What’s Donald Trump really after?

[no_hypocrisy]

-snip-

Trump is not particularly familiar, associates said, with the national media. He is trying, former Giuliani speechwriter John Avlon wrote in The Daily Beast, “to apply New York City tabloid rules to a prospective national presidential campaign.”

-snip-

Trump has spent decades as his own best adviser, a skill that’s served him exceptionally well in business, but one which historically hasn’t led to a good end for candidates.

He has never had to submit to the tough questions candidates are asked not just by reporters, but by voters.


And while Trump’s brand is based on a tycoon’s life, many of New York’s business elite members don’t consider him a member of their ranks. One veteran business leader said associates are “rolling their eyes” at the presidential talk — and most of the major New York bundlers are already committed to Obama or Republican Mitt Romney.


-more-

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53344.html

[Deep13]

1. He's a distraction designed to make the other R candidates look good by comparison. nt

[Old and In the Way]

19. A distraction, yes.

But I'm not sure he'll be making the rest look any better. For one thing, his core platform seems to be the discredited birther issue. has he laid out any other serious policy position? He's in serious contention, just on this ridiculous point alone. So the rest will need to address it...either refute it and piss off the base or agree with it and discredit themselves in the GE. I think most would prefer not to have to do that....much better to let the base talk about it while not directly addressing it themselves.

Personally, I think Trump, a guy whose past positions on things like healthcare and social policies align more closely with the Democratic platform, is doing Obama a favor...even more so if he decides to go the Indie route. Meanwhile, he's leading the pack and sucking up all of the media oxygen from the other schmucks running as Republicans. And he's getting plenty of free publicity for his show and himself.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Attention...

That's why he wears that tribble on his noodle everywhere he goes.

[Cirque du So-What]

13. Tribble? And here I was thinking it was a weasel pelt!

Yeah, I can see that!

[Erose999]

18. I thought it was roadkill.

[kentuck]

3. Attention is the same as free advertising...

He is about promoting Donald. If the Presidency were to fall into his lap, or he could find a way to buy it, he would jump at the opportunity.

[tridim]

4. Money.

[Vincardog]

5. He is after attention just like any other attention whore

[vi5]

6. Ratings for his TV show....

Does anyone really think it's a coincidence that he started this whole flirtatious political dance right as his new season was starting and has hinted that he will announce formally on the season finale?

[wundermaus]

7. megalomaniac

1. a mental illness characterized by delusions of grandeur, power, wealth, etc
2. informal a lust or craving for power

also see- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cblbeG9TUbA

[polichick]

8. He's massaging his faltering ego.

[Snoutport]

9. "Exceptionally well in business" ? Hasn't he had four bankruptcies?

The guy is reckless...when you threaten to just take another country's resources....presidents don't get to say stuff like that.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Follow the money

Until this country turns around and the average person has hope, the answer to any of your questions can be answered with

'FOLLOW THE MONEY'

[Horse with no Name]

11. He has always been an attention whore

and there have always been plenty of people to accommodate him. He is an irrelevant piece of shit that should have been swept the dustbin of popularity years ago...but for some reason, people continue to be fascinated by him.

Personally, I don't understand why a rich man who has been bankrupt still has money and clout like he does. Probably because he used the bankruptcy laws to get out of paying his rightful debt and then moved on to his next big adventure. When he makes money, it is his. When he loses it, the taxpayers pay the price. He is a scumbag. Typical republicon.

[demwing]

12. I think Trump is a Democratic plant

designed to make the Republican party look more ridiulous than they already do.

Then more Romney (the most serious R "candidate" in the line-up) spends refuting Trump and distancing the party from Trump's ego, the less time he spends going after Obama.

Who knows what backroom deal the Dems made with this melon head? Maybe none at all. Maybe Trump played along for all the free press. Regardless, this serves our goal more than the Republicans.

[Old and In the Way]

20. His whole schtick is the birth certificate issue.

The Republican base loves it....the Republican candidates can't be thrilled with having to address it in a public manner....it's a no win discussion for each of them. I could care less about what motivates The Donald, but I don't see how this helps the Republicans in the long run.

[elleng]

14. Face time.

[Wilms]

15. More threads about him. n/t

[Bonhomme Richard]

16. Trump is todays version of Barnum. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

17. Don't know.......don't care......

I have about the same interest level in him as I do the upcoming Royal Nuptials. :shrug:

I'm sure most of his fellows in the CEO class would consider becoming President a demotion.