THE DONALD TRUMP
PHENOMENON ✨
“Billionaires don’t care what the odds are. We don’t listen to common sense or do what’s conventional or expected. We follow our vision, no matter how crazy or idiotic other people think it is.” Think Like A Billionaire, Donald J. Trump, 2005 Ballantine Books
Not only has he taken over the news, he has also taken over the polls at No. 1 in the Republican field, in some cases leading the pack by double-digit numbers.
What accounts for the phenomenon of Donald Trump?
For starters, I love the comment made by the author of the black swan theory, Nassim Taleb, to the effect that while at first he was annoyed by The Donald, he subsequently realized that what he was witnessing was a free man in action.
And, indeed, if anything, The Donald can be described as counter-convention - e.g. in his book, “Think Like a Billionaire,” contrary to conventional wisdom, among other things, he states you shouldn’t take vacations (you don’t need to if you love what you are doing); you should have a short attention span, and you don’t need to sleep anymore than you have to - and so he goes about his business pretty much unfettered by the constraints other politicians adhere to, such as politically correct speech and having to courtesy to important donors and the liberal media. In the process,The Donald doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and at the drop of a pin, he recurs to ad hominem attacks against anyone who criticizes him.
All done with great flare and flamboyance. In business as in politics, The Donald has always understood the importance of the showmanship aspect of both - and he excels at it. One of his role models growing up was Florenz Ziegfeld - one of the legendary masters of the big spectacular shows.
If one is to believe the myriad of comments made online, a lot of people are sooo very tired of politicians who don’t have the courage of their convictions and who fold their positions at the first contretemps, and of the opportunistic, hollow, focus-group-tested speeches and promises - which, in the end, are all vaporware. In contrast, while one might well challenge The Donald’s points and promises as well - subject of another post - there is no question that he knows how to obtain results and people can actually see them: half of New York is testimony to that.
On the other hand, while a big talker, The Donald can also express himself quite awkwardly. When The Donald made the very unfortunate remarks about the Mexicans, they were rightly indignant and offended. However, that indignation quickly turned into a mobbing with the clear goal of causing him enormous economic pain and damage. Against all expectations, however, Trump withstood the pain. He not only did NOT back down, he actually dug in. And, he counter-attacked. A lot of eyebrows went up.
Then came the comments about McCain. Pretty much everyone thought that that wasn’t the beginning of the end, as Churchill would have said, but that it was the actual end of his campaign itself. And yet, he has kept on trucking like the Eveready bunny - to the top of the polls.
That has to speak to the depth of the public’s dissatisfaction with the status quo and its yearning for somebody willing to take the body blows to get America back on track economically and culturally. Many online comments thank him for being their voice, and for making it heard.
Consequently, he is now being taken more seriously by the pundits and the media (the fact that he is ratings gold can’t be dismissed), and his positions are getting a lot of attention. A lot of mention is now being made about how he was once a Democrat, that he has previously contributed heavily to the campaigns of various Democrats, and how his own positions have flip-flopped all over the place - which they have.
Trump’s response has a certain logic: he was previously a businessman - where good personal relationships with people of all political persuasions were everything - whereas now he is in a competition to win the biggest political prize of them all: the White House.
The problem is that, even in competitions - most especially political ones - personal relationships also mean something, and it is very distasteful to see Trump going after his fellow Republicans so viciously sometimes. At the end of the day, he will need the followers of the other contenders to support him if wants to win the nomination. If there ever was a lesson from the Mitt Romney campaign was that you have to be careful about how you go after your competitors in the primaries because in the end, if you alienate their followers sufficiently, they, in turn, will not support you just when you need them most to win the general election . . .
Along the same vein, it is hardly presidential to recur to ad hominem attacks against anyone and everybody at the slightest provocation. That smacks of insecurity. Presidents are not only the top political figure of the country, ideally they are also Statesmen who can rise above the fray for the good of the country.
Trump feels quite free to say what he wants - which, in a free country, is fine. But, by the same token, he should be more respectful of the right of others to say what they want - and if what they have to say is critical of him, then prove them wrong through action and deeds, rather than by insulting the bejesus out of them.
In any event, Trump is a phenomenon best not ignored. As he states in his book, sometimes it is good to be underestimated - but those who would underestimate The Donald, will surely do so at their peril.
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ACEPUNDIT
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