# What the hell is Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 30, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581 "2015-07-30T15:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/61 "2015-07-31T05:46:04Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The Trump that can be described is not the true Trump. A reference to Tao 1: > [@](#): > > The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao > The name that can be named is not the eternal name > The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth > The named is the mother of myriad things ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/62 "2015-07-31T06:07:31Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Has Trump ever become rich? I think he was born to wealth and has made a hash of it for the most part. He may just be that dumb. Well he took his father’s $100M and turned it into (according to his disclosure doc) $10B. That’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/63 "2015-07-31T06:36:47Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Well he took his father’s $100M and turned it into (according to his disclosure doc) $10B. That’s pretty good. Meh, being born with a platinum spoon is a big advantage. If Trump was born poor, he’d be a janitor, or a 60 year old DJ in a strip club. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/64 "2015-07-31T06:40:57Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Meh, being born with a platinum spoon is a big advantage. It isn’t “meh”. The overwhelming majority of people who are born to rich parents (especially $100M range rich) just coast. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/65 "2015-07-31T08:08:00Z")
I don’t think he is unintelligent, or bad at his job. And he has a big drive to build stuff that he can get his name on. And if you start with a lot of money and build a lot of stuff in the eighties and nineties, then youre gonna be even richer. I think a good comparison is Michael Scott. Not stupid as such, but clueless. Without any real friends, and with a sort of simple view of the world and a tendency to say whatever he is thinking. And still with a good sense of what other people want in personal settings, and therefore a rather good salesman, in spite of the other personality traits. If Trump had been born poor, it is conceivable to me that he would be an obnoxious manager in some small branch, having been promoted above his skill level due to good sales. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/66 "2015-07-31T08:09:29Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It isn’t “meh”. The overwhelming majority of people who are born to rich parents (especially $100M range rich) just coast. He’s a hustler, and not lazy, I agree. But he’s also stupid, a conspiracy theorist, and boorish. He’d be, at best, a used car salesman if he wasn’t born to privilege. Having a hundred million dollars and the commensurate contacts, and education, and safety net, makes his achievements not impress me much. Good for him. He has a hundred times as much money as his dad. Not that amazing during a period when the super rich became, as a class, even super-richer. He’s an elderly, flabby, male Kim Kardashian. A clown of modest ability. I’d be more impressed if he built himself up from nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/67 "2015-07-31T08:12:22Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > I don’t think he is unintelligent, or bad at his job. And he has a big drive to build stuff that he can get his name on. And if you start with a lot of money and build a lot of stuff in the eighties and nineties, then youre gonna be even richer. > > I think a good comparison is Michael Scott. Not stupid as such, but clueless. Without any real friends, and with a sort of simple view of the world and a tendency to say whatever he is thinking. And still with a good sense of what other people want in personal settings, and therefore a rather good salesman, in spite of the other personality traits. I would say, he’s probably not completely unintelligent. But thinking you can get Mexico to build a border wall for you, isn’t something that I’d associate with high intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/68 "2015-07-31T08:49:44Z")
Had Trump been born poor, it’s somewhat better than even odds he’d be in prison right now. He seems to have the right mix of narcissism and guts that breeds con artists, and he isn’t smart enough to run a big con without being caught. And he would run a big con. By now, he’d be The Machine, and if you get this, grab a mug of coffee. For me. Not you. Smart Trump is Larry Ellison, or Bill Gates before he got out of the game and turned his aggression to charitable purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/69 "2015-07-31T09:10:07Z")
He has just tapped Mrs. Palin for his future cabinet; hired her previous chief aide as campaign directer ( ex-Bob Dole & adviser Bush-Cheney ) — can Rove afford not to jump on ? and Mark Cuban, his fellow billionaire, has thrown his weight behind. _“**[I am proud](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/donald-trump-2016-sarah-palin-ade-political-director-120811.html)** and honored to have the opportunity to work with Donald J. Trump, the very definition of the American success story,” Glassner said in a statement. “Mr. Trump has set the standards of excellence in many areas, including real estate, sports, and entertainment — and now in American politics. As the newest member of the Trump national campaign team, I look forward to doing my part to Make America Great Again.”_ _**[While Palin had](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/30/politics/sarah-palin-donald-trump-love-affair/)** high praise for McCain because he “dedicated his life to serving our country,” she added that “putting it all on the line to defend freedom IS heroic — and Donald Trump is a hero in another arena.”_ _The feud between Trump and McCain was sparked when McCain referred to those who showed at at a Trump rally “crazies” and Palin seemed to take issue with his language._ He set out his respect for V. V. Putin: “**[I think I](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-says-he-would-get-along-very-well-putin-n401051)** would get along very well with Vladimir Putin. I just think so. People say, ‘What do you mean?’ I think I would get along well with him,” Trump told reporters in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is attending the women’s British Open being played at a golf course he owns. “He hates Obama, Obama hates him. We have unbelievably bad relationships. …” _Focus group: Trump presidency would be ‘classy’_ **[MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/inside-the-minds-of-trump-supporters-494232131873http://www.msnbc.com/newsnation/watch/inside-the-minds-of-trump-supporters-494232131873)** Trump — Romney 2016 ! ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/70 "2015-07-31T09:21:51Z")
Aaaannd another gift has fallen into his lap: some old girl, probably famous on your side of the pond, slagged off his supporters: _JOAN WALSH, SALON: I look at those people and I feel sad. That is really such a low common denominator. They’re all Republicans, they’re all not going to go vote for him but they all seem to see this wishful thinking. [laughter from Chris Matthews] CHRIS MATTHEWS: Low common denominator. What did you mean by that? MICHAEL STEELE: Geez. MATTHEWS: What did you mean by low common denominator? WALSH: They’re really – they really don’t have a firm grasp on reality, on what it will take to solve the country’s problems. [laughter from Chris Matthews] STEELE: Oh my God. WALSH: They don’t. I’m sorry. We’re all going to sit here, we’re all supposed to – MATTHEWS: He’s going to get this tape. Joan, he’s going to grab this tape. He’s going to say that’s the elite media looking down at the lowest common denominator. STEELE: Exactly. WALSH: You know what guys, I’m fine with that. CHRIS MATTHEWS: You’re fine with that. I am too. You’re the one who said it. STEELE: I’m not fine with it, I’m going to tell you why. You want to know why Trump is doing what he’s doing it and the way he is doing it? Because of comments like that. Because of attitudes like that. WALSH: Oh, sure. STEELE: Your high brow is looking down on my low brow. You are somehow better than me. WALSH: I don’t think I’m better than them. No, I don’t. But they’re not thinking. They want to be entertained._ **[RealClear Politics](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/07/30/joan_walsh_i_feel_sad_for_trump_supporters_have_no_firm_grasp_of_reality_steele_thats_elitism.html)** Liberals: they just don’t get it. Trump — Romney 2016 ! ---
**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:** [July 31, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/71 "2015-07-31T10:21:44Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > From way back when, the vibe I got from the Trumps was that there was an underlying resentment that neither the old-school moneyed establishment nor the cultural intelligentsia trendsetters gave them the kind of respect or social standing that at least _Fred_ Trump could claim to have worked for. They were always the “short-fingered vulgarians”; tolerated at the museum gala or past the club’s velvet rope because they were filthy rich but not embraced for being really classy _or_ hip. One of the areas of conflict between Trump and his wife at the time Ivana was that she wanted to be the social butterfly, hosting dinners and attending society events, whereas Donald wasn’t interested at all in hobnobbing with the society crowd and preferred to spend all of his time on business - which is exactly what he did. Trump has never been a social butterfly and has always been a workaholic. I remember reading at the time that one of his acquaintances described him as having no interest in his personal life at all, that he slept only four hours a night, and either spent all his time working, or on call during those rare times he wasn’t in the office. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/72 "2015-07-31T12:15:09Z")
I must be among the “low common denominators.” I can’t tell if Claverhouse is joking or not. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/73 "2015-07-31T13:03:01Z")
I am a Divine Right Royalist ( no joke ) and I find democracy hilarious. And also doomed, same as every other thing that has come and gone, including monarchy. Not because of flaws, but because — opposed to the teleological presentism of people living today, which is the same as that of any ancestors in their now — there’s no inevitability or design for ‘progress’ innate in the system; and any change to human behaviour you make is temporary. This is democracy’s end-game. Spengler foretold it would be followed by Caesarism; he was generally right. Whether Trump will be that fake hero, or whether he will be merely as mundane as his predecessors is unknowable: all one can say is that he is now, to the populist inchoate inarticulate right ‘_ **Our Great Man** _’ as much as that fucker Henry of Guise was to the catholic Parisians, and Destiny awaits. He matches the ever-increasing vulgar culture of America, as the creeps in my country match our growing vulgarity, _und so weiter_ in each modern state. As a royalist I despised Napoleon III, but I have always felt he was exactly what best pleased France ( until the debacle — when they turned on him and that regime ): vulgar he was, although not as repellently so as his great uncle, but he matched them perfectly: Trump now mirrors the USA. And if you think not, explain his GOP rivals and why so few professional politicians are in any way cultured and urbane ? Mostly the right promise to cut taxes and make the poor squeal, pleasing the mob; whilst the left talk condescend and berate those disagreeing with their sanctimony, as Miss Walsh above. Mr. Trump supports the minimum wage, a replacement universal healthcare system, abortion rights, and taxing the wealthy. He may yet be a plebeian leader against the Optimates, as much as Julius Caesar was; or he may be a GOP hack in the end, but he definitely may win. And that is fucking hilarious. The most hilarious result of democracy is that the losers, on any side — who have acclaimed the People Choosing — always seem unhappy with the result, which if they believe in The People, should be sacrosanct to them. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/74 "2015-07-31T14:29:14Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Trump now mirrors the USA. :dubious: No more than a flat tire mirrors the quality of a Mercedes-Benz. He is a noisy and attention-grabbing indicator of needed maintenance only. > [@Claverhouse](#): > > … he definitely may win. No. Jeb will definitely clinch the nomination for his party. The reason Americans are giving ear to so many conservative contenders is precisely because we abhor the concept of dynastic rule–please give us anything but a 3rd Bush. However, at the end of it all, despite our love of bloodsport and spectacle we’re not yet so decadent as to court our own clear and inevitable descent. Sanders offers a viable alternative to the dynasty offered by Ms. Clinton, but that will require soul searching and faith. Trump is a sideshow while the left half of America decides between dynasty or commitment to community, and the right half decides between lunacy and dynasty. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/75 "2015-07-31T14:32:12Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Egomaniac. > > This is all about HIM. How rich he is, how popular, powerful and awesome he thinks he is. It’s just one long Narcissistic Mania Episode. Exactly. He’s threatened to run several times before, and always proclaimed how awesome he’d be as president, and it’s always gotten him some press. He couldn’t just threaten to run this time, both because people wouldn’t take the threat seriously, and because there are so many other people running that just threatening to run wouldn’t get him the same press as before. He’s running because he likes the attention. I don’t know what his end goal is, if he actually wants to be president or not. I wouldn’t be surprised if he drops out at some point because it would be best for him and best for the country if he continued to do his business stuff and was just an advisor for whatever Republican candidate. That way he wouldn’t have to lose, but he still gets a lot of attention. > [@Zakalwe](#): > > Except that Obama’s not being fired. He’s retiring - undefeated. > > He doesn’t have a show. He was a paid employee of The Apprentice and has no ownership in the show. He got fired for saying stupid shit. They won’t take him back this year. Hell, if the show is set for an October premiere, it’s probably either already filming or about to start. Yeah, they’ve been looking for a new host. I’ve heard George Lopez mentioned as a possibility, but I don’t know if that’s final. > [@mr.jp](#): > > Am I the only one who feels sorry for him? It feels like he doesnt have any friends, and he is outraged anytime someone insults him, which is constantly. > > He is sort of humorous, since he says a lot of things that are clueless in an interesting way. But also he will have a major impact on who is going to be the next president, and his views are hateful and nationalistic. All those money for his campaign couldve saved many, many lives. I have somewhat of a hard time being as lighthearted by it all I guess. I think I would feel sorry for him if he was at all self aware. If he was self aware, he’d realize what people think of him, and that he’s regarded as a joke by many, and it might be sad. But with his ego he doesn’t realize that, and he just can dismiss people as losers, so it’s hard to feel too sorry for him. And regarding the money spent on campaigning, you can’t start thinking about how much money is spent on presidential campaigns and what it could be used for, because that’s a depressing road to go down. Not just for Trump’s campaign, but for all campaigns. America spends a mind-blowingly massive amount compared to other countries. ---
**Author:** ![trmptgn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@trmptgn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trmptgn)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/76 "2015-07-31T15:31:03Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Meh, being born with a platinum spoon is a big advantage. > > If Trump was born poor, he’d be a janitor, or a 60 year old DJ in a strip club. I remember reading in his “Art of the Deal” book that he started out with $200,000 or so which included some properties he had built under his dad in New York. He claimed to then leverage that money into his first larger residential property in Wisconsin or something like that. The rest of the book is more or less just stories of how he leveraged this or that into more money. He did inherit over $200 million from his father, but his father died in 1999. Donald Trump no doubt benefited from his father’s success, and he acknowledges that in his book quite a bit. Most people seem to believe he started out his professional life with $60-$200 million dollars to gamble with. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/77 "2015-07-31T15:39:38Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > And regarding the money spent on campaigning, you can’t start thinking about how much money is spent on presidential campaigns and what it could be used for, because that’s a depressing road to go down. Not just for Trump’s campaign, but for all campaigns. America spends a mind-blowingly massive amount compared to other countries. Almost all of that campaign money translates to jobs. Jobs for printers. Jobs for pollsters. Jobs for newspapers. Jobs for television/cable networks. Jobs for convention centers. etc. etc. So what is the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/78 "2015-07-31T15:48:07Z")
In the Keynesian “dig dirt from one hole, pour it in another” (also fun fact apparently a trick Trump used to fool people into believing construction projects were busy locales), sure, campaigning is an economic boost. If you imagine, however, those same people engaged in work that betters humanity–writing comic books, baking sugary cereals, driving Nascar races, or something even more mind-blowingly awesome–it can get depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/79 "2015-07-31T15:53:58Z")
Yeah, but are those the sort of people it’s good to foster ? Pollsters, newspapers, television/cable etc. are all just as much grinning whores as **Try2B Comprehensive** indicates politicians are above. And their mediums too are dying. Obviously we need politicians, to have governments and such — maybe not _these_ politicians — but those people, not so much. Instead of paying to be propagandised to, perhaps give the money to infrastructure, or entertainment, or beautifying the cities: at least, you’d end up with something concrete. If they love their causes so much they can do it for free. Trump — Romney 2016 ! ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581/80 "2015-07-31T15:56:00Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > In the Keynesian “dig dirt from one hole, pour it in another” (also fun fact apparently a trick Trump used to fool people into believing construction projects were busy locales), sure, campaigning is an economic boost. If you imagine, however, those same people engaged in work that betters humanity–writing comic books, baking sugary cereals, driving Nascar races, or something even more mind-blowingly awesome–it can get depressing. US total annual media ad spending is $180B. That’s just ads, not all of marketing. Probably have to add 50% to cover all marketing spending. That extra $3-6B or so that you get during elections ($3B for off-years, $6B for presidential) is just a tiny blip. Maybe 1% of all marketing activity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-trump/726581.md?page=5)