He used to be a registered Democrat (
circa 2001)
A man who was technically made a millionaire at age 8 by his incredibly wealthy father is, pretty much, by definition, an "elitist". His entire fortune rested on Fred Trump's support. In fact he specifically wanted to go to Wharton because it had elite cache. He originally was at Fordham for a couple years but realized he needed that "elite" cache of UPenn so he enrolled in Wharton (also got someone else to take his SAT's...something non-elites like you and I couldn't really do)
This is 100% true. But then the same can be said of sociopaths.
Except his father, the banks who repeatedly bailed him out and allowed him to continue through the numerous bankruptcies in the 80's and 90's and the banks in Russia who continued to loan him money while most western banks no longer trusted him.
That doesn't seem likely. Considering that few if any billionaires are purely free of encumbrances.
Fred Trump was
extremely politically connected which is how he set his son, Donald, up for success. Even in Manhattan Fred had pull. Multibillionaires don't usually spring up without some connections...and by definition..."favors owed".
That's questionable given his shoddy business practices which resulted in multiple bankruptcies (including a casino! How does one drive a casino into the ground? ). But I will give him credit for continuing and expanding the economic growth that started under Obama. He did do that well. (Until he mishandled COVID so badly that we are no looking down the barrel of a Depression to make the 1930's look like a cake walk...but that's still "TBD")
That probably sounds good so long as no on bothers to remember American history. But it is also highly unlikely Trump actually knows any American history per se.
Denigrating the free press, labeling anyone who opposes him "enemies" of the United States, currying favor with every dictator on the world stage and insulting every ally we have is not what I would call "American Values".
I see values in those qualities...but I don't see those qualities in Trump.
You mean like a third world country with a strong-man dictator-type leader who lives by "cult-of-personality" rules? We have a much higher death rate than most of the developed world due to COVID and it's climbing (unlike most of the developed world). We have third-world levels of income inequality. We have a leader who is fanning out unmarked vans with mysterious government figures to round up protestors.
I'd say we are pretty much in "Banana Republic" zone now.
No, you summarized it nicely. Thanks!
