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PrintApril 18, 2011
Trump blowing his own horn - and maybe his chances
The front page of the New York Post for Monday, April 18th, has Donald Trump "modestly" claiming he'd be a better president than Mitt Romney because "I'm a much bigger businessman...I mean my net worth is many, many, many times Mitt Romney (sic)." Sic in more ways than one.
This brings us to Mr. Trump's ego on steroids and his lack of consideration for others.
A few years ago, Donald Trump was a featured early evening speaker at a Learning Annex all day investment course/seminar held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. I happened to be there and heard him say that we should withdraw from the Iraq war, but the most telling story was a personal one he told about someone he knew. I will leave out some identifying details I still recall for obvious reasons.
Speaking to an audience of around six hundred people, Trump told of a married man in New York he knew who had been in an unsatisfactory career -- and thus became sexually impotent for a few years. At some point, this younger man decided to do what he really loved (as best I recall, The Donald may have advised him on this) and the younger man's potency returned. I will assume that Trump "knew" this from hearsay and not first hand observation.
Now if this story had been told by Donald Trump in Seattle or Spokane where no one knew the other man, it would have been one thing. But among the roughly six hundred people in the New York hall there were probably at least ten people that travel in the same social circles as Trump and his friends. These ten people may well have been able to identify the man Trump was talking about. By telling the story, The Donald probably had embarrassed his young acquaintance considerably. People will repeat a somewhat salacious story, but what concern is that to Mr. Trump?
I don't believe Trump even realized he was making an unnecessary public revelation about his young acquaintance, but what if he said something in public about a foreign leader or a regime that would best be said in private -- or not at all? Yes, stories like this have entertainment value, but is it the behavior the rest of want from an American President? Will Trump publicly cast aspersions on some foreign leader's personal traits in front of two hundred newspeople and dozens of television station video cameras?
I'm not sure I want a President who may well be comfortable with Howard Stern as his Press Secretary or speech writer. Yes, he isn't the self-effacing John McCain, but there has to be a better choice out there among 300 million people.
Update from Jack Kemp:
Update from Jack Kemp:
Here are some stories I found about Trump's lawsuits and big ego.
Trump Drags Sulzberger into Defamation LawsuitThe New York Supreme Court has ruled that Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. must submit to a deposition by attorneys representing Donald Trump, who is suing Times business editor Timothy O'Brien and the publishers of O'Brien's book TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald. Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages because he says the book grossly underestimated his net worth at $150 million to $250 million, instead of the billions and billions he claims. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Trump contends that being labeled a mere millionaire hurt his "brand and reputation" and undermined the "perception of Trump as a businessman of extraordinary means and ability (which he is)."
Judge tosses Donald Trump's lawsuit seeking billionaire statusPublished: Thursday, July 16, 2009, 12:48 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 4:35 PM
CAMDEN -- Donald Trump said a judge was wrong to dismiss his lawsuit this week over how much he's worth.Trump sued Timothy O'Brien, author of the 2005 book "TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald" for writing that Trump is worth $150 million to $250 million.
Trump University Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Real Estate SeminarsMay 5, 2010Trump University Student Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Trump University Over Real Estate SeminarsA class action lawsuit was filed against Trump University, LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (styled Tarla Makaeff v. Trump University, LLC., Case No. 3:10-cv-0940 IEG) alleging that Trump University promised, among other things, a complete real estate education, an apprenticeship, mentorship and practical and fail-safe real estate techniques, but purportedly did not provide students what they bargained for but instead allegedly taught them how to spend more money buying more Trump seminars, according to class action lawsuit news reports.
Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Over PBIATrump's Attorney Says They Plan To RefilePOSTED: 11:11 am EST December 1, 2010PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Donald Trump's lawsuit against Palm Beach County and its noisy airport has been dismissed by a judge, but Trump's attorney said they plan to refile.The lawsuit, filed in July, was the latest legal action by the real-estate mogul in a decades-old disagreement over noise control at Palm Beach International Airport.Trump's lawsuit claimed the county failed to assess noise and associated pollution from jet engines that impacts his Palm Beach estate at Mar-a-Lago.
