The good news about Trump is that he's not bought or sold. He is what he is, which from my viewpoint is better than the unknown that we currently have.
You don't become a billionaire without having deeply entrenched political and business connections. Donald Trump may be "self funded" but I don't believe for an instant that his persona is any less calculated than that of any other politician, or that his agenda is entirely his own.
Because he is a politician, and by definition a very successful one. Just because he wears a red baseball cap and is willing to use vulgar language and encourage violence at his rallies in the name of denouncing political correctness doesn't mean he's an anti-establishment maverick and hero of the common man, or that anything he says is sincere. He's simply found a gimmick that works.
To his credit, it seems to work extremely well. But that doesn't make him qualified for the office.
Ok, it might, to a degree because it's a political office, but... he seems like a charlatan. I don't understand why people trust him, he seems like the most obviously political figure in the entire field.
There is a large segment of the population (in every country) that responds very well to power figures. The same reason why people in Russia like Putin, and so many other dictators have been quite popular at times. Trump is trying to reach those people by acting like the power person in the race. On the other hand, a big part of the population is also adverse to power figures, myself included. I would never vote for an authoritarian figure and there are many others like me.
I've read this so many times I am starting to think this makes sense to the people saying it: "Trump may be [insert whatever], and [policy X] is ridiculous, and [statement Y] went over the line. But [X] won't ever happen, so I don't have to worry about it."
Don't get me wrong, using policy and public statements to judge fitness for public office isn't perfect, but it seems in this case we are substituting policy and public statement with something that has little or no relationship with executing a complex and demanding job.
You act like his entire life hasn't been "executing a complex and demanding job"? Running a small business is hard enough, I can't even imagine running an empire.
Trump has been one step ahead of every last person this entire election cycle. It's been fascinating to watch and I'm done doubting him, underestimating him, or second-guessing why he does or says anything. Now I'm simply at the point where I'm just trying to learn from it, because there are lessons for any business owner or public figure inside.
In fact, if he were to win, I'm not even convinced [X] "won't happen".
It doesn't have to be hard to run an empire badly.
A shell script that just repeats "Sell all assets and invest in SPY" would outperform Trump at running his empire, and it would have the side bonus of not being a crazy asshole.
I'm sure it's hard to do well. My point is that Trump hasn't done well. The fact that he built a not particularly successful business empire with inherited money doesn't say much about his skills or smarts.
Hiring good people is hard, for sure. Has Trump ever done it?
I find this line laughable. Everyone seems to think that turning a million into billions is a cakewalk.
Most people wouldn't even know where to begin and would lose their minds during any downturn. The others would buy a small house and whither away savings. The rest would waste it all on idiocy.
If you're running a billion dollar empire and it hasn't burnt to the ground, you can be sure that he's hired good people.
Why don't you go put $1,000,000 in a market simulator and tell me how your "shell scripts" do over the next 20 years.
Given that you haven't answered the original question, I'm guessing that you have hired very few or even zero people ever?
Trump inherited tens of millions. Other people have done the "market simulator" thing and the result is that Trump has not outperformed the market. My shell script would have done about as well at growing Trump's wealth as Trump did.
Turning tens of millions into a few billions over the past forty years is a cakewalk. I don't know why you think it's "laughable" to say this. It doesn't even require smart investing, just the minimal amount of non-stupid investing.
I haven't answered your original question because it's simply not relevant. You're trying to make an ad-hominem argument against me. I'm not exactly going to jump at the chance to help you with that.
Yep, it's clearly that easy when you can look backwards at it. You have a time machine too?
You and I both know that you would have shit your emotional bricks in every downturn... while these guys are all buying more. And if not that error, then you likely would have generated some other failure.
If you're so good, you'd have that shell script up and running by now. Use that 20/20 hindsight to go do it in the future and see how that goes. Go turn $1000 into $1,000,000. It's easy, isn't it? Everyone can do it!
Nope. Instead, you haven't answered my question because, I am now convinced, you have absolutely no clue how difficult it is to grow such a large business, albeit a small one.
But of course you won't answer - you've never walked the mile. Yet there you are, on your high horse driving from the backseat on Hacker News with talk of shell scripts and 20/20 hindsight whiling failing to see another person's accomplishments - that is the sin.
Disagree with Trump's political policies, fine. I honestly don't care. But to make business success sound so easy - especially in this forum where there are tons of people who have received generous amounts of capital and squandered it all - is to insult any successful businessperson out there.
Just try and say that he's "lucky". Be that person -- the worst kind -- and be done with it.
Sure, I'll call Trump lucky. What do you call it when someone inherits eight figures, if not luck?
I love how you constantly make stuff up about me, then argue against the stuff you made up. No wonder you're a Trump supporter. It's a personality match!
If what you're trying to learn is how to manipulate people, then I agree, he is a master. There is a name for this type of people, they're called con men. Trump is a sales person. He has trained himself to sell anything, and he is just selling a quick solution for people that feel disenfranchise by the current political system.
He is selling exactly what a serious amount of people in this country want. If you don't know that then you don't understand America. Go work in a factory for a year.
You sorely overestimate anyone's intentions. Nearly all Trump types simply want productive jobs and to be left alone. I know this because I've worked in factories with them (non-Union).
If it's racist to not want to send my job to China, then you really need to check the definition of racism.
And why is it that so many legal immigrants are pro-Trump? Hmmm.....
Should we try to read intentions beyond what he is literally saying? The defense of Trump is solely based on the idea that he doesn't mean what he says. But this is tantamount to say that he is a liar. If that is the case, how can someone ever trust him? If you need to build on fear and lies to be elected, it is anyone's guess what might be the result.
No Trump supporter is saying this at all. Most highly agree on at least one of his major platform issues. If we've learned one thing, it's that he means exactly what he says, and won't back down or apologize. This only makes him stronger.
The days of believing this guy is dumb are over. He has single-handedly changed everything in American politics, and did it while people like you were believing he was a clown. That too, makes him stronger.
Except that he cannot provide it. Most of his proposals would require to overturn centuries of laws and other American traditions. Promising that is akin to trying to sell the statue of liberty.
I mean simple things like deporting 11 million people, killing families of terrorists, legalizing torture, and closing the US to China imports, just for starters.
Not impossible. Other Presidents weren't even trying and they removed between 1-2 million.
I don't think you understand the amount of power ICE has if unhandcuffed and fully supported.
Plus, they can come back in legally. With papers. Through the door. What on earth is so hard about that???
> killing families of terrorists
We already do this - not directly, but if we know a family is shielding a high-value target, we will hit the entire building.
> legalizing torture
This is perhaps hyperbole, but wanting to play on a level playing field is not exactly an earth-shattering request. There are ways to intimidate without 'torture'.
> closing the US to China imports
Doubtful, but pushing for tariffs from Congress is within reason and would be supported by a great part of America.
How come? Polls & numbers (whatever value they have this early on in the "general" cycle) state otherwise. In fact, it looks like Bernie has a much better chance at the moment than Hilary... Don't you think Trump would dominate 24/7 news cycle on digging up Hilary's old wounds? What does he have on Bernie? "He's a communist you're voting for a communist!"?
Interestingly enough, the polls say otherwise. [0] [1]
As the Politifact piece notes, (1) it's early in the campaign; (2) Bernie is much less well known than Hillary, and his perceived negatives might become more important in the general election; and (3) polls can always be wrong. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem to be correct to say he has far worse odds against Trump than she does.
