Why would Trump, a Democrat from 2001-2008, say he thought Obama "has a chance to go down as a great president" in 2008; and then question whether he's even eligible to be President in 2011?
Trump Branding
Maybe its all about improving the monetary value of his brand name Trump. The brandingdirector for Movo Integrated Branding, said I think the actual flirtation [with the presidency] as opposed to committing [to it] really heightens the value.
The more publicity Trump gets, the more his brand is worth. Forbes estimates it's worth about $120-$420 million, but Trump says its about $3-$6 billion. Its value is very important because Trump sells the rights to use his name, marketing staff and architectural teams to developers.
Bankruptcy Cons
And the higher the monetary value of his brand, the higher the percentage of his business Trump gets to keep in his bankruptcy cons. He has filed for corporate bankruptcy four times between 1991 and 2009. Although he had $900 million in personal debt in the first one, he has never filed for personal bankruptcy. And he learned his lesson after losing his yacht and plane. He had no personal guaranty in the next three bankruptcies, and discovered how to use Chapter 11 as a way to cheat his creditors for personal gain. Trump said. Basically Ive used the laws of the country to my advantage...
But a lawyer involved in two of the bankruptcies, disagrees. He said, The purpose of bankruptcy laws is to protect companies, their customers and employees, to give them a second chance and to treat claim holders fairly. If bankruptcy is used instead to artificially elevate your equity interests above legitimate creditor claims and avoid obligations then you could argue thats not what the laws were designed to do.
It is Paying Off
Trump did well personally by conning his creditors, and using his Trump brand as leverage; so he moved on to the big stage and started toying with the idea of running for President. After all, he had nothing to lose. And it is paying off.
According to Forbes, from 5/1/10 to 4/1/11 his name was in the print media 13,440 times (compared to 8,404 last year). He has been featured in the radio or TV 3,585 times (compared to 1,189 last year). Since Donald jumped on the birther bandwagon just this March, his names come up in print 5,483 times and has been mentioned on radio and TV 2,199 times.
As a side bonus, the Apprentice jumped from 4.8 million to 8.9 million viewers. Trump said: Im number one in the polls. I can tell you that I just received a call that the shirts, the ties, everything are way up [in sales].
Tea Party
With the Tea Party crowd deciding the Republican primaries; Trump knew if he told them what they wanted to hear, he might have gotten the nomination.
And theres nothing they want to hear more than supposedly legitimate reasons why Obama cant be President. So Trump demanded Obamas birth certificate, and he said hes proud of his demands that forced a President (for the first time in history) to show papers to prove his legitimacy; a shameful reminder of the days before Civil Rights, when southern states tried to prevent blacks from voting with poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses.
Trump falsely claimed that Obama spent over $2 million defending lawsuits about his birth certificate. And that Obamas grandmother in Kenya said he was born in Kenya and she was there and witnessed the birth. He even said that people that went to school with Obama, never saw him and dont know who he is.
The media attention skyrocketed when he jumped on the birther wagon, so he fanned the fire with some thinly veiled racist code. The more controversial he is, the more the Tea Party liked him, and the more media coverage he got. He said Obama should get off his basketball court. And questioned Obamas academic legitimacy, insinuating that he was only able to get into Columbia and Harvard because of affirmative action. When has any other President been questioned about his teenage grades?
What He Didn't Tell the Tea Party
Abortion: In 1999 he said, Im totally pro-choice . . . I want to see the abortion issue removed from politics. . . I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors. But now he says, Im pro-life.
Democrat 2001-2008: In 1999, Trump switched from the Republican Party to the Independence Party to run for president. Trump then switched to the Democratic Party in 2001, and to the Republican Party in 2009.
Entitled: He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father left a $400 million estate when he died.
Healthcare: In 1999 Trump not only believed in universal health care, he said America should find an equivalent of the single-payer plan. Now he says the health care reform legislation is not Constitutional.
Political Contributions: He has given more money to the Democrats than the Republicans, including Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel and Edward Kennedy.
Potty Mouth: Trump droppedfive f-bombs in his Las Vegas speech.
President Bush: 57% of Tea Partiers think well of Bush, but in 2008, Trump said I think [Obamas] going to lead through consensus. Its not going to be just a bull run like Bush did. He just did whatever the hell he wanted. Hed go into a country, attack Iraq, which had nothing to do with the World Trade Center and just do it because he wanted to do it.
President Reagan: On page 60 in his book Art of the Deal he said, "He [Reagan] is so smooth and so effective a performer that he completely won over the American people. Only now, nearly seven years later, are people beginning to question whether there is anything beneath that smile." But in April 2011 he told Hannity, "I really liked him [Reagan]. You know, not only his policies, smart guy and so much smarter, you know, I always sort of have to laugh to myself when people try and criticize that level of intelligence. And I loved his style. I loved what he represented. I thought he represented something very special for this country."
Taxes: In 1999, he proposed a one-time 14.25% tax on the wealthy to erase the national debt.
Vietnam War: Trump said he got lucky with a very high draft number, but he actually received a series of student deferments while in college and a medical deferment after graduation.
He and Obama are not tied: He cited a non-existent CNN poll.
Lies About Foreign Policy
Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty: 99% of Egyptians did not vote to end the peace treaty with Israel. There was no vote.
Kuwait : Its not true that Kuwait never paid us for helping to liberate them. They paid us $16.1 billion.
Libya: Trump said Libya supplies the oil for China. We get no oil from Libya. But Libya only supplies 3.1% of Chinas oil, ranking ninth in Chinas suppliers. Libyas biggest customer is Italy. The U.S. does get oil from Libya and the percentage is likely to increase.
South Korea: Said South Korea doesnt pay the United States for U.S. troops that protect their country, but they pay us almost $700 million a year.
The Trump Con:
Trump tried to con the nation just like he conned his creditors, and left them holding the bag. If his plans for running the United States were the same as for how he runs his businesses, hed drive the nation into bankruptcy for his own personal gain.
And if hes a man of his word, wheres his tax return? He said he would show his tax returns if Obama showed his long form birth certificate. Obama had to get "special dispensation" from Hawaii to get his long form birth certificate, and take time out of his busy schedule to hold a press conference.
But on April 29th, when Forbes asked Trump for his worth certificate, he said I will give my financials, as per the federal rules and regulations.
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