Trump's Ring Walk [View all]

[H2O Man]

“He can run, but he can't hide.” – Joe Louis; May, 1941

“Life don't run from nobody.” – Joe Frazier; March 4, 1968



When I was a kid, heavyweight champions like Joe Louis and Joe Frazier were among those I looked up to. Both rank high among the greatest champions in boxing history. Both were good men who made for great role models for youth. And both had a deep understanding of human nature within the context of intense conflict.

The Brown Bomber, considered by many the greatest heavyweight ever, was commenting on his upcoming title defense against light heavyweight champion Billy Conn. Although Conn was ahead on the scorecards after out-boxing Louis for twelve rounds, Joe flattened him in the thirteenth. Frazier's quote came after knocking out Buster Mathis for the vacant NYSAC heavyweight title, on his way to becoming the world champion. Mathis had given Joe – who he beat twice in the amateurs – a tough fight, before tiring from Smokin' Joe's intense pace, and getting flattened.

Now, this isn't an essay about boxing. It's not intended for DU's sports forums. It's about understanding human nature in the context of an intense conflict. It's about judging character, and using boxing – one of the very few things I know and understand – as a vehicle. I'll get to Trump soon.

Both Louis and Frazier were dedicated to long, hard training camps to prepare for each fight. A training camp is an isolated environment in the same sense that the White House is in a bubble. There is a relatively small group within each system. Louis and Frazier had employees, including advisers and friends, in their camps. But they were fully aware of the nature of the fight to come. They knew that when they took that walk into the ring, it would only be them doing the fighting.

They knew that the referee and the judges could play a role in the outcome of the fight. But each was intent upon forcing their own will upon the opponent, exploiting every weakness, and taking it out of the judges' hands.

Now, let's consider Trump. He has no connection to the sport of boxing, beyond hosting fights at his Atlantic City casino. He started doing business with Don King, the human parasite,starting in the mid-1980s. And Trump mistook his being around tough guys for being a tough guy himself.

Trump's familiarity with the great sport was entirely related to his wanting to make millions of dollars. In this, of course, it is no different than his approach to anything and everything: how can he make money? This is, of course, is the exact approach he has taken in both campaigning and winning national office.

Trump knows less about the federal government than I did when I was in the 6th grade. I mean that. He was convinced that being president would give him unlimited power to exploit economic opportunities. And he surrounded himself with low-lives like Stephen Miller, He considered Miller's ilk to be what he needs in DC. Think about the quality of people who have served in this administration. Think of the quantity who have served in certain important decisions.

His “biggest” success before running for president was on “reality TV,” where he pretended to be the person he fantasized of being. He transformed that role into the politician he played in the campaign. Enough people who cannot distinguish between “reality TV” and reality voted for him, that he won the republican primaries, then placed a distant second in the general election. Thus, he became president, a real life role he is entirely unfit for.

There is zero evidence that Trump's grasp of the realities of being the head of one of the three co-equal branches of the federal government since he took office. He has no self-discipline, invests no effort in being president, and shows no potential ability to become better at it.

Trump has never been in a real fight. He's always relied upon thugs like Michael Cohen to fight for him in potential legal cases, and Keith Schiller to serve as his personal body guard. Schiller infamously removed a journalist who asked Trump an uncomfortable question. And Trump folded in virtually every tough civil case he was engaged in. This is not the stuff of a tough guy.

Trump said he wanted to meet with Robert Mueller, but chickened out. Even with the Mueller Report, Trump depended on his personal attorney, Attorney General Barr, to advocate for him …..and by “advocate,” I mean lie faster than a horse can trot.

All of this added to his delusion sense of being untouchable. Obviously, if he watched the movie “The Untouchables,” he didn't understand it. But now he is finding out that he is not untouchable.

The White House is Trump's dressing room. As he looks around at the group of people there, he becomes aware that a growing number of his team have abandoned him, many joining the opposition. He knows that he hasn't done his roadwork, opting to play golf instead. Ivanka, his personal trainer, tells him that all he has to do is go the distance, as the majority of the judges are republicans sure to score the fight for him.

Soon it is time to take that walk to the ring. He knows that Ivanka and Jared are talking to him, but he cannot hear what they are saying. His thoughts are racing. The three Big Macs he ate are churning in his gut. For the first time in his life, Donald Trump feels completely alone, despite the fact that it is the biggest crowd ever (according to Sean Spicer) waiting to watch the fight.


In the early 1970s, at a fight card in Binghamton, NY, my brothers and I got a giggle out of seeing how nervous a guy in the dressing room was. He fancied himself a tough guy, as he beat a lot of drunks up in a local bar – usually attacking them from behind. As he sat with sweat rolling off his forehead like a creek in the spring, my older brother asked him, “You aren't afraid of this guy, are you? He's never won a fight?” The fellow attempted to answer, but his vocal chords were too tense.

We watched him approach the ring when it was his time to fight. He took the steps up to the ring, turned quickly, and ran back to the dressing room. There are certain situations in life when one's character – or utter lack of it – are on full display. My bet is that Trump won't make it into the ring. I've seen this before.