Bling for the Naive
Published in Die Presse
(Austria) on 10 February 2016
by Thomas Vieregge (link to original)
(Austria) on 10 February 2016
by Thomas Vieregge (link to original)
Translated from
by Ron Argentati.
Edited by Matthew Boyer.
Nothing embarrasses this guy: Not the bling-bling, not the dowry gift to the young (young enough to be his daughter) “trophy wife” at his side, not the crudities spilling out of his mouth, not the super-ego he constantly and ostentatiously displays, nor his appearances on reality TV. Of main importance is that the hair on his head is garishly spotlighted and his name is blatantly hyped by the tabloid media.
No, I'm not talking about Richard Lugner, that tinpot running for the job of Austrian president. I'm talking about Donald Trump, the American original. When the sleazy real estate magnate and organizer of the “Miss” competitions announced his candidacy for president of the United States from the opulent foyer of his skyscraper on New York's 5th Avenue, most people thought it was a joke or at best a publicity gag.
But since then, hardly a day has passed when Trump hasn't dominated the headlines: for demanding Muslims be denied entry to the United States (which also got him nearly denied entry into Great Britain); for criticizing Angela Merkel while praising Vladimir Putin and mainly for showering himself with praise. Almost everyone has predicted his imminent downfall.
Now, what he has steadfastly predicted has become reality: After his triumph in the New Hampshire primary he is now the Republican front-runner and it's by no means impossible that he will win his party's nomination to run for president – much to the displeasure of the establishment from whence he himself arose.
It takes a lot of chutzpah for Trump to talk the talk and walk the walk as the great underdog. But it takes even more naiveté to swallow what he's saying.
No, I'm not talking about Richard Lugner, that tinpot running for the job of Austrian president. I'm talking about Donald Trump, the American original. When the sleazy real estate magnate and organizer of the “Miss” competitions announced his candidacy for president of the United States from the opulent foyer of his skyscraper on New York's 5th Avenue, most people thought it was a joke or at best a publicity gag.
But since then, hardly a day has passed when Trump hasn't dominated the headlines: for demanding Muslims be denied entry to the United States (which also got him nearly denied entry into Great Britain); for criticizing Angela Merkel while praising Vladimir Putin and mainly for showering himself with praise. Almost everyone has predicted his imminent downfall.
Now, what he has steadfastly predicted has become reality: After his triumph in the New Hampshire primary he is now the Republican front-runner and it's by no means impossible that he will win his party's nomination to run for president – much to the displeasure of the establishment from whence he himself arose.
It takes a lot of chutzpah for Trump to talk the talk and walk the walk as the great underdog. But it takes even more naiveté to swallow what he's saying.
As you describe, we in the U.S. really know how to have an exciting election! As bewildering or menacing as it might seem to others, this is the kind of thing that happens in such a free country. Everyone gets their say and then they get their vote. We are true believers in democracy and we know that everything will turn out just fine.