When I said that Donald Trump is a man that needs to be examined from the neck upwards, no one listened. While some have described him as “unhinged”, others have simply seen him as a demagogue and “unfit” to be President of the US. In one of my latest articles, I stated that the only way Donald Trump has talked his way into the psyche of the average American and stay in the news was by raining insults and controversies on the unsuspecting public. I said that he has set the bar so high in the controversy stakes that the only way he can remain in the race will be to raise the stakes and up the ante of his behaviour. From immigrants, to Mexicans, women, the disabled and right down to veterans, the Pope and grieving families of Gold Star Heroes, Trump has made a killing in ruffling feathers. When Hillary Clinton said last week that Trump can be baited with a simple tweet, no one took her seriously.
Following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention 2 weeks ago, Donald trump was riding high in the polls, surging past Hillary Clinton to leads in all six of the latest national polls then. It is obvious, as part of the American electoral process that all candidates are assured of a bounce in the e polls after their party conventions. Trump was everywhere and anywhere, happy to quote his newfound favourable ratings. The polls were readily quoted by Trump like the Gospel according to St. Trump. After the DNC Convention, Hillary’s post-convention lead over Trump has continued to grow as more polls have come in. Of course it would be foolish to take polls for granted. Nevertheless, they cannot be discounted outright.
Interestingly, Hillary has not said or done anything new since the Convention. Clinton’s lead, since the convention is purely down to the self-destructive nature and tendencies of Donald himself. During the DNC convention, Trump’s first wish- to- be Presidential task was to pick a fight with a Muslim family that lost a son in the Iraq war; a feat that is seen by all Americans, irrespective of their political persuasion as the ultimate sacrifice and patriotism. Like Clinton rightly said, he couldn’t resist the bait. Even the most die-hard fans, yes fans, have found this as a “bridge too far” even by Trump’s standards. His recent war of words with the Khans has even prompted Sarah Palin’s son in law, Dakota Meyer, who received a Medal of Honour in 2011, to ask Donald trump to APOLOGISE to the family. Meyer tweeted, “If @realDonaldTrump wants to be Commander in Chief, he needs to act like one. And that can’t start until he apologises to the khans”.
Even his one-time victim, Senator McCain, a veteran and one time prisoner of war that he derided in the past has until now held his peace. But Trump’s latest brush with controversy has seen his support ebbing away as Republican big guns have started voicing what they had preferred to say behind closed doors. Maria Comella, a long-time aide for Chris Christie, a former presidential rival turned senior cheer leader for Donald Trump, has swapped allegiance to Hillary Clinton. A top Jeb Bush adviser, Sally Bradshaw has left the GOP after a lifetime of allegiance, and now plans to vote for Clinton. The Houston Chronicle, which has traditionally backed GOP candidates has described Trump as a “danger to the Republic” and has now endorsed Clinton. And all this is happening while Clinton has not done or said anything new. There is now a new found chorus along the political corridors of the Republican Party, calling the grandees of the party to condemn, denounce and disown Mr Trump. This brings to mind the adage that “for evil to prosper, it takes the good to do nothing”.
Looks like something is now being done about what many of us had envisaged. Some have gone as far as questioning his sanity; and that is unfair. Republican politicians are now facing a dilemma. If they stay quiet, some will see them as acquiescing to Trump’s faux-populist demagoguery. If they oppose or condemn him, they risk backlash from their perceived grassroots support. In the meantime, Donald is shadow fighting House Speaker Paul Ryan by tweeterising mutual compliments with Paul Nehlen; the main challenger vying to unseat Ryan.
After the worst 72 hours of his political career, Trump could not have wished for a better opportunity to make amends. This came on Tuesday, when retired Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman handed him a “Purple heart”. Trump gleefully told his supporters during a rally about his encounter; and it went like this:
“Something very nice just happened to me. A man came up to me and handed me his Purple Heart. I said to him, “Is that like the real one or is that a copy? And he said, “That’s my real Purple Heart. I have confidence in you.” To cap it all, trump said “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier”. Trump is right; this Purple Heart was easier, considering that this is coming from a man who had FIVE Deferments to avoid the military draft during the Vietnam War; a war he called “highly contested and unpopular”. Let’s give him his due; the only thing he shares with late boxing legend Muhammad Ali. I know that it’s disrespectful to use “Trump” and “Muhammad Ali” in the same sentence, but please indulge me. I can’t resist the thought of Trump and late Ali locked in a room for 1 hour. Guess the outcome.
Trump is finding himself caught in the bright lights of American politics. His latest serving is now bothering on a conspiracy theory. Trump is now afraid that his election campaign might be imploding right in front of his eyes. But he will conveniently not blame himself. Now he is crying foul; “I’m afraid that the elections is going to be rigged” WHAAAAT? Is the emperor losing his clothes? Did I hear you say “his marbles”? This guy actually asked for a CRYING BABY TO BE REMOVED FROM HIS RALLY”. Does this guy have no limits? Even babies can rile Donald Trump? Many of his followers have always flocked to his rallies because he always had a new controversy to serve up. Recent attendances do not seem to carry the same enthusiasm of loud cheers and wolf whistling. It sounds like many will now be attending his rallies with serious trepidation; wondering what controversial or self-destructing tendencies might be in play now. As for some of us self-anointed political commentators, it is the thrill of curiosity that lures us to his rallies; wondering how far can he press the self-destruct button? And I don’t mean the nuclear button.
Trump burst on the political scene proper last year and has since attracted many followers because “he is not your average politician His followers admired him because he says it as it is, he is not into political correctness, he is honest, he is brave to say the things that can only be whispered around dinner tables, etc., blah, blah, blah. What they forgot to say that he shoots from the hip. Donald Trump plans to make big tax cuts, but is not prepared to disclose his tax returns. Billionaire Warren Buffet challenged Trump on Monday to discuss their tax returns publicly. Trump said that he would not disclose his tax returns because he is UNDER AUDIT. But Richard Nixon publicly released his tax returns while they were under audit in 1973, at the height of the Watergate investigation. Nixon said at the time that, “people have got to know whether or not their President is a crook”. Well, I am not a crook”. But again, Trump is not your normal politician; an accolade that once attracted his followers. An official from the IRS said that they asked Trump to release his tax returns because they found it Suspicious.
Donald trump would have you believe that he is tough on foreign policy. It became his strongest suit when he declared that he will build the wall, “ban Muslims from entering the US until the leaders figure out what is going on”. He was seen by his followers as the man that will snuff out terrorism for good. He thought he had one over Clinton then. But polls show that he is fast losing ground in that area as well. Being a strange bedfellow with Russia is sure to be a turn off for even his most devout followers, who religiously eat his every word. Even François Hollande, whose country has tragically been at the receiving end of brutish acts recently, stated that he finds Trump’s “excesses” sickening, and that democracy is at stake in the 2016 elections. With Donald Trump ready to throw the toy out of the pram, many Republicans would be wondering whether he would even participate in the business end of the elections: THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. Will he stand up to the rigours of the scrutiny that comes with these debates? Don’t be surprised if he boycotts the debate. But again, Trump is not your normal politician and anything is possible. By the way, check out the websites of both Donald and Hillary. There is a button on Hillary’s site that asks you to SIGN UP to receive party literature. Donald’s asks you to BUY bumper stickers, T-shirts, hats etc. But again, Trump is not your normal politician. True; he is a business man.
There is only one way Trump can win this election now; READ THE US CONSTITUTION AS MR. KHAN SUGGESTED, TAKE THE FIFTH AMMENDMENT AND CLOSE HIS MOUTH. A sure bet.
Don’t forget to turn the lights off before you leave the room.
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