By suggesting that he might run for President but then bowing out, Trump established himself as an ostensibly objective observer – just another concerned citizen. His vigorous condemnation of Republicans in general and Paul Ryan in particular, however, supports the theory that he has more than a casual interest in the outcome of the next election.
Motives
Democrats need to keep Obama in office to advance the progressive agenda. They, and the people who bankroll their efforts, are clever and insightful. They realize that Obama’s future is in jeopardy, so they must use every tool at their disposal to ensure his re-election.
Although Donald Trump has never presented himself as a passionate ideologue, he is single-handedly doing more damage to the Republican Party than all the Democrats in Congress. His recent series of rancorous attacks make one wonder if he received an offer he could not refuse from the Democratic National Committee or behind-the-scene backers who are committed to the current administration. Having a popular, non-political figure such as Trump lambasting the opposition would be worth a lot to them.
Trump appears to be trying to knock off Obama’s known opponents early in the game and scare off anyone else who might be considering a run. More than that, however, he is undermining the image of the Republican Party by using the same techniques that Democrats have employed successfully for at least 40 years.
Money
Trump is primarily a businessman who might find it difficult to pass up the prospect of making money for doing things he enjoys. The showman/entrepreneur might seek out such an arrangement. According to the July 13, 2011 Huffington Post, the Obama campaign has raised $86 million already, so money would not be an issue. The situation would be tempting to someone with Trump’s talent for adding to his net worth.
Lest anyone think that Trump would not participate in such a scheme because he is already a rich man, remember the words of Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, who famously said, “You can never be too rich or too thin.” It is reasonable to assume that every person of wealth, if he or she is honest, would agree with at least the first part of that remark.
Plan B
If Trump is working for the Democrats and this offensive strategy fails, he could be forced to run as a third-party candidate to ensure Obama’s re-election in the same way Ross Perot paved the way for Bill Clinton to win in 1992. Common sense dictates that Trump will do his best to avoid having to run. If he can sufficiently damage the Republicans before he is forced to throw his hat into the ring, no doubt he will do so in order to focus his attention on his other enterprises.
The Plus Factor
Trump would probably see working in this way to manipulate the outcome of an election, even one as important as this, as nothing more than a business deal. Egotist that he is, the man who wrote “The Art of the Deal” could view this as his greatest achievement.
“I like thinking big. I always have. To me it’s very simple: if you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.” Donald Trump
What could be bigger than this?
Resources
Trump: GOP's 'Terrible Negotiators' Make Obama Look Good
Margo Steele - Margo Steele has many interests and writes about all of them - at one time or another.
