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Donald Trump – not running in 2012
Sarah Lenti
Donald Trump. I can’t believe I am actually writing a blog post entertaining the idea of Donald Trump as a credible presidential candidate. He tells America he is thinking about running – possibly as a Republican, possibly as an independent. All I have to say is, please don’t.
But this is a useless conversation (with myself) because Donald Trump really doesn’t listen to anyone (but himself). I mean, just take one quick look at his hair. Surely one of his three wives – if not all - must have commented to the Donald about the robin’s nest on his head over the years.
But back to the question, is Donald running? First, the media would love for you to think so. Donald is the match and the media is the gasoline, and, wha-lah you’ve got the recent wildfire of stories. Donald is the new Sarah Palin for the press. He’s the possible presidential candidate best suited to assume the title of clown in chief.
Donald has effectively (already) taken America’s eye off the substance of what the 2012 campaign should be about – and that is jobs and the health of the American economy (you know, the 20 million people who are still out of work). Instead, he is off and running with the all-important birther issue. Way to go, Donald. America is swooning over and swarming around your potential run, based off of zero platform, just ridiculousness.
Here is what the Donald Trump factor has reinforced to date:
- Name recognition matters in a profuse way. Trump is a case study in name recognition 101. He’s got no substance, but he’s got The Trump Towers and The Apprentice.
- Brand trumps everything – no pun intended (OK, maybe intended). But it’s true, Americans love brands, and they are buying up Trump in a big way.
Regarding the brand factor – it is this point exactly that leads me to my speculative conclusion that, at the end of the day, Donald Trump is not running for president. Right now, Donald is talking about a presidential run precisely because it helps further build his brand (at a time when The Apprentice has hit a low). Empire is everything to Trump. And right now, it’s the daily, personal attention to his brand that is cradling his empire.
When it’s all said and done, Donald won’t be able to give up all-things Trump to take on the more serious and commandingly substantive job of running for president.
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net. For full disclosure, Lenti is a Republican strategist who works closely with potential GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s PAC.
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Now Trump is questioning President Obama’s education. After high school, Trump attended Fordham University for two years. He then transferred to the Wharton Business School, where he graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a concentration in finance. Wow – hardly a stellar education. His Daddy paid for everything.
In addition after graduation the militaristic Trump went to work with his wealthy father to avoid the draft. There was a deferment for real estate executives that he got supposedly. Let’s see Trump’s draft card and deferment records. How he did managed to avoid the draft – especially after graduation from college in 1968.
I agree with Robert De Niro about Trump when he says: Trump is “not the brightest bulb on the planet.”
This explains something I’ve wondered about. I’ve seen “wha-lah” here and there, spelled in several ways, and did not connect it with the word “voilá.” I always read it as “WA lah” and assumed it was new slang. (I never made the French connection.) The French pronunciation is essentially “vwa LAH.” (Yes, I know, no one but the French can pronounce French. Just ask them.) We don’t often put a “v” with a “w,” so I guess the “v” doesn’t get heard.
And doesn’t LOL mean “loafing on line?”
Trump has turned into a ridiculous Birther. Let’s see Donald Trump’s grandfather’s papers. His grandfather, Friedrich Drumpf came to this country from from Germany in 1885. Was he illegal? Why did he change his name? Someone needs to hire an investigator:)
http://connect.in.com/fred-trump/biography-97097.html
By the way Trump inherited his wealth from his father.
Von, you are so correct. That said, in the world of LOL (which I originally thought was “lots of love” when I received it from a male work colleague, who did not love me) — I thought sounding out ‘voila’ was kosher. Plus, I speak Russian and Spanish, not French — so I stray away from the frenchisms… But, yes, you are correct.
By the tenor of the article, it sounds like Ms. Lenti is proclaiming the birther idea as ridiculous. Thanks for that direct statement on this issue. Best of luck with convincing other Republicans to be as firmly against the birther wing of your own party.
I think it’s spelled ‘voilá’, not ‘wha-lah’…