# Is Trump a fifth columnist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 2, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938 "2016-07-02T18:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/21 "2016-07-09T21:31:02Z")
Although obviously Trump is not averse to profiting from the campaign, I think he is mainly in it for the publicity, for the ego boost of seeing his name on page 1 of virtually every newspaper in the land every day. This morning’s Votemaster included speculation on his resigning before taking office. There is a slight worry in my mind about what he will do if he loses. He will inevitably be labeled a loser, not an epithet he will find pleasing. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/22 "2016-07-09T21:38:34Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Although obviously Trump is not averse to profiting from the campaign, I think he is mainly in it for the publicity, for the ego boost of seeing his name on page 1 of virtually every newspaper in the land every day. This morning’s Votemaster included speculation on his resigning before taking office. > > There is a slight worry in my mind about what he will do if he loses. He will inevitably be labeled a loser, not an epithet he will find pleasing. “It’s a rigged system!” ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/23 "2016-07-10T21:17:10Z")
Some call him a fifth columist, some call him an\* agent provocateur,\* some just call him a troll. But he does seem to be playing with–toying with?–the not-so-grand-old-party. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/24 "2016-07-11T16:52:37Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Is it legal to bet on who the next president will be? > > Is it legal to make that bet if you’re running for president? > > Is it legal to do that if you’re running for president really badly? If that were his goal he is doing a really bad job of it. If you really had such a scheme then you would want to start out with a really competitive campaign so as to increase the odds for the bets against yourself. Then at the last minute you crash your campaign and reap the profits. Trump has been running a shamble campaign from the beginning, with current odds about 5 to 1 against his election. That isn’t going to make any money. Unless of course both Clinton and Trump are in on this scheme and have bet heavily against Trump. Then on October 11th, Clinton reveals that she sold secrets to the Chinese, personally planned the Benghazi attacks, and really was behind Vince Fosters death, Trump wins, they both clean up at twenty to one odds, and Trump pardons Clinton as his first act as president. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/25 "2016-07-11T18:40:33Z")
You joke, but it is conceivable that _that is actually the plan._ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/26 "2016-07-11T18:46:24Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Some call him a fifth columist, some call him an\* agent provocateur,\* some just call him a troll. And some call him Maurice, cause he speaks of the pompatus of love. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/27 "2016-07-11T20:10:18Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > And some call him Maurice, cause he speaks of the pompatus of love. Let me tell you, there is no problem with my pompatus. Do you know what I mean? It’s yoooge. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/28 "2018-01-05T08:33:22Z")
Interesting article update: [Michael Wolff’s ‘Fire and Fury’: Inside Trump’s White House](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html) TLDR: The Trump campaign was a real-life version of The Producers; They expected to gain by losing and ended up being exposed by winning. It’s worth reading in its entirety though. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/29 "2018-01-05T15:29:36Z")
The plan was for trump to show how harmful the Republican agenda actually is by actually _implementing_ it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/30 "2018-01-05T15:49:11Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > **Fifth columnist**? Isn’t that term just a wee bit out of date? How about fifth blogger? Except Trump doesn’t do a blog. Fifth Tweeter, perhaps. Filth Tweeter. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/31 "2018-01-05T16:08:13Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Filth Tweeter. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a twitter. (Apologies to T. S. Eliot) ---
**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:** [January 5, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/32 "2018-01-05T17:06:06Z")
Nostradamus never foresaw this Hilter\*. Or maybe he did. 😃 (\*Not a typo.) ---
**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:** [January 5, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/33 "2018-01-05T17:57:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Nostradamus never foresaw this Hilter\*. > > Or maybe he did. 😃 > > (\*Not a typo.) D’oh…I typoed myself anyway…it was Hister, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/34 "2018-01-05T17:57:36Z")
He’s not a fifth columnist, just a useful idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/35 "2018-01-05T18:08:49Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > He’s not a fifth columnist, just a useful idiot. Yeahbut, traditionally the useful idiots weren’t actual, you know…idiots. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/36 "2018-01-06T02:30:27Z")
I do remember an interview with Bannon, where he said he was an anarchist. No shit, eh? Trump is more like 3D Chess, except he’s never played chess, can’t spell “chess” and possibly can’t even read “chess.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938/37 "2018-01-06T03:08:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > D’oh…I typoed myself anyway…it was Hister, wasn’t it? No, you [got it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQM9HKtvA4) right the first time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-a-fifth-columnist/758938.md?page=1)