# Donald Trump's 2016 General Election Campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901 "2016-05-04T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![Hank\_Beecher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hank_beecher/32/7275_2.png) [@Hank\_Beecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Beecher)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/621 "2016-05-23T06:02:11Z")
Snark droppings to the rescue! ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/622 "2016-05-23T06:04:47Z")
> [@Hank\_Beecher](#): > > I doubt the obvious defense that this is just how lawyers operate and how they talk about these matters is going be something that voters will be able to stomach. Agreed. It can play out how you described it. It just deserved that disclaimer, and I would hope that her campaign could figure out a way to respond similarly. I presume that there will be nasty campaigning from Trump’s campaign; his supporters expect it. And the people who hate her are going to hate her **SO MUCH MORE** by the time it’s all done and through. The question is to what extent will Trump’s negative campaigning fall on deaf ears among undecided voters. To your credit, you pulled one out that I hadn’t heard of before. But I think that a lot of the negative campaigning will be a rehash of things we’ve heard before, and it will fall on deaf ears. Now, Trump scandals, like his involvement with the [mob](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/politics/trump-mob-mafia/index.html)…that’s some new and interesting stuff for undecideds to chew on! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/623 "2016-05-24T03:06:48Z")
This must be the CNN Crackpot Hour. The last two guests they’ve had on are Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame and a member of “Muslims for Trump,” both talking politics. OK, two of the three. They also have a Muslim arguing against the Muslims for Trump guy. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/624 "2016-05-29T16:25:07Z")
I know it’s hard to keep up with Trump’s ongoing Bag of Bullshit Tricks, but I want this read into the record. Trump and his “University” of get-rich-quick real estate tips is being sued for fraud by students who said they were misled. The case has been ongoing for a few years now and one of courts hearing it is in San Diego. At a campaign rally in San Diego, Trump took time out to rant about the case, and, in particular, the federal judge hearing the case, Gonzalo Curiel. And he did it in that inimitable Trump way which can only be quoted directly. > [@](#): > > Trump leveled a series of blows against Curiel. He called him “a hater of Donald Trump” and “very hostile” person who had “railroaded” him. He then taunted the judge, who has scheduled a trial for late November, after the election. > > “I’ll be seeing you in November, either as president…” Trump said, trailing off. “I think Judge Curiel should be ashamed of himself. I think it’s a disgrace that he’s doing this.” Trump brought up Curiel’s ethnicity: “The judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican…I think the Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump.” [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/27/in-san-diego-trump-shames-local-mexican-judge-as-protesters-storm-streets/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/27/in-san-diego-trump-shames-local-mexican-judge-as-protesters-storm-streets/) There’s video there of Donald’s speech calling the federal judge a hater. That was on Friday. The main trial is set for November, after the election. At the moment, Trump’s legal team has been arguing that a pile of internal Trump University documents should be sealed. The Washington Post had filed a request to see these internal documents. On Friday, while Trump was publicly speculating on the judge’s ancestry, Judge Curiel granted the WaPo’s request to see the internal documents on the workings of Trump University. Hizzoner sez that because Donald is one of the main candidates for president, and because Donald had called the integrity of the court into question, it was important to do everything where the public can oversee it. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-orders-release-of-internal-trump-university-documents/2016/05/28/2e960e5e-24f9-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/judge-orders-release-of-internal-trump-university-documents/2016/05/28/2e960e5e-24f9-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html) > [@](#): > > In his order, Curiel noted that Trump had emerged as a leading presidential candidate over the course of the civil case against Trump University and that Trump had “placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue.” The judge pointed to a previous case to say that courts deciding on public disclosure must weigh “whether a party benefitting from the order of confidentiality is a public entity or official; and . . . whether the case involves issues important to the public.” So, do continue, Donald. Tell us more about how much you hate this judge and how the Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/625 "2016-05-29T16:39:27Z")
[Breaking News, Headlines and Stories | National Post](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/american-news-networks-devoted-half-an-hour-to-an-empty-stage-where-trump-would-soon-appear) to an empty stage where Trump was going to show up. At the same time, Hilary Clinton was delivering an actual speech about the middle class. But the networks thought the public would be more interested in the empty Trump podium. He’s counting on free publicity and a ton of PR stunts to get him into office ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/626 "2016-05-29T18:04:45Z")
I agree with the judge granting Trumps implied request for transparency by opening up the documents, and only wish Trump could follow through on his newfound resolve and release his tax records. : adds WaPo to his newsfeed: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/627 "2016-05-29T18:32:13Z")
Trump is speaking at Rolling Thunder, an event that honors POW/MIAs. Apparently the cheering crowd forgot [the contempt he holds them in.](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/trump-attacks-mccain-i-like-people-who-werent-captured-120317) > [@](#): > > “He’s not a war hero,” Trump said. Sarcastically, Trump quipped, “He’s a war hero because he was captured.” Then, he added, “I like people that weren’t captured.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/628 "2016-05-29T18:54:39Z")
> **[Report: Trump campaign indicates it's 'not going to have enough money' to...](https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-campaign-needs-rnc-money-to-fight-hillary-clinton-2016-5)** > > The Trump campaign apparently needs more financial help than originally thought. Trump’s campaign is running on fumes, money-wise, and they are strongly indicating that they do not have the resources to actively campaign against Hillary until after the convention, when the RNC can officially fund the Trump campaign. He has grossly underestimated how much it costs to run for President (even Bernie Sanders has burned through over $200 million since he declared), and Trump, even if he is worth $10 billion, likely didn’t have the free cash flow to fund this campaign to begin with and either didn’t think it would go this far or thought he could do it on the cheap. Now he’s missing events, paying lawyers for his lawsuits, more… the financial strain on the man must be enormous, and for a reward with so little financial payout, one that he is locked into for 4 years. The Art of the Deal, right? He still doesn’t have a Communications director. HRC has a number of them, including a Spanish communications team, an African American communications team, etc. I predict we will see more signs of financial distress in the Trump campaign before the convention, and given that this is a Presidential race, even “going dark” would be a sign of distress. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/629 "2016-05-29T20:00:19Z")
Elizabeth Warren is Pocahontas. Really? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/630 "2016-05-29T20:15:57Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Elizabeth Warren is Pocahontas. Really? Yeah, some of his schoolyard-bully “nicknames” have been more successful than others. This one seems unlikely to thrill his fans on a gut level. (A lot of them are probably not all that clear on who Warren is, to begin with.) But as “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has pointed out, Trump floats these nicknames and is willing to change them out if they don’t get a big response with his fans–Adams calls them “linguistic kill shots” and, on his blog, frequently discusses Trump’s method of testing them out. (An example is at [http://blog.dilbert.com/post/128029718551/trump-engineers-a-clinton-linguistic-kill-shot](http://blog.dilbert.com/post/128029718551/trump-engineers-a-clinton-linguistic-kill-shot) ) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/631 "2016-05-30T00:19:24Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Trump’s campaign is running on fumes, money-wise, and they are strongly indicating that they do not have the resources to actively campaign against Hillary until after the convention, when the RNC can officially fund the Trump campaign. So the “non-establishment” Trump is now going to have to beg the Republican establishment and donors for money. The same people he’s been crapping on for months. I hope the decision by the big players is to not throw money into an unknown demagogue, and rather to put the money elsewhere. Looks like the Koch brothers are already going this route. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/632 "2016-05-30T01:46:39Z")
Apparently part of the problem is that Trump has yet to sanction a PAC to receive money for his campaign - there are 2 separate PAC’s that have received some sort of endorsement, but big money donors are holding off until the Trump campaign can get its act together and set up a proper donation system. So not only does his campaign not have any money, he doesn’t even have a PAC to receive the sort of donations necessary to finance his campaign via other people’s money. So, to recap: 1. Trump said he would not take big money donations. 2. A month ago, Trump said that he is now accepting big money donations. 3. However, Trump has yet to set up a system in which to receive big money donations. Do note this is one of those things a campaign does _first_. Trump has 161 days to do what his opponent did years ago. Actually, he has less than that - if he can’t get his act together before Labor Day (97 days), he’ll likely lose any chance to get significant big money donations as his campaign will be a lost cause by then. 4. Because of this, Trump has now set his sights on the RNC coffers to fund his campaign. One source remarked that they believe that Trump is floating the “we’re out of cash for two months” story as a means to front-load the dialogue that, should Trump lose, the RNC short-changed his Presidential candidacy, so the loss wasn’t really Trump’s fault. And since I’m on the subject of his finances, I wonder if his secrecy regarding them is that his debt position is far worse than disclosed. He is a real estate guy, after all, and they live and breathe debt. Lastly, Forbes magazine has a pretty good webpage dealing with Trump’s finances over the past 30 years: > **[The Definitive Net Worth Of Donald Trump](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/article/the-definitive-networth-of-donaldtrump/)** > > He’s nowhere near as rich as he boasts, nor as poor as his critics claim. Donald Trump’s real net worth? $2.5 billion, according to our most recent tally. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/633 "2016-05-30T01:50:48Z")
The system is rigged! ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/634 "2016-05-30T02:10:46Z")
Note to RNC: I don’t care how close the polls look. Do not give Trump any money. Fund those Senate races. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/635 "2016-05-30T02:34:41Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Elizabeth Warren is Pocahontas. Really? > [@Sherrerd](#): > > Yeah, some of his schoolyard-bully “nicknames” have been more successful than others. This one seems unlikely to thrill his fans on a gut level. (A lot of them are probably not all that clear on who Warren is, to begin with.) > > But as “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has pointed out, Trump floats these nicknames and is willing to change them out if they don’t get a big response with his fans–Adams calls them “linguistic kill shots” and, on his blog, frequently discusses Trump’s method of testing them out. > > (An example is at [http://blog.dilbert.com/post/128029718551/trump-engineers-a-clinton-linguistic-kill-shot](http://blog.dilbert.com/post/128029718551/trump-engineers-a-clinton-linguistic-kill-shot) ) Well, that was a dig at Warren’s claims of her Native American ancestry, or some such nonsense. Maybe still not acceptable in a presidential candidate, but it was not random. On the off chance that Trump becomes president – which I still don’t believe – I predict it will be Nixon Redux. A total bastard wins hands down, nationwide unrest runs amok, the president gets impeached. It will be the '60s all over again. (I know Nixon was not impeached and didn’t step down until well into the '70s, but I had a History prof who argued the '60s really didn’t end until Nixon resigned, just like they didn’t really begin until the Kennedy assassination in '63.) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/636 "2016-05-30T09:14:16Z")
I’ve just been reading about Trump’s latest plan: print money. That really worked out well for Zimbabwe and Venezuela, didn’t it? Still, it should provide Clinton with a clean kill shot. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/637 "2016-05-30T13:50:11Z")
[Trump thought Rolling Thunder was all for him. And that he ranks with MLK.](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281653-trump-thought-biker-rally-speech-would-resemble-i-have-a) > [@](#): > > Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump thought the crowd at Sunday’s Rolling Thunder rally would resemble Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. > > “I thought this would be like Dr. Martin Luther King where people were lined up from here all the way to the Washington Monument,” Trump said Sunday at the annual Rolling Thunder rally, where thousands of motorcyclists honor U.S. prisoners of war and missing-in-action troops. > > The billionaire claimed that more than half a million people attempted to attend his speech, “but unfortunately they aren’t allowed to come in.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/638 "2016-05-30T14:36:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Trump thought Rolling Thunder was all for him. And that he ranks with MLK.](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281653-trump-thought-biker-rally-speech-would-resemble-i-have-a) “I have a nightmare”? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/639 "2016-05-30T14:56:34Z")
Actual events on the ground have made my nightmares seem quaint and harmless. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901/640 "2016-05-30T15:12:05Z")
What I’m not getting from that article is the context of Trumps remarks of crowd size - it sounds like he expected a much larger crowd, but that’s not made totally clear. Looking elsewhere, Politico mentions that “hundreds” listened to Trumps speech, while The Donald claimed that opponents were preventing 600,000 people from entering the rally. A quick check of the [area](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washington+Monument/@38.8896174,-77.0472096,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xe97346828ed0bfb8!8m2!3d38.8894838!4d-77.0352791) indicates that it would be pretty damned difficult to keep 600,000 people away from the speech - it wasn’t like they had to pass through the passage at Thermopylae. Oddly enough, there were no reports of political protest or riots in the nation’s capital, so they must have been the politest 600k mob in the history of mankind. Was this a Canadian biker rally? 😉 > **[Trump thought biker rally crowd would resemble ‘I Have a Dream’ speech](https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281653-trump-thought-biker-rally-speech-would-resemble-i-have-a/)** > > “I thought this would be like Dr. Martin Luther King,” Trump said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-2016-general-election-campaign/753901.md?page=33)