Trump for President

I never paid any attention to The Donald unless watching a few episodes of "The Apprentice" counts for that. I felt he was pompous and the show was artificial and sometimes bordered on the cruel.

When Trump descended the escalator to his hotel lobby in a bit of staged hoop la (I understand that most of the Trump supporters present were hired extras given pre-made signs), I thought it was a joke that he was going to announce his run for the presidency. When he opened with his Mexican rapist rant I was shocked. I really could not believe that he, or any candidate, would announce his campaign with that openly racist call to the electorate. I knew immediately that Trump was going to be the demagogue that reached out to the darker sentiments of the American public. The fact that his announcement didn't sink his candidacy the next morning was alarming.

Those opening words of his marked the start of my deep loathing for Donald Trump. He was a liar, a con-man, a bullshitter and a manipulator. It also became clear that he was a verbal bully and would say anything to demean his opponents. His supporters loved the act.

Remember the schoolyard bully? We have all seen that type in action. Usually there was a group, or crowd, of onlookers witnessing the intimidation. Some would join in, or egg on the bully, or mock the victim. The bully enjoyed the attention and drew some kind of sustenance from the kids in the crowd that cheered him on......And that is what I saw in the relationship between Trump and his Supporters. There was, and still is, some unhealthy symbiosis in those crowded halls and stadiums filled with adoring Trump fans. Trump glories in the experience. He needs the adulation. It makes him "great".

His ridicule of Republican candidates...Low Energy Bush, Little Marco, Lyin' Ted... or his Crooked Hillary and the chant "Lock Her Up" served to mask his utter lack of plan and platform, as well as his ignorance of history, policy and the greater world around us. Trump was the equivalent of a grumpy old uncle full of half-baked resentments and clichés.