When you hear the G.O.P. pundits talk about conservatism, it is almost always in the context of “recent” history. Often great Republican Presidents, like Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower are completely ignored. The fact of the matter is that once Roosevelt got into office, he was considered a traitor to his class. He went far to break up the trusts and monopolies that so lucratively lined the pockets of the "Robber Barons". The “Gilded Age” as Mark Twain referred to it was a time of enormous income inequality. Sadly, though the income inequality of today is actually at least as bad as what Teddy Roosevelt faced and reformed at the turn of the last century.

Trump is a symptom of the ongoing feud in the billionaire class in a new "Gilded Age". He has his own money and therefore, he cannot be controlled in the way that most recent candidates have been controllable. When Trump discusses universal healthcare, taxing the wealthy or referring to Bush/Cheney as liars that “tricked” America into invading Iraq, he does not sound like the “typical” 21st century Republican. However, as the Democrats attack Trump and believe him to be unelectable, they appear to be setting themselves up for a nasty surprise. With Hillary Clinton courting former Bush donors, and receiving endorsements from the Koch brothers, the fact that Trump represents a schism within the billionaire oligarchs becomes ever more apparent. Clearly, Trump is considered a traitor to his class and despite his incendiary rhetoric; many Americans have become increasingly aware of the “oligarchy” that America has become and he represents a way to break from it. If the only other choice to Trump, is the oligarch-supported Clinton, then there could be a groundswell of support for the candidate that the oligarchs do NOT WANT, for no other reason than he is opposed by the billionaire class.

No one can say what Trump will do, if he were elected. Unlike most other candidates, Trump is capable of doing or saying anything for any number of reasons, but he clearly is not “controlled” by anyone and in this day and age that may be all it takes to get the support "of the people". The current election cycle is crazy and Trump reminds me of the Mule in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, so psycho-historians and pundits should take note!