Donald Trump Running for President

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In summary: Donald Trump is nothing more than a carnival barker who is stoking his ego and engaging in the type of shameless self-promotion that has been his gimmick over the years (no doubt enhancing his visibility and thus his bottom line along the way). There is no chance whatsoever that Mr. Trump can possibly win the nomination or else be elected President, and I'm surprised that anyone takes this man or his run for the nomination seriously.
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  • #72
StatGuy2000 said:
If you're referring to the tweets purportedly originating from El Chapo threatening Trump, I wouldn't put too much credence to this. First of all, no one has been able to attribute those tweets to El Chapo or even his associates in the drug cartels. Second, I find it highly unlikely that a fugitive drug lord of such reputation would even think of going on Twitter of all places to comment on what Trump utters out of his mouth.

My take is that Trump is softening his original position on Mexicans either because he's realized that he looks like a fool (the most charitable interpretation), or (perhaps more likely) that being dumped by NBC and Univision (and potentially other business partners as well, particularly his investors in his real-estate holdings) is really bad for business.

OK, according to news reports, it was the son of El Chapo (not El Chapo himself) who had purportedly/allegedly sent the threatening tweets to Trump. However, my statements above still stand, as I find it highly unlikely that the drug cartels care at all what Trump has to say about Mexicans.
 
  • #73
What people outside of the US don't realize is that the current group of Republicans are so afraid of not getting reelected that they will never take anything but a politically correct stand. Thus they stand for nothing. Trump is refreshing in that he is willing to stick his neck out for what he believes and this resonates with much of the country.
 
  • #74
mr166 said:
What people outside of the US don't realize is that the current group of Republicans are so afraid of not getting reelected that they will never take anything but a politically correct stand. Thus they stand for nothing. Trump is refreshing in that he is willing to stick his neck out for what he believes and this resonates with much of the country.
But he is wasting that in insulting Mexicans? If it is not genuine, people will ultimate will see through it, like many have with Christie in NJ, who was
trying to pass rudeness and bluster for honesty.
 
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  • #75
mr166 said:
Trump is refreshing in that he is willing to stick his neck out for what he believes
Since Trump has taken the opposite position in years past, how do you know now what he believes as opposed to what he might say to focus anger and gain approval?

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2015/07/12/hes-an-egotistical-guy-but-i-love-an-egotistical-guy-in-this-case/
You have to give them a path. You have 20 million, 30 million, nobody knows what it is. It used to be 11 million. Now, today I hear it’s 11, but I don’t think it’s 11. I actually heard you probably have 30 million. You have to give them a path, and you have to make it possible for them to succeed. You have to do that.
 
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  • #76
mheslep said:
Since Trump has taken the opposite position in years past, how do you know now what he believes as opposed to what he might say to focus anger and gain approval?
And it would be refreshing only if it were a comedy central special.
 
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  • #77
... so, he now shoots himself down ... (vis a vis McCain) ... weirder and weirder.
 
  • #78
I'm REALLY looking forward to the Republican debates (assuming his candidacy has not imploded before then).
 
  • #79
Bystander said:
... so, he now shoots himself down ... (vis a vis McCain) ... weirder and weirder.
Either he has some master plan or he has just flat out gotten bored with life and gets kicks out of trolling us now.
 
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  • #80
Bystander said:
... so, he now shoots himself down ... (vis a vis McCain) ... weirder and weirder.

Which he does from the powerful position of four student deferments in the '60s.

There are some similarities to physicist Bill Shockley in his later years and his paranoid eugenics compulsion. Replace noble laureate with billionaire and the similarities are strong:

PBS essay on William Shockley said:
...
The end

He was vilified, ridiculed, humiliated, and eventually forgotten. His reputation in tatters, he retreated to his home ..., sending out an occasional blast of anger, completely estranged from all but his loyal wife, ... He had few friends. He hadn't seen one son in more than ... years, rarely spoke with the other, and only occasionally spoke to his daughter.

...died of ... His children read about it in the newspapers.

I vaguely recall reading there's a defined disorder for what ailed Shockley, some form of paranoia, and that senior males are most susceptible, a warning to, um, some of us. The Madness of King George? At least in the film they managed to lock up G for a time while he was babbling; Trump runs amuck.
 
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  • #81
He's having fun. Remember Lady and the Tramp "Ever chased chickens ?"
640px-Lady_and_Tramp_chase_chickens.jpg
 
  • #82
mheslep said:
what ailed Shockley
... and, George III, and Howard Hughes. Could be.
 
  • #83
Huffington Post, which leans strongly left, just made the decision to move coverage of Trump's campaign to their Entertainment section:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...nald-trumps-campaign_55a8fc9ce4b0896514d0fd66

After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won't report on Trump's campaign as part of The Huffington Post's political coverage. Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section. Our reason is simple: Trump's campaign is a sideshow. We won't take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.

Nice move :wink:.
 
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  • #86
"24%?" Beyond weird. Great big ugly bug in the software?
 
  • #87
Greg Bernhardt said:
Yeah that is a great presidential skill...
Exactly. He's be a great negotiator with foreign rulers. We'd probably end up in WWIII in no time.
 
  • #88
I was at a party this weekend with three other couples. The four of us guys spent most of the time discussing Trump. Two of them really like Trump and are especially looking forward to the debates in August. They're mostly looking forward to what nonsense will come out of his mouth and how the other candidates will react to his statements (I have to admit that I might watch just to see that). They have both expressed a complete lack of enthusiasm with any of the other Republicans. They don't seem to believe that Trump will actually win. It's more like they see him as a cattle prod for the others. Whoever can handle the raving lunatic the best will probably get their vote.
 
  • #89
I think he's doing the political environment a great service - like Jon Stewart , pointing out folly.
Medieval position of Court Jester was created for a reason.
Borg said:
It's more like they see him as a cattle prod for the others.
Pretty good analogy.
 
  • #90
jim hardy said:
I think he's doing the political environment a great service - like Jon Stewart , pointing out folly.
Medieval position of Court Jester was created for a reason.
Let's just hope that we don't find out what happens if the court jester becomes king. :wideeyed:
 
  • #91
"They don't seem to believe that Trump will actually win. It's more like they see him as a cattle prod for the others."
If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is the Republicans. They stand for nothing other than getting reelected.

I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it. The Republicans, on the other hand, are so afraid of alienating any group that they wind up alienating everyone.
 
  • #92
mr166 said:
I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it.
It's funny that you should say this. One of the guys at the party said that he thinks that the race will come down to Bush and Clinton. He then went on to say that IF he was forced to vote, he would vote for Clinton because she was the devil he knew. He is such a die-hard Democrat hater that I knew that I had been thrown into an alternate universe. :wideeyed:
 
  • #93
I agree with mr166:I think ultimately people respect those without the ultra-slick , ultra-managed/researched campaigns, and want some authenticity, which the major candidates, Clinton and most Republicans lack. While many may disagree with Trump, at least they like his honesty, his willingness to deviate from the PC , expected positions. That's why Warren and Sanders on the left are popular, though I don't know how far they can go before crashing (Warren says she will not run).
 
  • #95
"What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman."
Well at least he is trying to sell me a car that I would like to own like a Corvette and not a Chevy Volt like the rest of the Republicans.

"News flash, that Corvette is cardboard. Get it?"

That well may be true but B. Sanders will have me pulling someone in a rickshaw! And Hillary will steal my key's saying "What does it matter anyway.
 
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  • #96
mr166 said:
"What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman."
Well at least he is trying to sell me a car that I would like to own like a Corvette and not a Chevy Volt.
News flash, that Corvette is cardboard. Get it?
 
  • #97
Greg Bernhardt said:
What makes you think he is being honest? Remember, he's a salesman.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politics/donald-trump-lindsey-graham-cell-phone/index.html

In my mind his campaign is designed to troll us. Do whatever, say whatever that will get you in the news.

Yes, I should have said he is trying to _appear_ honest, just like Clinton and Christie have tried; Christie has been more successful than Clinton at selling this appearance of frankness, but I think many are seeing through the façade.
 
  • #98
mr166 said:
If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is the Republicans. They stand for nothing other than getting reelected.

I might not agree with the position of the Democrats but at least they tell you what they stand for and actually try to accomplish it. The Republicans, on the other hand, are so afraid of alienating any group that they wind up alienating everyone.
Nonsense. Any politician's primary job is getting re/elected and all will flip-flop or waffle as needed to accomplish that. While there are exceptions to that, they are rare and rarely prominent/successful. Since we're talking about Presidents, Obama has made some enormous and remarkable flip-flops.
 
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  • #99
WWGD said:
Yes, I should have said he is trying to _appear_ honest...
I think I dislike a dishonest person trying to appear honest even more than I dislike a dishonest person being honest about it.
 
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  • #100
russ_watters said:
I think I dislike a dishonest person trying to appear honest even more than I dislike a dishonest person being honest about it.
Is it even an attempt? Or, the usual imposition on people's manners --- "They'll never call me on it in public."
 
  • #101
Bystander said:
Is it even an attempt? Or, the usual imposition on people's manners --- "They'll never call me on it in public."
For Trump? No, I'm with Greg: I think this is all just Trump playing the rodeo clown for attention. Does he even believe the things he's saying? I'm really not sure, but I don't think it even matters because whether he's faking or he's really a nutjob, the effect is the same.
 
  • #102
Well at least Trump is leading us away from the ONE party system that we have today.
 
  • #103
"If there is one group of politicians that needs a working cattle prod shoved where the sun doesn't shine it is" ...the Washington big government elite of both parties.

None seem to know what 'government service' means.

If Trump promises to cut federal taxes and government busybody intrusions into the private sector I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. He knows more about profit, loss and bankruptcy than 99% of the politicians.

If anyone thinks Trump is a 'carnival show' and by contrast Washington is anything remotely serious,
"Houston, we have a problem". Of the two, I'd trust Trump a lot more than Washington.

Of course, that's a rather low bar to jump.
 
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  • #104
THE DONALD is reportedly going to the Mexican-American border?

I can hardly wait to see some video.

What Border?

Anyway, already has surpassed Obama!

People who work with Trump say this is characteristic of him: He shows up on his companies job sites, usually unannounced, to see what is really happening.

OMG! That's no politician. But if anything could 'turn' him in a blood sucking politician, it just might be Washington.
 
  • #105
Finny said:
People who work with Trump say this is characteristic of him: He shows up on his companies job sites, usually unannounced, to see what is really happening.
Great, so he has freshman level business skills. You do know 4 of his companies have gone bankrupt right?
 

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