Donald Trump's 2012 Presidential Campaign

Black Swan

Donald Trump is a well known celebrity in America. His Celebrity Apprentice weekly telly show has been popular among many viewers, and has resulted in giving him national celebrity status. Further, he has the reputation of success in the world of big business, and has the wealth to show for it. This makes him attractive to future corporate sponsors that can fuel his campaign.

Although Trump claims that he will not make a decision about running for the Republican 2012 presidential candidacy until June 2011, it would appear that his political campaign has already begun.

If Trump has begun his 2012 campaign, has he been making the same mistakes that both Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin made during the 2008 race? Both engaged in petty mud slinging. Both raised the issue of Obama's birth certificate, the Bill Ayers connection, and his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Both lost, and Obama won with very large margins in the Electoral College and popular vote.

If you were managing the Donald Trump 2012 presidential campaign, would you continue the petty mud slinging of the 2008 campaign, or focus primarily on such things as economic recovery, job creation, and cutting wasteful spending (e.g., total withdrawal from two expensive wars that are costing the American taxpayer billions of dollars per month and contributing to an historic federal deficit, etc.)?

What would you tell Trump?

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/DonaldTrump-PresidentBarackObama-ObamaBirthCertificate-SeanHannity/2011/04/16/id/393074

Denerick

I would tell Trump to appeal to the most base instincts of the American people, and mud sling at will. One of John Mc Cains great mistakes was having both integrity and a sense of shame. He might have alluded to some scandal here or there but he didn't have the stomach for an all out negative campaign. If Donald Trump can transform himself into the awful American stereotype, a mixture of bigotry and ignorance, then he has a very good chance of being elected President of the United States.

metrovelvet

I hate Donald Trump. Please say it aint so.

Overheal

Trump is a billionaire, why is he not trying to run on his economic credentials? It baffles me.

And then we have this business of "oh im not running yet wink wink" so i can still run my TV show and do interviews without all the decency and rules involved around an actual campaign.

20Cent

Isn't this a common scam?
Say you are thinking of running get loads of publicity and donations then don't run. Newt Gingrich does it for every election.

Denerick

20Cent wrote: »

Isn't this a common scam?
Say you are thinking of running get loads of publicity and donations then don't run. Newt Gingrich does it for every election.

Don't know so much about Gingrich doing this every election, but Bloomberg has a tendancy to generate speculation that he's going to spend 10 billion + on an independent bid for the presidency...

jank

Didnt rove say he was a joke candidate? He will not go anywhere near the whitehouse, he is just trying a Palin. Use politics to up his personal exposure where he can flog more books and tv shows.

Amerika

Although Trump doesn’t like that he is being portrayed as a joke, and might actually become a formal candidate for office because of it, the Tabloid Candidate won’t be taken seriously as a Republican nominee. And he joked about Ron Paul’s chances becoming President, so a run as an Independent would be perceived just as much. I mean really... can anyone picture him trudging across little towns in Iowa kissing babies? It’s all just a silly swan song (IMO).

Wompa1

He made a fortune...pretty much lost nearly all of it and then made it back plus interest again. He's not the most stable for running on a financial policy. I admire some of the things he's done. He's smart in his mud flingings I think...even years ago I believe he offered to fund the building of a new UN HQ in New York.

I think though that this is for publicity and nothing else. Anyone that builds hotels in Vegas and Atlantic city is pretty much guaranteed celebrity status and I think a lot of people, including him do it for the recognition

Overheal

Thats an interesting note, he does sound like he is only doing it for publicity at this point. Sticking with the birther subject stirs up the controversy. If he were actually thinking about running the country I think he would have more to say about how things are being mismanaged now, not when and where Obama was born.

latenia

This is just a publicity stunt. Even the smallest amount of digging into his past throws up so much dirt that even the dumbest celebrity worshipping voter would deem him unelectable. The man hasn't created a dime of wealth in his whole life but he has remarkable record of burning creditors, banks, bondholders etc. That's before even looking into his mob ties and breaking of gaming laws in New Jersey.

jank

He has 0 policy. Makes Palin look like FDR. Just watch some of the stuff on youtube. He did interviews with O'reilly lately. His solution to high oil price's. Go over to the Arab countries and "make them" lower the price....

Yeap sure thing Trump. Maybe we should call him Gump!

Da Shins Kelly

So, he's thinking about running for the nomination for the Republican candidate in the next election. In the meantime he's launching all sorts of attacks on Obama about the legitimacy of his birth certificate (which he is promising to pursue) and also stated that Obama didn't deserve his place in university because he was a "bad student". He doesn't seem to have any proof of this, however.

Do you think this guy will get the nomination, and if so, could he realistically have any chance of even running close to Obama?

Celly Smunt

probably won't do well,but what a disappointed obama was

KerranJast

He probably won't run, if he did he wouldn't win the nomination and if he did he wouldn't beat Obama.
It's a PR stunt from him.

2012 is about rebuilding for the GOP so as to win back the White House in 2016.

mikemac

Donald Trump is a publicity hound, just look at his involvement in Miss Universe and buying an American football team
He'll drop out later
16/1 on Trump to win which are ridiculous odds

Mitt Romney
3/1 to win the Republican primary and 9/1 to win the general election

I don't realy bet but I'd be backing him

Badgermonkey

He's an oddly coiffed buffoon, a windbag who reminds me of the guffmeister Ben Dunne but he'd be preferable to Palin tbh.

later12

The interesting thing for me is the emergence of 'new' anti establishment figures in both Democrat and Republican politics in the US - The Terminator, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and now a former bankrupt casino owner in a bad hair piece.

What on earth are Americans trying to tell us?!

p.s. not likely to get anywhere.

20Cent

He won't run, it is a common trick say you are thinking of running get loads of publicity and donations and then make excuses at the last moment. Newt Gingrich does this regularly. Real republicans should be furious at him wasting their time. Trump also probably has closets full of skeletons.

The birther nonsense isn't doing him any favours either. The republicans are playing with fire using these tea party extreme right type people. Splitting their own constituents. Disappointing as Obama is there isn't a serious challenger out yet.

Corsendonk

later10 wrote: »

The interesting thing for me is the emergence of 'new' anti establishment figures in both Democrat and Republican politics in the US - The Terminator, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and now a former bankrupt casino owner in a bad hair piece.

What on earth are Americans trying to tell us?!

p.s. not likely to get anywhere.

Its funny how that each time he steps down from the casino board it goes bankrupt, its gone bankrupt 3 times so far after he stepped down.

sceptre

Two threads merged, including one kindly moved here by the AH mods (AH members, take note that it's in the US Politics forum now and subject to the Politics charter).

FrostyJack

Is he still going to beat the Birther drum now ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYJI4QTpXs

evilivor

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

So, he's thinking about running for the nomination for the Republican candidate in the next election. In the meantime he's launching all sorts of attacks on Obama about the legitimacy of his birth certificate (which he is promising to pursue) and also stated that Obama didn't deserve his place in university because he was a "bad student". He doesn't seem to have any proof of this, however.

He got a result today as the White House have published the long form Birth Cert. Trump still stirring:

Trump said that he hopes the certificate is real and true "because we have very big problems in this country." He added that the president should have released the document sooner.

"It is rather amazing that all of a sudden it materializes, but I hope it's the right deal, for sure.

Experts will look at it, and I am really happy and I'm really proud that I was able to bring this to a point nobody else was," Trump said.

Despite his pride, Trump said he isn't done asking questions, though they perhaps are of lesser consequence than Obama's eligibility to be president.

"I'd like to know how does he get into Harvard, how does he get into Colombia if he isn't a very good student," Trump said, asking why the president doesn't release his college records from Occidental College.

"If he wants to release it that's fine, if he doesn't want to release it that's fine too. But the word is he wasn't a very good student," Trump added.

FrostyJack

evilivor wrote: »

He got a result today as the White House have published the long form Birth Cert. Trump still stirring:

If he releases the college results, he will move on to the next thing, how he got out of the womb "show us the stretch marks Mrs Obama". I hope he disappears very quickly now, though he can only help Obama if he continues.

Hedman

Overheal wrote: »

Trump is a billionaire, why is he not trying to run on his economic credentials? It baffles me.

The claim that he is a billionaire is a very dubious one. Deutsche Bank valued his worth at $788 million is 2005 and don't forget he brought a libel lawsuit vs an author that claimed his actual worth was $250 million, which was then dismissed.

Also don't forget that he inherited his company and initial fortune and many of his businesses have gone into bankruptcy. The vast majority of his "worth" comes from properties he doesn't actually own but is the public face of.

I've no doubt he is a great self promoter in the media, businessman not so much.

Red Hand

If he runs, does this mean that Bill Cullen will run for Fiannia Fail, hoping to become the next Taoiseach?:eek:

Hmmmm...you know, I'd nearly prefer Palin as President over Trump. At least she had some experience as a governer.

hmmm

Himself and Paul Ryan have become the face of the Republican party, and this is a disaster for them. The only thing that could make it worse is Palin emerging as a serious candidate.

I'd say the Democrats are praying that Trump is serious and does decide to run. He'll push all the Repub contenders into stupid debates about ridiculous issues, and if by some miracle he gets the nomination Obama will ridicule him in the debates.

ArtSmart

although i assume this is a publicity stunt by Trump, you have to bear in mind that Americans (albeit only a %) voted big Arnie into a position of governance. and Little Georgie into the white house.

Think about that.

Arnie into a position of political responsibility

Arnold Schwarzenegger

one of the dumbest people on the planet - beaten only be Little George in the idiot stakes.

Red Hand

ArtSmart wrote: »

Arnold Schwarzenegger

one of the dumbest people on the planet - beaten only be Little George in the idiot stakes.

How is he dumb? He came to America poor and within a few years, he had set-up his own company, became a millionaire, got into films, married into a political dynasty (Kennedys) and is a shrewd businessman.

He's about as far from GW Bush as you can get.

hmmm

ArtSmart wrote: »

one of the dumbest people on the planet - beaten only be Little George in the idiot stakes.

I disagree, Arnie was a smart political operator (at first at least). Trump is all bluster and noise, he'll be off the stage in a month when he says something stupid or a political skeleton appears.

ArtSmart

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

How is he dumb? He came to America poor and within a few years, he had set-up his own company, became a millionaire, got into films, married into a political dynasty (Kennedys) and is a shrewd businessman.

He's about as far from GW Bush as you can get.

no, he's a complete dumb-ass. an extremely lucky one.
he's a testament to the idiom 'do one thing well'

in his case, body-building.

after that, his only job was to turn up.

he clearly had an excellent agent, truly excellent.

name one thing he has done or said which hints, just hints, at intelligence. (no quotes from speeches written for him please)

ArtSmart

hmmm wrote: »

I disagree, Arnie was a smart political operator (at first at least).

no. Arnie married into the Kennedy clan and took advantage of their connections.

i don't confuse ambition with intelligence.

Red Hand

ArtSmart wrote: »

name one thing he has done or said which hints, just hints, at intelligence. (no quotes from speeches written for him please)

Well, I guess I would need you to define your view of intelligence. Academic? Judgemental? Emotional? Spacial?

Furthermore, explain exactly how he is dumb?

ArtSmart

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Well, I guess I would need you to define your view of intelligence. Academic? Judgemental? Emotional? Spacial?

Furthermore, explain exactly how he is dumb?

dumb. you know. without intelligence. interpersonal, abstract reasoning, social, etc etc all of 'em.

'sept spacial. i'll give him that. whatever that is.

Course, now he's out of office, he's been heard to say
'I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.'

PeakOutput

ArtSmart wrote: »

no. Arnie married into the Kennedy clan and took advantage of their connections.

i don't confuse ambition with intelligence.

It is idiotic to use his public persona as a measure of his personal intelligence you should watch his biography he is actually a remarkable success story and self made man, even if you completely ignore his political success and only look at his life up until that point.

Seloth

I'm sorry but this man is more comincal than Goerge Bush and Dumber than a bag of nails(Maybe not in a business sense but other than this :rolleyes:)

If any of you watch the Daily Show with Jon Stewart or the Colbert Report then you'll be familiar with this.

In a number of interviews Trump stated "You wouldn't believe the things they are finding" In reference to his Obama birth records people.

When Obama then released his full Longform birthcert(I believe its called,as he already released a shortform or something along those lines)Trump took credit for it,but when asked by a reporter if he now questions the reliability of his researchers or if he simply made it all up Trump dodged the question with a sort of ramble,and when the reporter responded saying "But you didn't answer the question" Trump replied "I did".

And then moments after starting up his new campaign for Obama to release his College Grades...

Like...WTF???

Tbh I myself think he's only trying to gain presidency if he truly does just to say he was.He has little knowledge of politics and cannot back up any argument.

In another interview he stated how he would stop oil company from raising prices with threats.When asked how he said he'd look them in the eye and say stop doing it,when asked how he'd reinforce said threat he just repeated how he'd just say it to them and look them in the eye.

Its almost as if he's read a book on how to gain votes for a dodge politician but is failing at doing so..and laughably.

Quoting Jon Stewart "I pray this man runs for presidency" as it would be comical :pac:

amacachi

Obama obviously fears him, he had the news of Bin Laden's death leaked just in time for Celebrity Apprentice to be pre-empted.

Denerick

I think its fair to say that Trumps quixotic campaign for the presidency is dead in the water. Obama made an idiot of him at the white house correspondents dinner, and then proceeded to kill Osama Bin Laden.

As far as I'm concerned Obama will be President after 2012. The Republicans can't even bring up the disgusting lie and distortion that 'liberals are weak on national security' anymore.

choppermann

Trump will never run for the simple reason he would have to disclose his finances to public scrutiny and that folks is just not going to happen

Jackalope

ArtSmart wrote: »

no, he's a complete dumb-ass. an extremely lucky one.
he's a testament to the idiom 'do one thing well'

in his case, body-building.

after that, his only job was to turn up.

he clearly had an excellent agent, truly excellent.

name one thing he has done or said which hints, just hints, at intelligence. (no quotes from speeches written for him please)

Made more money in real estate than he did in the movies?

Jackalope

Denerick wrote: »

I think its fair to say that Trumps quixotic campaign for the presidency is dead in the water. Obama made an idiot of him at the white house correspondents dinner, and then proceeded to kill Osama Bin Laden.

As far as I'm concerned Obama will be President after 2012. The Republicans can't even bring up the disgusting lie and distortion that 'liberals are weak on national security' anymore.

I don't know if that's correct.

I think there's a distinct possibility that Trump never intends to run in the first place. But by starting a campaign, he's justified in attacking Obama in all the ways (such as the birth certificate) that other, legitimate GOP candidates cannot.

In the House and Senate, the majority/minority "Whip" and during Presidential campaigns, the VP candidate is used to attack the other party while allowing the Majority/Minority Leader or the Presidential candidate to remain "above it all". The purpose is to bloody the other party with someone whose political future is expendable.

I think there's a very good possibility that Trump and the GOP have engineered this same sceanario here for the express purpose of using Trump as their attack dog before the real campaigns even start.