There is no doubt that Donald Trump will approve of this column. You see, anything that has his name on it, he automatically likes. It doesn’t faze him a bit that scathing criticism will follow.
Trump (see, I said it again) is the living, breathing personification that “all ink is good ink.” Being qualified to be president is not his concern. Having the requisite qualities of judgment, intelligence, substance and idealism — these traits are irrelevant to seeking the highest office in the land. This guy’s goal is to elevate and publicize The Brand.
{mosads}This candidacy is profoundly nonserious and bordering on buffoonery. (Some have wisely suggested deleting the word “bordering.”) First of all, if you didn’t already know, the candidate wants you to know and never forget that he has a lot of dough. The most often quoted line was, “I’m really rich.” He did feel a bit obligated to explain this modest pronouncement by characterizing it as sounding “crass,” but then declaring “it’s not.”
Trump’s (sorry, had to mention his name again) immediate goal is to make the cut for the first debate sponsored by Fox in early August. Only 10 candidates well be allowed on the stage. Right now, the polls would make him eligible to participate. At the debate, I’m sure he feels he will be able to entertain and, best of all, dominate. To say he has “no filter” would be a gigantic understatement.
His strategy is by being boisterous, blunt and bombastic; reduce all the others so that they are viewed as lame, lethargic and listless. He seems to have a particular enmity for former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.). Most of his vitriol will be directed at him. This might actually help Bush and create sympathy for the current front-runner.
Trump desires to be a double for the Ross Perot of early 1992. You know, appear to be refreshingly candid — not speak in pol-speak. Direct and to the point. The only problem is that Perot had the ability to be succinct and disciplined. This mogul is devoid of those attributes. He can’t control himself and is quite capable of irritating and angering the audience in the auditorium and those watching on TV.
I don’t think he really cares. When I think of Trump, I think Herman Cain. Trump is the 2016 version. He can spend every penny of his $8.7 billion fortune and in the end, this startup is destined for doom. This campaign, if you can honestly call it that, is one bad reality show.
Plotkin is a political analyst, a contributor to the BBC on American politics and a columnist for The Georgetowner.