How Trump Did It

This gathering of New York’s political class was not held on the eve of Trump’s announcement. It was much earlier than that – 25 months ago, in the weeks before Christmas of 2013
.. Trump nixed that strategy in favor of a June entrance for two reasons. The first was that it would allow him to test the waters long enough to exit the race in time for the fall season of his reality show The Apprentice in case his campaign flopped.

The second was that Trump, an astute observer of the television industry, saw a news void he wanted to fill during the summer doldrums of the campaign — when most candidates are busy fundraising and building ground organizations.

.. Trump, according to those who have known him for years, has never relied on scripts, talking points or a teleprompter. During his 14 seasons on The Apprentice, Trump would tell producers, “I don’t work with scripts.”

.. Trump didn’t foresee the furor his Mexico comments would generate

.. Like the Mexican controversy, Trump’s feud with Kelly and Fox was unplanned. But unlike with that first episode, his team was eager for him to walk it back. Lewandowski and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, prepared memos outlining various ways to ease off the Kelly story. But Trump wouldn’t relent; he doesn’t do damage control.

.. “In all these cases, he’ll take the memos people put in his hands and listen to people’s comments, but he’s still going to do his own thing

.. Not apologizing has only bolstered a candidate who appeals to voters fed up with political correctness and establishment niceties. Many of Trump’s most controversial statements and proposals, in fact, have been validated by the polls.

.. Trump saying that Hillary Clinton got “schlonged” in losing the 2008 Democratic primary and his calling her “disgusting” for using the bathroom during a debate that prompted her to call out his “sexism.” That, in turn, is what he cited as his reason for focusing again on Bill Clinton’s sex scandals, which he claimed are “fair game” because Hillary was attacking him.

.. Most campaigns aren’t so secure as to make such declarative statements or shrewd enough to understand where it’s going to go,” said an operative close to the Trump campaign. “If you don’t have the same risk tolerance, he’s got you beat before you’re even in the game because you’re not willing to risk the way he is.

Wikipedia: Donald Trump

In 1983, Fred told an interviewer that Donald “was a pretty rough fellow when he was small”, prompting him to enroll Donald in the New York Military Academy (NYMA). Trump finished eighth grade and high school at NYMA.[51] During his senior year, Trump participated in marching drills and wore a uniform, attaining the highest rank of Cadet First Captain.[52] In 2015, he told a biographer that NYMA gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military”.[53]

.. Trump has licensed his name and image for the development of many real estate projects. At least two Trump-branded real estate projects have gone into foreclosure.[80] The Turkish owner of Trump Towers Istanbul, who pays Trump for the use of his name, was reported in December 2015 to be exploring legal means to dissociate the property after the candidate’s call to bar Muslims from entering the U.S.[81]

.. and for a contractor’s use of some 200 undocumented Polish immigrant workers in the rushed demolition process, who were paid (if at all) just $4 and $5 per hour for work in 12-hour shifts.

.. In 2011, Forbes‘ financial experts estimated the value of the Trump brand at $200 million. Trump disputes this valuation, saying that his brand is worth about $3 billion.[103] Many developers pay Trump to market their properties and to be the public face for their projects.[104] For that reason, Trump does not own many of the buildings that display his name.[104] According to Forbes, this portion of Trump’s empire, actually run by his children, is by far his most valuable, having a $562 million valuation.

.. Trump is a known World Wrestling Entertainment fan and friend of WWE owner Vince McMahon. He has hosted two WrestleMania events in the Trump Plaza and has been an active participant in several of the shows.[150] Trump’s Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was host to the 1991 WBF Championship (which was owned by WWE, known at the time as the “World Wrestling Federation”).

Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right

“It’s true you have better hair than I do,” Trump said matter-of-factly. “But I get more pussy than you do.”

But just because Trump is an imperfect candidate doesn’t mean his candidacy can’t be instructive. Trump could teach Republicans in Washington a lot if only they stopped posturing long enough to watch carefully.

.. For decades, party leaders and intellectuals imagined that most Republicans were broadly libertarian on economics and basically neoconservative on foreign policy.

.. Evangelicals have given up trying to elect one of their own. What they’re looking for is a bodyguard, someone to shield them from mounting (and real) threats to their freedom of speech and worship.