Donald Trump Is Beginning His Exit Strategy
In
fact, he never wanted to be president.
His entire campaign has been a long con
and a ruse to strengthen his brand and feed his ego.
Last week, Stephanie Cegielski, a strategist for the Make
America Great Again super PAC published an open letter to Trump supporters on
the website xoJane in
which she details the original intent of Trump’s presidential bid:
Almost a year ago, recruited for my public relations and public policy expertise, I sat in Trump Tower being told that the goal was to get The Donald to poll in double digits and come in second in delegate count. That was it. The Trump camp would have been satisfied to see him polling at 12% and taking second place to a candidate who might hold 50%. His candidacy was a protest candidacy.
Cegielski then goes on to describe the events and circumstances
that unfolded, surprising everyone:
But
something surprising and absolutely unexpected happened.
Every other candidate
misestimated the anger and outrage of the “silent majority” of Americans who
are not a part of the liberal elite. So with each statement came a jump in
the polls. Just when I thought we were finished, The Donald gained more
popularity.
Somewhere in the middle of the letter she gets to the brass
tacks:
You can give Trump the biggest gift possible if you are a Trump supporter: stop supporting him.
He doesn’t want the White House. He just wants to be able to say that he could have run the White House. He’s achieved that already and then some. If there is any question, take it from someone who was recruited to help the candidate succeed, and initially very much wanted him to do so.
The next logical step would be to take
a fall — possibly losing the nomination by a small margin. But again, if you’re
Donald Trump you don’t lose.
If you’re Donald Trump and want to get out while
still maintaining your brand and your dignity, you play the long game and come
out looking like a victim.
In a sense, you spin it so that your supporters
think you’re so accurate in your assessment of the world that it frightens the
establishment into shutting you down – you’re that powerful.
Over the course of the last week, Trump has made headlines and
drawn attention by doing and saying things that are completely contrary to what
anyone would consider sane.
Trump’s conversation with Chris Matthews on MSNBC about abortion was just the beginning.
During the interview he told Matthews that women who seek abortion should be
punished — a stance even the hardliners in the GOP think is preposterous. Not
to mention, women are the largest demographic in this country. There is no path
to nomination without their support. Why would anyone alienate them?
Speaking of women, Trump completely fumbled the issue of his
campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who was criminally
charged for an altercation with a reporter. Rather than remain impartial or
simply fire the staffer, Trump instead impugned the character of the reporter
who was manhandled by Lewandowski.
Later that week while speaking at an event in Wisconsin, Trump
told the audience that the Geneva Conventions hinder our efforts. The Geneva
Conventions are made up of four treaties, most of which cover the humane
treatment of enemy combatants and civilians.
“The problem,” Trump said, “is we have the Geneva Conventions,
all sorts of rules and regulations, so the soldiers are afraid to fight. We
can’t waterboard, but they can chop off heads. I think we’ve got to make some
changes.”
Trump also suggested that South Korea and Japan be allowed access to
nuclear weapons. A suggestion that deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes
said would be “catastrophic.”
“The entire premise of American foreign policy as it relates to
nuclear weapons for the past 70 years has been focused on preventing the
proliferation of nuclear weapons to additional states,” Rhodes said.
Trump also said he would not be opposed to using nuclear weapons
in the Middle East or in Europe, during the above-mentioned interview with
Chris Matthews.
Adding whipped cream to this well-crafted sundae of incompetence
and ignorance, Trump called in to a conservative Wisconsin radio show and
blasted Gov. Scott Walker.
But
you had a $2.2 billion budget deficit and the schools were going begging and
everything was going begging because he [Walker] didn’t want to raise taxes
because he was going to run for president. So instead of raising taxes he cut
back on schools, he cut back on highways, cut back on a lot of things. And
that’s why…Wisconsin has a problem.
The host of the show, Charlie Sykes, is probably one of the most
influential voices in Wisconsin’s talk radio arena. Sykes is also so strongly
opposed to Trump that he’s vowed never to support him in any election. This is
clearly something Trump had to have known going into the interview. It’s hard
to believe he didn’t.
The cherry on the aforementioned sundae? Wisconsin is home of 42
delegates. All of which are up for grabs and could potentially put Trump closer
to the nomination. Rather than appear himself, he sent Sarah Palin. One more
time: He sent Sarah Palin. The Huffington Post reported:
Palin’s
speech at a Republican gathering in Milwaukee fell flat and earned little applause from about 750
attendees, according to the Journal Times. The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker
reported that Palin got some laughs when she said, “Trump talks rationally.”
And in that same speech–the one in which she claims that Trump
talks rationally–she said this about Trump’s opponents:
"What the heck are you thinking, candidates? What the heck are you thinking when you’re actually asking for more immigrants — even illegal immigrants, welcoming them in. Even inducing and seducing them with gift baskets: “Come on over the border and here’s a gift basket of teddy bears and soccer balls.”
Trump is no dummy and is not known for making stupid mistakes.
Yes, he’s brash, uncouth, and maybe even ignorant on many issues, but he is not
stupid.
Trump started the layout’s role of victim on Fox News last week.
On Friday during a phone interview, Donald Trump, when asked about his comments
on MSNBC, said, “You really ought to hear the whole thing. I mean, this is a
long convoluted question. This was a long discussion, and they just cut it out.
And, frankly, it was extremely — it was really convoluted.”
MSNBC quickly responded with a statement, saying, “The town hall
interview with Donald Trump was taped in advance and then aired in its
entirety. Absolutely no part of the exchange between Trump and Chris Matthews
was edited out.”
Even Chris Wallace, during a “Fox News Sunday” interview, asked Trump, “Are you in
the process of blowing your campaign for president?”
Trump is completely unqualified for the job of president. His
disapproval ratings are above 60 percent in national polling, and
three-quarters of women in the country can’t stand him.
As for his foreign and
domestic policy, the Economist’s Intelligence Unit puts Trump in the top ten list of
global risks. He’s right up there with “The rising threat of jihadi terrorism destabilizes the
global economy”
Republican strategist Cheri Jacobus, who had met with Trump
about becoming their communications director, confirms most of this, telling
the National Review:
I believe Trump senses he is in over his head and doesn’t really want the nomination. He wanted to help his brand and have fun, but not to be savaged by the Clintons if he’s the candidate. He wouldn’t mind falling short of a delegate majority, losing the nomination, and then playing angry celebrity victim in the coming years.
What began as a con will end as a con.
Trump will continue to
make bombastic, ludicrous and inane comments, proving to the media–who are all
too eager to give him all the attention he wants–that he is wholly unqualified
for the job.
Other republicans will chastise him for the things that he says,
proving to his followers that he is being targeted by an establishment that is
afraid of him.
Trump will walk away unscathed, his brand strengthened and his
dignity intact. He will be the guy who nearly became president, but was too
much for people to take. In many ways and on many levels nothing could be more
accurate.
Richard
Zombeck is a freelance writer & featured blogger at Huffington
Post. He's much older and angrier than he looks.
