Donald Trump’s bombast continues to lead to audacious statements that are false and/or misleading. Amidst all the bluster, you have to wonder if this guy even recognizes when he is or isn’t telling the truth.
He keeps portraying himself as a self-made man, apparently because he wants to emulate his late father. An immigrant, Fred Trump built a successful business from the ground up.
In contrast, Donald Trump was rich, by 1940s standards, on the day he was born.
His father, Fred, was a real estate tycoon who built and operated affordable rental housing in New York City, including more than 27,000 apartments and row houses in several neighborhoods and boroughs.
By the time of his death, Trump had amassed a $400 million estate which was left largely to his children, contributing a significant amount to Donald Trump’s fortune.
The Donald was never a self-made man, nor has he been the stunning success on TV as he envisions in his own mind.
This morning on Fox News the real estate mogul was never challenged by the on-air crew when he claimed that NBC would be very unhappy if Trump had to cut his ties with the Miss Universe pageant.
Again, this is just like Trump bragging about the ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice” and offering misleading stats. In reality, his reality show does not follow in the footsteps of other hit broadcasts in the same genre.
For the season, his show is ranked 44th, which is actually a big step up from last fall’s season, when it came in at No. 93.
As for the pageant broadcast, since Trump took over in 1996 at a time when ratings were consistently falling, the TV ratings for the Miss Universe show have plummeted 77 percent. I don’t imagine NBC is fretting over the future of either Trump broadcast.
Meanwhile, in The New York Times, columnist David Brooks takes a stab at exploring why stump is such a spectacle, yet is an early success in Campaign 2012.
Brooks concludes that Trump has “entered the realm of Upper Blowardia” but is still admired by many Americans because he preaches the “Gospel of Success.” It’s not just Trump’s riches that gain him fame, it’s the way he flaunts those riches.
Here’s Brooks:
“Very few people have the luxury of being freely obnoxious. Most people have to watch what they say for fear of offending their bosses and colleagues. Others resist saying anything that might make them unpopular.
“But, in every society, there are a few rare souls who rise above subservience, insecurity and concern. Each morning they take their own abrasive urges out for parade. They are so impressed by their achievements, so often reminded of their own obvious rightness, that every stray thought and synaptic ripple comes bursting out of their mouth fortified by impregnable certitude.
“… These supremely accomplished blowhards offend some but also arouse intense loyalty in others. Their followers enjoy the brassiness of it all. They live vicariously through their hero’s assertiveness. They delight in hearing those obnoxious things that others are only permitted to think.
“Thus, there has always been a fan base for the abrasive rich man. There has always been a market for books by people like George Steinbrenner, Ross Perot, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bobby Knight, Howard Stern and George Soros. There has always been a large clump of voters who believe that America could reverse its decline if only a straight-talking, obnoxious blowhard would take control.
“And today, apparently, Donald Trump is that man. Trump, currently most famous for telling people that they are fired, has surged toward the top of the presidential primary polls. In one poll, he was in (remote) striking distance in a head-to-head against President Obama. Many people regard Trump as a joke and his popularity a disgrace. But he is actually riding a deep public fantasy: The hunger for the ultimate blowhard who can lead us through dark times.”
Brooks does not give Trump much of a chance of winning the presidency because, in the end, voters want “some level of seriousness, prudence and self-control.” But he also asserts that Trump will come out of this foray into politics, however long it lasts, no worse for wear.
“I do insist that Trump is no joke,” Brooks said. “He emerges from deep currents in our culture, and he is tapping into powerful sections of the national fantasy life. I would never vote for him, but I would never want to live in a country without people like him.” 

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