From RationalWiki

Cadet Bone Spurs, wearing the uniform of the New York Military Academy, 1964.



(uncensored photograph, no thanks to The National Archives[1]) Women's March in Washington, D.C., 2017. Don't forget to vote next time, please!

“ ” They promised they were going to take on corruption in Washington. Instead, they've racked up enough indictments to field a football team. Nobody in my administration got indicted, which, by the way, is not that high a bar. —Barack Obama at a rally for the 2018 midterm elections.[2]

“ ” He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions. —Thomas Jefferson, with a quote that applies quite well to his eventual successor as president, Mr. Trump.[3]

Donald John "I Don't Have A Racist Bone In My Body" Trump, Sr. (1946–) is the forty-fifth President of the United States, and only the third president in the country's history to be impeached by the House of Representatives,[4] having received more votes against him than any president before him.[5] He's also known for being the "Chosen One and the King of Israel"[6], a bizarrely unsuccessful American businessman,[7] brash television personality,[8] (un)intentional comedian, urophilist, neo-Nazi sympathizer,[9][10][11] honorary Russian Cossack,[12] heel wrestling personality, WWE Hall of Famer,[note 1] demagogue, [13] and fascist personality-cult leader who governs as a thug and an aspiring strongman, [14] Nobel Peace Prize nominee,[note 2][16] and current false equivalency.[17][18]

Following an escalating series of gaffes and scandals in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election, at least 160 Republican leaders withheld or renounced their support for his candidacy.[19] Despite significant backlash from the public and his own party, he won the 2016 Republican Party presidential nomination, and against all odds , was elected President of the United States.[note 3] On Inauguration Day, Trump had the dubious honor of having the single largest number of protesters in American history — the Women's March.[21]

Despite his campaign mythologizing around his path to the presidency somehow "coming from outside the system" and being "free of cronyism" (imagining a Democrat-disgruntled working class being the ones to carry him into office), actual Trump supporters generally have above-average incomes, typical of the same voter demographic that have always supported the GOP.[22][note 4] In American terms, Trump is pretty much styling himself as the second coming of Jesus Christ Ronald Reagan Andrew Jackson Richard Nixon, complete with his enemies lists and paranoia. In turn, Trump actually appears to have secured the conspiracy theorist vote,[23][note 5] a demographic which, these days, appears to include both himself[24] and his trophy wife.[25]

He has also been condemned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.[26] Stung by the results of the 2018 midterm elections—[27] when Democrats gained control of the House while Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate,[28]— and the ongoing Russia probe, Trump appears to be distancing himself from the ordinary presidential duties, sending aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, to various events in his stead.[27] In 2019, it was revealed that after Trump removed FBI Director James Comey over investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the FBI began investigating whether Trump was a knowing or unknowing asset of the Russian government assisted by Russia to act against the interests of the US government.[29] Trump has put forward policies clearly in favor of the Russian government's interests, most importantly on the matter of the NATO alliance of the US as the leading country of the alliance along with European countries, Turkey, and Canada, with Trump indicating in public statements that the US could abandon the NATO alliance.[29]

On December 18th, 2019, Trump became just the third President in United States history to be impeached due to a coordinated campaign within his administration to pressure Ukraine for dirt on his potential political rival, Joe Biden, in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. The US Senate almost immediately voted to acquit President Trump on February 5th, with Mitt Romney being the only member of Trump's party to vote for removal.[30]

Business ventures [ edit ]

Yes, this is real.

“ ” In 1995, when he offered this company, if a monkey had thrown a dart, at the stock page, the monkey on average would've made 150 percent. But the people that believed in him, who listened to his siren song, ended up losing well over 90 cents in the dollar. They got back less than a dime. —Warren Buffett on Trump's Atlantic City hotels business[31]

Incompetence [ edit ]

Farewell, Trump Mortgage. We hardly knew ye.

“ ” When it comes to great steaks, I’ve just raised the stakes! Trump Steaks are by far the best tasting, most flavorful beef you’ve ever had. Truly in a league of their own. —Donald Trump on his Trump Steaks™ partnership with Sharper Image (an electronics store).[32]

“ ” The net of all that was we literally sold almost no steaks. If we sold $50,000 of steaks grand total, I’d be surprised. —Jerry Levin, CEO of Sharper Image, Trump Steaks™ post-mortem.[32]

It's always been a bit of a mystery just how much Trump buys into his own bullshit. He estimates his net worth at "OVER TEN BILLION", which is impossible for him to prove, but also impossible for anyone to disprove.[note 6] This is not just based on his assets (which are not terribly liquid) but also how he feels about his worth on a daily basis.[33] The record really shows a middling businessman with a lot of structural advantages, who came out on top because of how rigged the system is.[34] It's not hard to make a lot of money in New York real estate, especially when your rich daddy gives you a big head start. In fact, over time it becomes practically impossible to lose money.[35] This is relevant to his claim that he can do an exceptional job of running the US government, since he hasn't been truly tested in a situation with no fawning yes-men or training wheels.

Really, the reason the Trump Brand still exists and is fiscally solvent is because of his daughter Ivanka.[36] Supposedly his sons are both dumbasses, but she is scarily intelligent. It was her idea to start selling off the name in exchange for royalties without having to put up the capital costs of construction and running a property, something which Donald opposed but is now the cornerstone of the company, since it's effectively free money. Ivanka is obviously worried about damage to the Trump brand, since she's tried to spin out a separate sub-brand; she's the one who staged a family intervention and convinced Dad to fire his campaign manager.[37]

Trump's record on predicting economic recessions is also laughably bad:[38]

In 1999, he predicted an economic crash greater than the Great Depression.

Then, in 2001, he reversed his position and claimed the US market was strong right before a minor recession hit.

In 2005, he claimed the real estate market was strong, and followed this up with the launching of "Trump Mortgage" in 2006. Trump Mortgage subsequently went out of business when the housing market crashed the next year.

In 2011, he predicted massive inflation, suggesting the price of a loaf of bread would soon be $25.

And he has been predicting another recession since 2012...though this has been silent since his election.

Criminal connections [ edit ]

th President of the United States), according to the Ураласбест (Uralasbest) [39][40][41] "Одобрено Дональдом Трампом, 45-м президентом США" (Approved by Donald Trump, 45President of the United States), according to the Ураласбест (Uralasbest) asbestos company

“ ” That may be Trump's one skill – performing so many outrages that he gets us to sideline some of them while we try to deal with the worst/most recent. — Ophelia Benson [42]

Trump's connections with mob figures are old and run deep, according to journalist Wayne Barrett; they're mostly associated with his casino and huge erections, including but not limited to buildings.[43][44][45] In 2015, the details became public of Trump's involvement with Colombo crime family figures during the making of Trump's first name-branded product: a Cadillac limousine in 1988.[46] Trump will never willingly release his tax returns, and Ted Cruz suggests those returns could show the extent of his mob dealings.[47] Trump and some of his spawn have been named as material witnesses in a massive tax-avoidance scheme by mob-connected Felix Sater.[48] As an aside, it has been reported that Trump himself paid no income taxes in 1978, 1979, 1984, 1992, and 1994.[49]

The tax schemes have apparently caught up with the Trumps: in 2018, the New York Times reported that Trump and his siblings engaged in vast tax fraud starting in the 1990s; the allegations are based on confidential tax returns and financial records.[50] Following the Times' report, New York state tax officials began their own investigation into the Trumps' alleged tax fraud schemes.[51]

with illegal immigrant labor . The house that Donald built

Trump's connections to organized crime go back to shortly after his first forays into Manhattan real estate.[52] Trump made friends with Roy Cohn, formerly Joseph McCarthy's lawyer during the McCarthy Senate hearings, but who by then was a mob lawyer.[52] Cohn likely introduced Trump to Genovese crime boss Anthony Salerno. [52] In his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, Trump denied that there was any association between asbestos exposure and cancer, stating "I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal. Great pressure was put on politicians, and as usual, the politicians relented."[53][54] Ironically, it was Trump's hiring of organized crime-controlled companies that enabled his demolition contractor to hire the illegal workers that were exposed to asbestos.[52][55] Trump is still pushing asbestos denialism in 2018 via his EPA director Scott Pruitt, who announced that the EPA would cease evaluating asbestos hazards in the environment.[53] This is some four decades after the last known time that the asbestos industry itself engaged in denialism.[56]

Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, prior to its bankruptcy and sale.

In 1979, Trump hired a demolition contractor to take down the building at the future Trump Tower site.[52] The contractor used undocumented, non-union Polish workers who were exposed to asbestos.[52][57] Though the site was a union site, there was no picket because it was a mob-controlled union; Trump was fully aware that the Polish workers were in the country illegally.[52] It came out in 2017 after a judge released the documents that Trump paid $1.4 million to settle the resulting class-action lawsuit.[58] Trump used overpriced concrete from companies controlled by Salerno and Gambino family crime boss Paul Castellano to build Trump Tower and Trump Plaza.[52]

When Trump sought to build casinos in Atlantic City in 1982, he was able to hide his mob connections by persuading the New Jersey Attorney General John Degnan to only investigate him for the prior six months.[52] At least one Trump company has been exposed as having ties to international money laundering from an ex-Soviet Union state,[59] and it has been speculated that the Trump casinos may have been used for laundering prior to bankruptcy.[60] Trump bought land in Atlantic City at an inflated price from hit men connected to Nicky Scarfo, of the Philadelphia crime family as well as purchasing or leasing other land that likely benefitted the Scarfo mob.[52]

A Saudi prince claims he bailed Trump out twice when the mogul got into financial difficulties. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal bought up a private yacht that Trump was forced to cede to creditors during the 1990's, and later helped buy a NYC hotel when Trump was short of funds a second time. Said Saud is now embarrassed by the association.[61][62]

On January 1, 2017, Trump hosted and appeared on stage with Joey 'No Socks' Cinque at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.[63] Cinque is a Gambino crime family affiliate who was convicted of felony possession of a trove of stolen artwork.[63]

Trump has lied on numerous occasions about his connections to organized crime, including under oath.[52][64]

To summarise the summary, and return to this section's opening quote: Donald Trump's life and career has essentially been one decades-long Gish Gallop through the ethical badlands.

Golf [ edit ]

The President at his own golf club with Rush Limbaugh

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, the real-life Auric Goldfinger has been trying to build a golf course on (what used to be) a protected wetland habitat.[65] He tried to have several of his Scottish neighbors evicted, including a local farmer by the name of Michael Forbes who refused an offer on his property. For this, Forbes was awarded "top Scot" award in 2012.[66] His actions were parodied in this song.

Since then, the Scottish government's plans to increase wind turbine capacity (his opposition to which even led to a heated discussion over Twitter with the host of the British version of The Apprentice, Lord [formerly Sir Alan] Sugar[67]) has encouraged him to cancel his plans, proving once and for all that they are worth every penny. Trump reported to Scottish authorities that he lost millions on the project, whereas in his US presidential disclosure, he claimed that the project was highly profitable.[68]

Trump University [ edit ]

“ ” People don't know how great you are. People don't know how smart you are. These are the smart people. These are the smart people. These are really the smart people. And they never like to say it, but I say it and I'm a smart person. These are the smart; we have the smartest people. We have the smartest people. And they know it. And some say it, but they hate to say it. But we have the smartest people. Government will start working again. Fixing things. —Giving people hope[69]

No one has more scorn for the victims of a con man than the con man himself.

Trump University was essentially a diploma mill, a scam in which people were promised an education in real estate by hand-picked experts in exchange for exorbitant "tuition." Salesmen were told to apply high-pressure tactics on vulnerable people. Some were encouraged to max out their credit cards, others had to cough up their disability money, etc.[70] In return, they received bare-bones real estate education from people Trump never even met, though he was very much involved in the marketing aspects.[71] He got a cut in return for these "institutions" being allowed to use his name.[72]

An even bigger issue lies with name Trump University itself and its claims to offer certain degrees: graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral. This is in violation of New York law, which requires you to obtain a charter to call yourself a university. In 2014, the New York Supreme Court held that Trump was personally liable for running an unlicensed school and making false promises through his "university", the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative;[73][74] this was confirmed by the testimony of a former salesperson and the court-released "Trump University Playbook."[75][76][77] About 8000 former students are suing Trump U. in two separate class-action lawsuits, one of which involves the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act.[78] In August 2016, Judge Curiel ruled that Trump must face a civil trial for fraud and racketeering under RICO, which automatically requires triple damages; things are looking very bad for Trump on this front.[79]

This is the case in which Trump attacked a “Mexican” judge’s ancestry (he's actually from Indiana) because he made a judgment Trump didn't like.[80] But all this shows is that Trump is willing to do anything to help us make him realize his American dream, even if it means ruining us financially.

“ ” Why isn’t this man in jail for fraud? In addition to his phony Trump University, there was also a Trump Institute, that used plagiarized materials to peddle real estate advice. —PZ Myers [81]

Trump faces law suits over this.[82] Trump may be liable for impeachment over this[83], but somehow managed to settle for a fraction of the damages.[84] No, we're not sure how this works.

The multilevel marketing company [ edit ]

In 2009, Trump "partnered" with the founders of Ideal Health International (est. 1997), a multilevel marketing business, rebranding this pyramid scheme as The Trump Network.[85] "Partnering" in this case is just another Trumpian term of art. It was yet another Trump brand rental where he claimed not to be involved with the company's operations, even though he, company representatives and advertising for the network implied there was an actual partnership "that was certain to lift thousands of people into prosperity"; after the brand rental came to an end in 2012, its assets were bought off by a Canadian and rebranded.[85]

The "business", which consisted of selling a urine test device with customized vitamins,[86][87] not only made investors lose money buying the highly overpriced products, but also buying customized infomercials in local TV channels.[85]

Charity [ edit ]

this is where he left his heart.[88][89] As of 2015, Trump owned 30% of the Bank of America building in San Francisco , location of the "Banker's Heart" statue. Apparently,is where he left his heart.

Donald Trump has been called "the least charitable billionaire in the world".[90] Take, for example, his donations to 9/11 charities: $1,000 (his own backyard, no less). The donation went to the anti-psychology Scientology front group, the "New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund", which was co-founded by Tom Cruise.[91][92] Trump, who owns 40 Wall Street, actually received $150,000 for damages due to 9/11 from a special federal fund earmarked for "small businesses", despite the fact that the building wasn't damaged.[93]

Many of Trump's larger donations are on their face self-serving, in the form of donations to:[94][95]

To prove his anti-vaxx bona fides, Trump's foundation gave $10,000 to Jenny McCarthy's "charity" Generation Rescue.[95]

As for real charities, Trump has a pattern of stiffing them:[98][99] The Donald J. Trump Foundation has actually received more donations from a single other donor (World Wrestling Entertainment) than Trump himself contributed during the period 1990 to 2009 when he gave a paltry $3.7 million.[91] In 2014, Trump personally gave $0 to his own foundation.[100]

The office of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was reported to have been considering an investigation of Trump University just before requesting and receiving a $25,000 political donation from Trump himself.[101] The donation allegedly came illegally from a non-profit Trump family foundation, which is not allowed to make political donations because of its tax status.[101] It's also come out that he may not have been donating the proceeds of several business ventures to charity as he had promised to do, which could amount to fraud. This is aside from the veterans' charity snafu.[102] These include Trump U, Trump Vodka, and his new book Crippled America, all high-profile activities with profits supposedly going to benefit charity. The harsh spotlight of a presidential run was suddenly not working out for him.[103] The Trump Foundation has been illegally soliciting money in the State of New York because it is not registered to do so as required by law.[104] On October 3, 2016, the Trump Foundation was ordered to cease and desist fundraising immediately by the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office.[105] The charity did not register properly as it should have and investigations by the Washington Post suggested Trump benefited personally from spending by the charity.[106] Additionally, the New York tax collecting agency opened an investigation in July 2018 into the Trump Foundation, which could result in criminal charges.[107]

Tax returns [ edit ]

Donald Trump is the only presidential candidate in four decades other than Gerald Ford who has not released his tax returns. Ford published a summary of his instead. Although the chances of the bill passing are low, Democrats are proposing legislation requiring presidential candidates to release ten years of tax returns. In support of forcing Trump to release his tax returns, an organization called Americans for Tax Fairness argued that this would shine light on the various means wealthy people evade taxes in general and Trump's potentially illicit business interests in particular. Trump has been accused of using public office to enhance his private business interests.[108]

According to legal experts, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was investigating Trump's ties to Russia, almost certainly had Trump's tax returns. However, he cannot release them unless they are relevant to a criminal case.[108]

Pretending to be religious [ edit ]

Trump signing an executive order to slacken offshore oil drilling safety standards. Perhaps he needed help figuring out where to sign? (We're told he reads very little.)

“ ” Can you believe that bullshit? Can you believe people believe that bullshit?” —Trump, in private after a laying on of hands by evangelical leaders[109]

“ ” "[It] was the theo-political equivalent of money laundering. Dobson and his gang are making Trump clean so that he is worthy of "[It] was the theo-political equivalent of money laundering. Dobson and his gang are making Trump clean so that he is worthy of evangelical votes. —John Fea, history professor at Messiah College[110]

James Dobson of Focus on the Family believes that Trump was recently born again, but not everyone agrees.

When asked the inevitable leading question, "What is your favorite book?" Trump answered with the usual pandering reply, "The Bible!", although he couldn't provide a favorite verse.[111] Eventually, Trump found one: "Two Corinthians" (he means Second Corinthians, which incidentally is a book, not a verse), which earned him an endorsement from Falwell Jr.[112]

It also leads one to wonder how frequently he takes holy communion, despite Trump’s claim of "as often as possible"[113] — quite the dedication to drinking red wine for someone who is also a teetotaler.[114]

Regarding the prospects of electing a hypothetical born-again Trump prone to fiddling with the nuclear football when bored or intoxicated, Hemant Mehta remarked that:[115]

“ ” If Christians do vote for the nuclear weapon-loving Trump, they probably have a better chance of meeting God real soon…

Rare moments of sanity [ edit ]

See the main article on this topic: Stopped clock

“ ” Our country is divided and out of control. The world is watching. Our country is totally divided and our enemies are watching. —Trump accidentally says something poignant, for once.[116]

Despite his deplorable reputation, Trump is no exception to the stopped-clock principle. Here is an incomplete list of the [somewhat] right things he has done.

He regularly calls out the neoconservatives and their hired help.[117] His annihilation of the Club for Growth was also on point.[118]

Presidential candidacy [ edit ]

See the main article on this topic: Presidential candidacy of Donald Trump

The Presidential candidacy of Donald Trump began years before he actually won the 2016 Republican Party presidential nomination. Indeed, Trump has been involved in politics for quite some time.

Rhetoric [ edit ]

Trump's most recent book.

See the main article on this topic: Rhetoric of Donald Trump

Donald Trump is notorious for his rabble-rousing and inflammatory, pernicious rhetoric, especially toward his political opponents and journalists that report on the bad things he has said and done. He frequently uses coarse language as well as having verbal ability similar to a grade schooler on a broken record: no big bad words or nuance plus the power of repetition makes for a dangerously convincing combo, especially if he speaks to his audience's racist, xenophobic, or sexist insecurities. This is why people claim that he speaks it "as it is" when he does nothing of the sort. In fact, the incoherent and often perfidious way he talks (such as labeling news he doesn't like "fake news"[131] and often setting off political fact-checkers like Politifact, FactCheck.org, WashingtonPost, and Snopes) muddies understanding of his real thoughts, being prone to interpretation. For instance, his words on "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best" and "they're animals" set off debate on which group he's really referring to. His poor English is exacerbated when other countries try translating what he's saying.

Psychologists at the University of Texas and Princeton University studied over three million texts dating back to 1789 belonging to political leaders of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus news stories, books, movie subtitles, and cable news transcript. They noticed a clear trend of politicians speaking more simply but with greater confidence. Donald Trump accelerated that trend. In fact, he ranks first on confidence but last on analytical thinking compared to all other U.S. presidents. John Quincy Adams topped the U.S. chart with just under 99 points in analytical speech while Trump scored only 16 in a 2015 debate. The average for U.S. presidents is 90, with everyone other than Trump and Barack Obama scoring above 70. In speaking with confidence, Trump's score is 89; the average for U.S. presidents is 64.[132]

The Harvard Republican Club refused to endorse Trump which is the first time in 128 years they would not endorse the Republican candidate. "He isn’t eschewing political correctness. He is eschewing basic human decency."[133]

Stranger things [ edit ]

“ ” Never has more ignorance been stuffed inside one head. —Laurence Tribe, professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School[134]

Trump's near-total disdain for the truth has been characterized as either gaslighting everyone he speaks to,[135] or as pathological lying,[136][137] though not in a clinical sense.[138]

The alarming nature of Trump's continuing behavior has gotten so bad since the election that psychologists have been breaking the so-called Goldwater rule in the American Psychiatric Association's code of ethics against giving a clinical analysis of someone who is not their patient. In 2017, John D. Gartner, a psychotherapist who formerly taught at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, has explicitly broken the rule without caveat in order to warn the public of Trump's dangerousness.[139] Gartner said, "Donald Trump is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president."[139] Gartner diagnosed that Trump has "malignant narcissism", an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression, and sadism.[139] Many other mental health professionals have also expressed their concern over Trump's mental state.[140][141][142] Dr. Allen Frances, The chair of the DSM-IV taskforce, the one that wrote the definition of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), stated that while Trump "may be a world-class narcissist", he does not have NPD.[143][144] Dr. Allen went further to state, "He can, and should, be appropriately denounced for his ignorance, incompetence, impulsivity and pursuit of dictatorial powers."[143]

Possible onset of dementia [ edit ]

By 2019, Gartner has called for a professional examination of Trump's mental health because of apparent worsening of Trump's speech patterns that could be indicative of dementia: confusing people and generations, semantic paraphasia, and tangential speech.[145]

HS quarterback [ edit ]

He wins bigly every time!

“ ” He's like that right-wing uncle you dread seeing at Thanksgiving, just with a national media profile—and your uncle couldn't be happier about it. —Paul Waldman[146]

The biggest Overton shift this year has been anyone believing that Donald Trump is "anti-establishment."[note 11] Liberals and conservatives are just wired differently. Republicans generally respond better to displays of strength and forthrightness, whereas Democrats generally respond better to bipartisanship and compassion.[147] For better or worse, Trump looks at life like buying a used car. You go in with bluster and threaten to walk if they don't give you what you want.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that the candidate with the best “tell it like it is” game on Twitter and in debates won. It's a strategy in touch with the perceptions of the GOP base. Many still think that Romney had the general election sealed up, but choked. It's why Don's portrayal of his opponents as boring, dumb, nerdy,[148] losers,[149] low-energy,[150] chokers[151] or "choke artists"[152] has been so effective.

In the minds of the base, it's never been the case that the country has become more progressive, or that 12 years of Bushes was more regime change and Reaganomics than voters ever wanted. Nope, the perception is that McCain, Romney, Bush, Rubio—these candidates all “choked”, in concert with the American people wanting them all to be President but just not knowing it yet. They're all presumed guilty of giving the country two more Democratic terms based on supposed personal and strategic failures, never on a disconnect between what voters wanted and what these candidates were selling. The RNC propping up Romney (again!) in opposition to Trump shows that they can't even grasp this basic fact about their own voters.

In Trump's defense however, Trump saved us from another Bush presidency which Hillary probably would have had more trouble opposing.

Idiocracy [ edit ]

Donald Trump is neither an intellectual nor someone interested in deep thought or reading, both of which are crucial when running a country. Indeed, he has been accused by many of being the Dunning-Kruger effect incarnate,[153][154][155][156] and it becomes rather hard to argue when David Dunning himself tends to agree.[157]

Unclear yet present danger [ edit ]

“ ” He’s always been that guy, and you denied it and ignored it and He’s always been that guy, and you denied it and ignored it and hand-waved it away and made excuses every step of the way because you were convinced that you were so much smarter than the rest of us . You were so certain that you had received some superior wavelength giving you special insight into the Donald; only you could tell that it was all an act. Only you could grasp that his constant courting of controversy was just to get attention from the media. Only you could instinctively sense that his style would play brilliantly in the general election and win over working-class Democrats. (SPOILER ALERT: It isn’t.) You insisted that you could “coach him”. —Jim Geraghty[158]

Trump's ability to blow up Republican sacred cows is pretty remarkable e.g. staunch conservative and shock value until the spotlight hits him, then he switches back to southpaw and blows the right-wingers away. Trump doesn't have a voting record. And human beings are really, really bad at processing information that falls outside of their heuristics and reconciling information that on its surface seems contradictory.

Therefore, if a candidate does not fall squarely into one of the two buckets we associate with politics — "conservatism" and "liberalism" — then he must be in the middle, despite not logically fitting as a "moderate" in any sense. And because many people subconsciously believe in the golden mean, Trump is using the same strategy almost every authoritarian populist has used to craft a successful coalition: pair extreme ideas from one end of the spectrum with ones that either come from the other extreme end or are appealing for their "moderation." For example, pair your extreme views on immigration with opposition to trade, or rhetoric opposing "hedge fund guys" and other selected rich capitalists who are unpopular across the board. This becomes a net win for Trump. He "tells it like it is" or "calls out both sides." Donald is an empty suit and he invites us all to try him on:

Debate Trump: Taxes too high, wages too high. We’re not going to be able to compete against the world.[159]

Gasbag Trump-on-the-stump: The influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working-class Americans . . . to earn a middle-class wage.[160]

Subtext: To those of you working 2-3 jobs at $8.00 per hour, once I deport all the illegals you're still going to be making $8.00 per hour. F**k you very much.

In 2002, Trump appeared on Howard Stern's show and voiced his support (such as it was) for the Iraq War based on the "business opportunity" in the region (as Clinton put it) in 2011. However, Trump personally had a financial interest in opposing the war in Iraq, and expressed concerns about the war soon after it had started: by 2004, it was well-known that Trump was an opponent of the Iraq War.[161] In Las Vegas, Trump swerved the entire Republican Party, blasting the war louder than any Democrat would have:

Thousands and thousands of lives, we have nothing. Wounded warriors all over the place who I love, we have nothing for it.[162]

Then, during the election, Trump used the Iraq War as one of the most common sticks to beat Clinton with, even going to far as to suggest Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton were the "founders" of Daesh for leaving a power vacuum in the region: a power vacuum Trump also would have left, as he was calling for the immediate withdrawal of the US from Iraq as early as 2007.[163] When asked about running mate Mike Pence's decision to vote in favor of the Iraq War, Trump rather patronizingly said that Pence was "entitled to a mistake", and as for Hillary, "she's not".[164]

It is clear then, that Trump's views on Iraq are not as well-informed as they initially appear.

Feud with HBO and Last Week Tonight [ edit ]

In March of 2013, Trump attacked Jon Stewart on Twitter for changing his name from Leibowitz to Stewart, tweeting:[165]

“ ” If Jon Stewart is so above it all & legit, why did he change his name from Jonathan Leibowitz? He should be proud of his heritage!

Two years later (in 2015), while spending a portion of May 31 embarrassingly trying too hard to flame Stewart,[166] Trump also insisted that the original tweet quoted above never took place while repeating the accusation, tweeting:[167]

“ ” All the haters and losers must admit that, unlike others, I never attacked dopey Jon Stewart for his phony last name. Would never do that!

Trump then proceeded to weave the tale that John Oliver (Stewart being the former boss and colleague of Oliver) had tried to get Trump to appear on Last Week Tonight,[168] something which Oliver maintains has never happened.[169] Oliver even checked to make sure nobody had accidentally invited him, and nobody had.

In response to all of this, on February 28 of 2016, Oliver started the #makedonalddrumpfagain campaign, explaining:[170]

"Trump" does sound rich — it's almost onomatopoeic . "Trump!" is the sound produced when a mouthy servant is slapped across the face with a wad of thousand-dollar bills. "Trump!" is the sound of a cork popping on a couple's champagnniversary, the day the renovations in the wine cellar were finally completed. The very name "Trump" is the cornerstone of his brand. If only there were a way to uncouple that magical word from the man he really is. Well, guess what — there is! Because it turns out, the name "Trump" was not always his family's name. One biographer found that a prescient ancestor had changed it from — and this is true — Drumpf. Yes; fucking Drumpf! And "Drumpf!" is much less magical. It's the sound produced when a morbidly obese pigeon flies into the window of the foreclosed Old Navy. "Drumpf!" It's the sound of a bottle of store brand root beer falling off the shelf in a gas station mini-mart. And it may seem weird to bring up his ancestral name, but to quote Donald Trump, "he should be proud of his heritage" — because Drumpf is much more reflective of who he actually is. So if you are thinking of voting for Donald Trump, the charismatic guy promising to make America great again, stop and take a moment to imagine how you would feel if you just met a guy named Donald Drumpf. A litigious serial liar, with a string of broken business ventures and the support of a former Klan leader who he can't decide whether or not to condemn. Would you think he would make a good president, or is the spell now somewhat broken? And that is why tonight, I am asking America to make Donald Drumpf again!

Oliver also revealed that HBO had even officially filed paperwork to trademark the name "Drumpf." HBO has also purchased the domain donaldjdrumpf.com and released an official Chrome browser plugin called the "Drumpfinator," which changes every instance of "Trump" to "Drumpf" in the browser.[171]

Now, for people who don't know about that little spat, the Drumpf meme might come across as Oliver making fun of Trump's German ancestry. Crucially however, the serious thought underlying the (quite overtly satirical) relabeling of Trump to Drumpf is that Trump's image and persona is based on the Trump brand — and thus, if people instead knew him as Donald Drumpf (the way his family's name was spelled before the Thirty Years' War),[172] then hopefully people would stop automatically knee-jerk associating him with the fame and fortune attached to the Trump brand, and instead see the man — Donald — for who he really is as a person.[173] The Trump fortune was in fact predicated upon Fred Trump's lying to Jewish customers about his German ancestry and claiming that he was Swedish, a lie repeated by Donald in The Art of the Deal.[174][175][176]

Melania Trump's plagiarism scandal [ edit ]

Suspiciously similar.

“ ” You know, the president told me to stop whining, but I really have to say, the media is even more biased this year than ever before — ever. You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech and everyone loves it — it’s fantastic. They think she’s absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech — and people get on her case. —Donald Trump, roasting his wife at the 71st Al Smith dinner in New York[177]

On July 18, 2016, the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump's (current) wife, Melania, gave a speech discussing why the Donald would be the superior United States presidential candidate. The speech contained a paragraph that was pretty much identical to a paragraph of Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[178][179][180]

Following Melania's speech, various media outlets reported the similarities, stating that the speech was "awkward", "embarrassing" and "an act of plagiarism".[181][182] Although it took the Trump campaign a while to do so, and whilst they procrastinated 24 hours in either avoiding the subject altogether[183] or claiming that Melania's speech wasn't really plagiarism[184] (although the fact that it was plagiarism was pretty much obvious to anyone listening to or reading the speech), someone high up essentially said "You're Fired" to Melania's scriptwriters, and that was the end of that one.[185]

Credentialism [ edit ]

See the main article on this topic: Credentialism

During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump frequently referred to his degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s as "super genius stuff", and that it was difficult to get admitted to Wharton.[186] At the time of Donald's admission (1966), the admission rate at Wharton was 40% of applicants, fairly high.[186] James Nolan, an admissions officer and friend of Trump's brother Fred Jr., was leaned on by Trump's father to get him admitted.[186] Nolan was unimpressed by Donald, stating later, "I certainly was not struck by any sense that I’m sitting before a genius. Certainly not a super genius."[186] Later, it was alleged by Donald's elder sister Maryanne, that Donald's friend Joe Shapiro was paid to take his college entrance exam (SAT).[187] Elsewhere, SAT fraud has resulted in criminal charges,[188] and could result in the rescinding of a degree.[189] But no worries, Donald has rightfully earned a B.S. in B.S.!

Presidency [ edit ]

Trump-Russia connection [ edit ]

Robert Mueller

See the main article on this topic: Trump-Russia connection

“ ” While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. —William Barr quoting the Mueller report in his summary.[190]

Despite its popular name, the Trump-Russia investigation or the Russia probe examines more than ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Other countries with potentially illegal connection to Trump and his associates include China, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In particular, Trump, his daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner have business interests in Qatar, the UAE, Israel, and China.[191] Nor is it limited to the office of the Special Counsel; there is a separate criminal investigation by the FBI.[192] In fact, by December 2018, investigators have begun scrutinizing virtually all aspects of Trump's public life, his presidential campaign, his inaugural committee, his charity, his business dealings, and his presidency itself.[note 12][193] Meanwhile, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the House Oversight Committee are conducting their own investigations on alleged Russian meddling and any collusion with Trump aides. These are arguably some of the most high-profile criminal cases in United States history.[194]

The investigation of the Trump-Russia connection is not limited to the office of the Special Counsel; it has also included a separate criminal investigation by the FBI[192] and may include other as yet unknown investigations. In mid-2018, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein revealed that there is a broad effort by the Department of Justice to combat Russian "information warfare" waged against the United States to undermine her democracy and critical infrastructure. Indeed, the Russian attempt to influence the 2016 Election was "just one tree in a growing forest," he said.[195]

On March 22, 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his final report to Attorney General William Barr. Barr informed Congress in writing he would brief them on the "principal conclusions" and restated his commitment to "as much transparency as possible." Polls show that Americans would like to see the report. Earlier in the month, the House voted unanimously in favor of a non-binding resolution urging the Justice Department to make the report public.[196] According to Barr's summary of the report's findings, Mueller found no evidence of any collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Because Mueller did not really answer the question of whether or not Trump obstructed justice, Barr asserted there was no concrete evidence for it. However, Barr acknowledged that Russian officials had offered to assist the Trump campaign. The end of the Special Counsel probe does not mean the end of legal troubles for Donald Trump, who still faces investigations from New York state prosecutors and from Congress.[197]

During the course of the Special Counsel investigation, FBI agents traveled across the United States and to numerous other countries. Some witnesses were interviewed immediately after they had landed at an American airport. Charges were brought against dozens of individuals. However, no Americans were charged with colluding with Russia.[198]

Undermining democratic institutions [ edit ]

See the main article on this topic: Authoritarianism of Donald Trump

Democratic backsliding is how democracies become authoritarian states.[199]

How to destroy a democracy

Attack the watchdogs ☑

Attack the media ☑

Attack the law ☑

Post-truth alt-right rhetoric ☑

Democracy watchdog Freedom House's report states that Trump's victory was a destabilizing threat to democracy.[200] In 2017, The Democracy Index listed the U.S. as a flawed democracy, but the reduced rank was not caused by Trump.[201] The lower rank was instead caused by the same factors that won Trump the election and contribute to the rise of far-right parties in Europe.[201] That factor is the decline of trust in government.[201] A lack of trust in government may well lead to political apathy, lower voter turnout, and consequently a government that more poorly represents its people (along with currently anti-democratic measures such as Voter ID laws and gerrymandering, and arguably the first past the post system and the electoral college).

Russia often has a hand in democratic backsliding, namely in the former Soviet sphere and post-communist countries.[202]

Cabinet members, or how to create a cesspool [ edit ]

Trump's cabinet in August 2017. Can you count how many of these people aren't there anymore?

See the main article on this topic: Cabinet of Donald Trump

He ran on a populist platform, pledging to "Drain the swamp", meaning prevent Wall Street from controlling government, not a destructive anti-environmentalist platform. Now that he won, that means all of his supporters (and some former detractors) are lining up for sweet positions in his administration, including Wall Street. Besides promising to "hire the best people" he also promised to "drain the swamp", but his nominations and hiring practices prove that instead of draining or filling the swamp, he's creating a noxious cesspool; the people he chooses tend to be either on a pillage-and-burn mission, or totally unqualified for the job. The worst thing is that his supporters don't care[203] as long as the cesspool monsters are not "politicians", whatever that means. The result is possibly the most fervently right-wing cabinet in recent memory, and one that's still filled with quite a few politicians.

And this isn't going to go into how swamps are, in reality, biodiversity-rich hubs that provide a ton of benefits, not like Trump cares a single bit about the environment. Trump may be draining literal swamps, which is hardly a good thing, as he's threatened national parks by trying to allow exploitation and decreasing their sizes.[204]

The Trump team was actually well-prepared to fill the cabinet just before the election. Chris Christie, who had run against Trump in the primary but then joined the campaign, had prepared a 30-volume set of dossiers on possible cabinet picks that was ready one day before the general election.[205] Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, had a grudge against Christie; Christie as a US Attorney had previously sent Kushner's father (Charles Kushner ) to prison for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. The 30 volumes were summarily thrown out and Christie was fired two days after the election at the behest of Kushner and Steve Bannon.[205] The vetting process was then led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence who hired overwhelmed 20-year RNC staffers to do the vetting from scratch.[206] Said one vetter:[206]

“ ” You know, I'm like, 'Oh gentle You know, I'm like, 'Oh gentle Ben [Carson] is unqualified and thinks that pyramids store grain or whatever. Great. At least he's not beating his wife and his wife's not appearing on Oprah [a reference to Andrew Puzder].

Another vetter said:[206]

“ ” I think I truly understood what less than half of the people were being vetted for. Totally inadequate resources for the overall process. … We would probably run through dozens [of contenders] a day.

Policies [ edit ]

See the main article on this topic: Policies of Donald Trump

Starting right on the first week of his presidency, Trump has begun dismantling Obama's legacy. This is indeed one of the guiding principles of the Trump administration.

List of nicknames [ edit ]

“ ” Long live Emperor Trump! —A Chinese fan on social media[207]

Donald Trump is a man of many nicknames: "The Donald",[208] "John Miller",[209] "John Barron",[210] "David Dennison",[211] "Don the Con",[212] "God-Emperor Trump",[213] "Mr. Brexit",[214] and Cadet Bone Spur.[215] One might also add "The Waanald", in light of his constant whining on Twitter and elsewhere whenever someone says something about him he doesn't like.

In China, he is also known as "Donald the Strong," "Grand Commander," and "Uncle Trump." Many Chinese despise the political correctness in Western societies and see themselves in Trump, whom they consider to be genuine, which is unusual for a politician. Another reason for their fondness of the head-of-state of a geopolitical rival is the fact that Trump, unlike his predecessors, has no appetites for discussing human rights and democracy with China and prefers to discuss trade instead. Moreover, Trump seems to recognize that China, as well as its president Xi Jinping, as an equal.[207]

During the George Floyd protests, Trump hid in the White House basement and turned off the lights, a feat that earned him the nickname "Bunker Boy".[216]

Trump supporters [ edit ]

La Familia Trump consists of the usual suspects: a pack of celebrities as unfit to hold office as the man himself. We have dossiers on most of them:

Similar people [ edit ]

Benito Mussolini: Trump has adopted from him, consciously or not, many of the same gestures, rhetoric, body language, scapegoating tendencies, and authoritarian impulses all the way back when he was first a candidate for president. [238] As President, these parallels are now no longer just parallels, but deeply problematic executive policy. [239]

As President, these parallels are now no longer just parallels, but deeply problematic executive policy. Silvio Berlusconi: Il Trump italiano. Just subtract a foot of height and add underage Moroccan prostitutes.

Rodrigo Duterte: President of the Philippines who's also the oldest to be elected to the highest office of their respective countries. He's been called the "Trump of the East" due to both being "self-professed political outsiders with a penchant for tough talk and shocking turns of phrase." They're known for misogynistic comments, outlandish bombast, impulsive and violent rhetoric, and being in favor of the death penalty to drug users. [240]

Andrej Babiš : The Czech Prime Minister, who changed the tax system to benefit himself, has fingers all over the media, dominates the agriculture industry, and keeps trying to screw with his political opponents while complaining about entrenched corruption, insulting his critics, and inflaming anti-Muslim/refugee sentiment. [241] [242]

: The Czech Prime Minister, who changed the tax system to benefit himself, has fingers all over the media, dominates the agriculture industry, and keeps trying to screw with his political opponents while complaining about entrenched corruption, insulting his critics, and inflaming anti-Muslim/refugee sentiment. Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's most dangerous man who ended up winning the election, Jair reads like he was bred from a Trump cloning factory: he once said to a woman who accused him of rape, "I would never rape you because you aren't worth it." He's incited violence from his supporters, and he is a notoriously homophobic racist and misogynist, an incendiary reactionary on every social issue imaginable; he praised a dictator (Alberto Fujimori) for strong leadership, paid homage to a fascist colonel who tortured dissidents (including former President Dilma Rousseff), and repeatedly scapegoats society's ills on the weak and vulnerable. He even says "the only difference [between me and Trump] is that I'm richer!"[243][244][245][246]

See also [ edit ]

Spawn of Trump [ edit ]

Trump shell companies [ edit ]

Trump, the game [ edit ]

So, sue me.

Trump subsidiaries [ edit ]

Trump language [ edit ]

Videos [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]