# Donald Trump is now a birther **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044 "2011-03-17T17:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/101 "2011-03-21T19:29:47Z")
Now here’s a pleasant mental image for you all: **Donald Trump: I Screwed Gadhafi.** > **[Trump: I 'Screwed' Gaddafi](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-gaddafi-screwed_n_838328)** > > Trump: I 'Screwed' Gaddafi Some of the comments on that story are pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/102 "2011-03-21T20:59:32Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Now here’s a pleasant mental image for you all: > > **Donald Trump: I Screwed Gadhafi.** > > [Donald Trump: I 'Screwed' Gaddafi (VIDEO) | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/21/donald-trump-gaddafi-screwed_n_838328.html) > > Some of the comments on that story are pretty funny. I particularly enjoyed this comment: The Donald gave the Colonel a reacharound too! And this one: So he supports gay rights? ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/103 "2011-03-22T03:23:24Z")
Wow… are you telling us that for now, the two choices Republicans will have for the primary next year will be Trump and Palin? \ Now THAT is a sad state of affairs. If one of those two is my choice for President, I don’t think I’d cast that vote. Or take a very hard look at one of the “other” candidates. As for the Donald being a success, isn’t it all based on his father’s wealth? I was under the impression that Trump never did anything without the father’s money backing him up. Is this true or not? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/104 "2011-03-22T04:07:49Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > As for the Donald being a success, isn’t it all based on his father’s wealth? I was under the impression that Trump never did anything without the father’s money backing him up. Is this true or not? Not even close. Trump inherited $35 to $50 million (IIRC) when his father died, but he’s multiplied his inheritance many times over since then, and in a much tougher market. Forbes estimated Trump’s net worth in 2007 at 3 billion dollars. You can read a faily comprehensive account of Trump’s career ups and downs in the Wiki article on him [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/105 "2011-03-22T13:27:14Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Wow, I wish I had a professional masters degree. Then I would understand what you’re talking about. > > …OH WAIT. > > :rolleyes: Ha, that’s hilarious - me too! And yes, I’d claim my undergrad first. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/106 "2011-03-22T14:54:42Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > How do you feel about Speaker of the House Snooki? Well, she does have a more natural tan then the current one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/107 "2011-03-22T16:34:32Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Not even close. Trump inherited $35 to $50 million (IIRC) when his father died, but he’s multiplied his inheritance many times over since then, and in a much tougher market. Forbes estimated Trump’s net worth in 2007 at 3 billion dollars. > > You can read a faily comprehensive account of Trump’s career ups and downs in the Wiki article on him [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump). Yes, it’s a heartwarming riches to riches story, for sure. I’m sure it must have been rough on him in the big bad city with only $50 million dollars handed to him to keep him afloat. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/108 "2011-03-22T16:50:26Z")
His father didn’t actually die until 1999, but I’m sure he _never_ gave lil’ Donald any money before then. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/109 "2011-03-23T05:21:52Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Not even close. Trump inherited $35 to $50 million (IIRC) when his father died, but he’s multiplied his inheritance many times over since then, and in a much tougher market. Forbes estimated Trump’s net worth in 2007 at 3 billion dollars. to grow 35-50 million into 3 billion is impressive, but lets face it. 35-50 million gets you into a lot of doors. He had access to money people that wouldn’t even speak to most folks. I’m not going to look at him as someone who climbed up from the depths of poverty. I doubt he’s ever had a hill to climb in his life. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/110 "2011-03-23T06:00:47Z")
I haven’t tried to claim he pulled himself up out of poverty either. But there are a lot of people who inherit that much and either sit on it or blow it on hookers and blow, and/or bad investments. Trump knew his shit and parlayed the money he inherited into the vast and diverse empire that it is today. And he has done it ways are far riskier and more complex than way his father made his money, which was mostly by building middle-income apartment units in the boroughs outside Manhattan. It’s true that 35 to 50 million will open doors, but if you don’t know your shit those doors will close pretty quickly and you’ll find yourself standing outside wondering how you’re going to get your project financed. Bankers and such don’t invest tens or hundreds of millions in projects just because the guy proposing it has an idea and a little money of his own. And then you have to consider that he had the smarts and bargaining power to keep himself afloat while his huge business holding were floundering and was able to battle back bigger and wealthier than ever - just like he said he would at the time, btw. He knew even in his darkest hours what he had to do to stay in business and flouish in the future. Folks making it because of Daddy’s money wouldn’t have been able to turn things around like he did. I doubt that there are a hundred people in this country who could pull off what he has accomplished and in the way he has accomplished it. People love to bash Trump because he’s brash and egotistical, and they try to discount his accomplishments accordingly. But like it or not, the reality is that the guy is smart and shrewd as hell. I remember Ivana, herself a very capable business woman, fretting over the outcome of their divorce because, as she put it: “He always finds a way to outsmart his enemies.” But then he did right by her and she came out of the divorce with some 20-odd million dollars. And then I think we have to look at his family too. True, he hasn’t exactly been the world’s greatest husband, but his kids have all turned out very well, never getting into trouble and, as he has said, never embarrassing him. By all accounts he was always reachable by his kids, even during important business meetings or out of town. He was always available to give advice or administer discipline as needed, and his children have turned out very well in large part due to his parenting skills. So in a nutshell, Trump is just a very smart guy who almost almost always knows how to do what he needs to do in order to accomplish whatever it is he wants to accomplish. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/111 "2011-03-23T12:43:30Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I just looked up Donald Trump’s educational background. He did his undergrad at Fordham University and his MBA at UPenn. While those are certainly excellent universities, that he refers to having gone to the best school in the country, with no qualifiers, is a bit…odd. When thinking of “the best school in the country”, Fordham doesn’t _immediately_ spring to mind. Well, WFUV is a pretty nifty radio station… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/112 "2011-03-23T15:42:17Z")
He was just on The View and was sticking to this same stupid shit. He brought up the bit about people in kindergarten remember him and Whoopi tried to interject that there’s people in Hawaii who remember Obama and isn’t Hawaii still part of the U.S., but he kept talking over her. He also went on to how much better he was doing in the polls than the other republican politicians. I have to wonder how many people answered those polls facetiously. I think Donald Duck would do better in polls than most politicians right now. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/113 "2011-03-24T20:29:41Z")
[Here’s a YouTube of Trump on The View](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m4LCc7Mim4&feature=player_embedded). He is really a piece of work. Ridiculous birth certificate claims aside (perhaps someone should show him this fancy thing called GOOGLE, where you can see plenty of copies of Obama’s birth certificate yourself), I couldn’t help but giggle at him saying how in debt our nation is, implying he can save it. Bankrupt America, why the fuck not? Works for casinos, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/114 "2011-03-25T15:50:31Z")
Submitted for your amusement: [Dave Weigel](http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2011/03/24/donald-trump-wants-to-see-barack-obama-s-long-form-birth-certificate.aspx) says of The Donald’s statement > [@](#): > > Later, he doubts the two 1961 newspaper clippings announcing the birth of Obama, because he’s “seen fraud” before – a rationale that I could use to develop a theory that “Donald Trump” is actually a PCP-addicted gardener, on the run from the Federales for a crime he didn’t commit, who kidnapped the real Donald Trump in 2004 and stole his identity. And [Jonathan Chait](http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/85722/who-donald-trump) thinks that’s stupid. > [@](#): > > I think it’s pretty naive to assume that the PCP addict who stole Trump’s identity didn’t commit the crime he’s suspected of. We know he’s a PCP addict, and we know he’s ruthless enough to kidnap Trump and steal his identity. Weigel wants us to believe he’s innocent of some other crime that the Feds believe he committed? How naive can you get? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/115 "2011-03-25T15:58:28Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > He also went on to how much better he was doing in the polls than the other republican politicians. I have to wonder how many people answered those polls facetiously. I think Donald Duck would do better in polls than most politicians right now. Duck/Fudd '12! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/116 "2011-03-26T01:01:10Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Bankrupt America, why the fuck not? Works for casinos, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why Trump’s new book has three chapter 11’s. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/117 "2011-03-28T17:51:44Z")
HuffPost headline: [**Trump Goes Full Birther**](http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/donald-trump-i-am-really-concerned-obama-was-not-born-in-this-country.php) > [@](#): > > Donald Trump tripled (quadrupled?) down on his emerging birtherism this morning on Fox & Friends, saying that since he first brought up the issue, “all of a sudden, a lot of facts are emerging and I’m starting to wonder myself whether or not he was born in this country.” > … > And I didn’t think this was such a big deal, but I will tell you, it’s turning out to be a very big deal because people now are calling me from all over saying, please don’t give up on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/118 "2011-03-28T18:31:54Z")
Trump/Palin, 2012! No, wait, Gingrich/Trump, 2012! No,no, Bachmann/Trump, 2012! Its a like a big box of the best candy ever, but you got to pick just one! Cherry nougat! No, wait, maple praline. Or, cockroach cluster! Lark’s vomit! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/119 "2011-03-28T18:44:22Z")
> [@](#): > > And I didn’t think this was such a big deal, but I will tell you, it’s turning out to be a very big deal because people now are calling me from all over saying, please don’t give up on this issue. There’s likely as many lefties as righties calling him with that exact message. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/120 "2011-03-28T18:51:49Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Trump/Palin, 2012! No, wait, Gingrich/Trump, 2012! No,no, Bachmann/Trump, 2012! Its a like a big box of the best candy ever, but you got to pick just one! Cherry nougat! No, wait, maple praline. Or, cockroach cluster! Lark’s vomit! But Federal election law clearly states that campaign ads would have to display a large red label warning ‘lark’s vomit’. Contributions would plummet! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=7)