Have you
heard, Donald Trump is running for president? Of course you’ve heard because
“The Donald” has wasted no time making news expressing his opinions and
suffering the consequences of those perspectives. His comments about Mexican
immigration have led to the loss of several business relationships—including
NBC, home of The Apprentice where he popularized the phrase, “You’re fired.”
In typical
Trump fashion, he has doubled-down on his comments and threatens to file
lawsuits against dissenters. One hilarious Twitter comment offered that Trump
would solve the problems with ISIS by threatening to sue them.
One nice
thing about Trump is that he will offer, and stand behind, those opinions. In a
political landscape where it is often difficult to get a straight, uncalculated
answer out of anyone, it is sort of refreshing. As scary as it might be, he is
willing to say what a lot of conservatives and the wealthy actually believe.
And while he has been berated in the media, in polls since June 20 he has finished
second in the crowded Republican field.
Whether or
not Trump is successful in his campaign for the presidency, he has already
remarked that this endeavor is bad for his brand. The more Trump makes
incendiary comments, the more he alienates potential sponsors, business
partnerships and customers. In that respect, many groups will act together in
disaffecting itself from Trump business.
In addition,
running for president includes having every aspect of your life dissected and
torn apart. With a long accounting of business records and Trump’s willingness
to speak his mind, there is a lot of history that may come back to haunt him.
For example, when he criticized gay marriage, it was quickly noted that he is
on his third marriage.
Another
example is a recent story that noted that Trump’s 401K plan was comparatively employee
unfriendly, rating low against similar corporations. That’s pretty
disappointing for someone who boasts about his wealth being around $9 billion.
It’s also difficult to connect to the struggling middle class when you are part
of the problem. The hypocrisy, as many know, is that his corporations have
declared bankruptcy on a few occasions—without much of personal impact.
How any of
things shake out is anyone’s guess—it’s sometimes amazing which stories stick
and which pushed under the rug—but the point is that Trump will be asked about
these things and much more. It is yet to be seen how his ego holds up against
intense personal and professional scrutiny.
In a
stifling era of political correctness and being held to the worst thing you
have ever said or done, Trump has to learn that while he can freely express his
opinions, he is also responsible for them. While money can be used to leverage
and even intimidate others in the business world, politics is supposed to be
about serving everyone. If Trump is more interested in making this about him and
his money and continues to be unafraid of offending others, he will suffer the
consequences—his business partners simply cannot afford to have their interests
damaged by his association.
No comments:
Post a Comment