. His main qualifications for office are his wealth and his fame, declaring that only someone “really rich” like himself will be able to turn America around economically and restore its position in the world. He promised to be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created” and notes that he has a secret plan to defeat the Islamic State. He has also described climate change as a hoax. Though he had toyed with the idea of running for president in 2000 and 2012, he had not jumped into the fray. His past hesitancy may hurt him this time around, though he insists that his bid is in earnest.
Some observers believe that Trump’s entry into the race was to gain him more respect from the media and that his participation in the debates would provide him with extra publicity and attention. His television show “The Apprentice” and his other television appearances have made him quite comfortable in the lime light, and his bullying and cutting quips may induce pain in some of the other Republican candidates.
Trump’s approval rating last week was minus 32, the lowest of any presidential candidate since 1980. With his jump into the Republican field, the number of aspirants stood at an even dozen. Interestingly, a national poll from Monmouth University last week had “The Donald” supported by only 2 percent of Republican voters. A Quinnipiac University poll noted that 70 percent of voters perceived him unfavorably, including a majority of Republicans. Of course, this was before he had a chance to spend any of his inexhaustible money on an advertising blitz to highlight his positive aspects (assuming there are some) and explaining in more detail what he would be able to do for America as president.
Though he has name recognition, it is as a celebrity and television personality, not as a serious and knowledgeable political personage. Over the years, he has made many controversial statements on television and social media, alienating a lot of people. Even in his introductory comments as a presidential candidate he denigrated Mexicans as rapists and criminals who were sneaking into the United States. Indeed, an overwhelming majority of Americans do not like what they have previously seen of Trump, explaining his low approval ratings. He claims he is very rich and worth over $8 billion, but there has never been a public accounting of his wealth, much of which is in illiquid private real estate ventures which may be hard to value.
This self-promoting gasbag has never held a political office at any level. His only qualification in running for president is that he is rich and supposedly a self-made man. However, he received a big head start from his father’s money and real estate properties which he eventually took over. The further accumulation of his wealth was mainly due to the real estate bubble, where luck rather than his acumen was responsible for its explosive growth. And he stamps his name on every property he holds, perhaps to remind the public (and himself) of his greatness.
Trump does not mention last year’s bankruptcy filing of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operated two casinos in Atlantic City. This threw thousands of people out of work and hurt numerous investors who had believed in “The Donald.” Trump Entertainment had previously filed for bankruptcy in 2009, re-emerging the following year.
Certainly Trump’s entry into the presidential race will suck oxygen away from the other Republican candidates as Trump’s celebrity status will earn him coverage from the media. But does America or the Republicans want this attention-seeking blowhard to dominate the stage and the presidential contest when there are serious issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps he can give advice to all the bald Americans about where to purchase a good toupee.
Resurrecting Democracy
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photo by Andrew Cline, Shutterstock
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