Skyscraper

Skyscraper - a high rise building several stories high. The structure first appeared in the 1880s, with the invention of the steel frame and passenger elevator. (Definition from the Modern Dictionary of Russian Language-Ephraim)

There has been an unexpected twist in the presidential election campaign in the United States: billionaire and showman Donald Trump has suddenly gained the lead among the Republicans. According to recently published polls, almost a quarter of the members of the Republican Party supports the billionaire. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is supported by 13 percent, Jeb Bush, 12 percent. According to the American publication The Hill, the possible Republican nominee Trump is considering running as independent.

The presidential campaign in the U.S. is in full swing. There are five Democratic candidates, while 12 Republican candidates joined the election race after the announcements on June 15 and June 16 by Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. The list has not yet reached its limit. Rumor has it that the following politicians are considering their candidacy for president: current Vice President Joseph Biden, and Wisconsin Gov. Walker from the Democratic Party, and from the Republican Party, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (an American of Indian descent).*

Over the past 25 years, Trump has been as prominent a figure in business, political and media life in America, as his many skyscrapers are a prominent feature in the skyline. Among them is the 58-story Trump Tower, rising 202 meters high (approximately 663 feet) on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park in New York.

Few people were surprised when the 69-year-old Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination (with the slogan “Make America Great Again!”). Since 1988, rarely has there been a presidential campaign without him. Oligarch Trump’s choice for the musical theme of his election campaign was surprising: Neil Young’s protest song “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which lashes out against the evils of American society. Within hours, Young announced that he did not give permission to use his song in Trump’s presidential campaign and that the singer himself supports the independent Vermont senator – a man who calls himself “a socialist” - Bernie Sanders. Just as unexpected was Trump’s statement that he would favor offering the position of vice-president to Oprah Winfrey, one of the most famous and powerful women in the United States.

Trump’s ancestors are of Germanic and Scottish descent. As for his religious affiliation, he is a liberal Presbyterian, a religion which recognizes marriage equality, although one of his daughters, Ivanka, converted to Judaism, which expanded the range of sponsors for her father’s empire. (Trump has five daughters from three wives and seven grandchildren.)

Trump is eccentric. He is one of the most frequently parodied characters on one of the best satirical programs on U.S. television – “Saturday Night Live.”

Trump has an interesting hairstyle, which is yet another feature that makes him stand out from the crowd of candidates. Some laugh and call it a dead squirrel or some other unidentified animal. But even the way he wears his hair demonstrates that he goes against the grain. Trump is not an average student, not a somehow-or-other type of person. He always takes a strong stand.

Trump is controversial and often politically incorrect in his public statements and opinions. It is example enough to cite his Twitter post on June 5, 2013: “According to Bill O'Reilly, 80 percent of all the shootings in New York City are blacks – if you add Hispanics, that figure goes to 98 percent. 1 percent white.” “Sadly, the overwhelming amount of violent crime in our major cities is committed by blacks and Hispanics-a tough subject must be discussed,” Trump added.

Democrats are allergic to Trump also because of his attempts to have president Obama produce his original birth certificate to prove that Obama was born in the United States. According to opinion polls, a sixth of Americans doubts that Obama was born in the United States. In spring 2011, Trump publicly promised to donate $5 million to any charitable organization of Obama’s choice who could provide Obama’s original birth certificate.** It should be noted that the original has never been displayed. Only the scan was posted on the White House website. (According to a number of independent experts, the certificate is a computer forgery and the physical document never existed.)

Trump irritates the American establishment. For example, Trump announced that he could improve relations with Putin because the conflict, which was largely instigated by a personal conflict between Obama and Putin, is harmful for America. Not a single candidate can make a similar statement.

There is never a dull moment with Trump, however, and he irritates seven out of ten Americans. His motives, as well as his presidential ambitions, are unclear to them. Besides, he is overly eccentric and the party machine rejects such extremes.

*Editor’s note: Scott Walker, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Bobby Jindal have announced their candidacy for president in the 2016 presidential election.

**Editor’s note: President Obama released his birth certificate in 2011. It was in 2012 that Trump offered 5 million dollars to the charity of Obama’s choice for the release of Obama’s college transcripts and passport.