Ever since Donald Trump announced his candidacy, the media has been ablaze with commentary on his every word. He's seen by various people as a hero, a bigot, a person who speaks the truth or as a person who blurs it. He's gone out of his way to offend millions while claiming to stand for the rights of millions more. His name is Donald Trump, and despite his media attention, he stands little to no chance of becoming the next president of the United States, nor should he.
Something about him just doesn't add up. Through his harsh rhetoric, he is single-handedly alienating the very voters he needs in order to succeed in 2016. The Republican Party, which has long struggled with attracting minority voters, is attempting to reach out to this often-ignored group on many fronts, and multiple candidates (Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush) are considered more electable because of their appeal to Hispanic voters, however small. This appeal deficiency threatens many GOP-held states, including Arizona, Texas and Florida, to name a few. Trump's attacks on Hispanics (which he claims he never meant to be attacks, but only long after the opposition made the claims household knowledge) are hurting the GOP in these areas. His rivals for the GOP nomination largely recognize this, which is why candidates are either refusing to comment or openly firing back on Trump.
Not The First Time
It wouldn't be the first time Trump gave the GOP grief. During the 2012 election cycle, he was a staunch proponent and backer of the birther movement, claiming that President Obama was not born in America, and therefore, was not qualified to be president. The eventual GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, was often harassed by reporters to explain his opinion on the question which lost him votes even though he wasn't responsible for the claims. At one time, long after the controversy was thought settled, Romney gave a comic nod to the theory in a speech in Michigan, but never actually endorsed it. Of course, sensationalist reporters ignored the rest of his speech in favor of the single sentence in which the joke was made, reviving Trump's rhetoric like a recurring illness.
As if his recent attacks on Hispanics weren't enough of a controversy, Trump then attacked John McCain, claiming he wasn't a war hero because of his wartime status as a POW in Vietnam. There isn't much doubt that his actions, which included being imprisoned to save his fellow soldiers, were indeed heroic. Much like the birther dialogue, these attacks are gaining him attention while costing his party votes.
So, why is Donald Trump, a so-called Republican, fighting the efforts of his own party and attacking members who aren't even running against him? His actions seem almost intended to destroy his own chances of winning while generating as much controversy as possible. He's even threatened party head Reince Preibus with a third-party run, a course of action which would annihilate his own support base and almost ensure a Democratic victory in 2016.
The Power of Names
To call Trump a poor campaigner is to assume that Trump actually wants to be the president. He's not a politician, but rather a businessman, and a smart one at that. To understand his motives, it's best to look at his controversial statements as investments, specifically investments in advertising.
He's lost business partnerships, and in some cases, his controversy is costing businesses millions. A resort in Puerto Rico, which has used his name, has been driven to bankruptcy over the campaign crossfire. Other businesses are also suffering losses. This would be devastating if it weren't for the simple fact that Trump didn't actually invest anything more than his name in the resort or any of his other affiliates.
Trump protects his name — he collects royalties by allowing businesses to use it — with hundreds of trademarks. The influence of the word "Trump" extends so far and is so important to Donald that the British owners of trumpcard.com were legally pursued by him for violating his legal domain. Trump's name is a vital legal asset, raking in millions of dollars for the already wealthy businessman without any real cost. All he needs to do is get people to buy and promote it.
Names get sold with recognition, and that's exactly what Trump is harvesting en masse now that he's become a fountain of political controversy among both Republican and Democratic circles. His son, Eric Trump, has even stated publicly that the campaign has been profitable for the Trump brand.
Is It Already Working?
In recent polls, as much as 17 percent of Republicans have actually supported Trump. This means that his brand name has achieved an advertiser's dream. Real people are spreading his message like a gospel. He doesn't care what that message is. He doesn't hear "Trump hates Mexicans" or "Trump hates veterans like John McCain," but rather the word Trump mentioned over and over again in an endless stream of advertising for his brand. Remember HeadOn? The brand which was applied to one's forehead? Replace HeadOn with Trump, and you've traveled in a time machine from 2005 to 2015. Both are advertising with the same method, and whether or not you know what they stand for, you definitely know them.
If that's not enough evidence, consider that Trump has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to both political parties, including contributions to his supposed nemesis and rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president who is benefiting from his controversy. Politics for Trump is not a public service but rather a nationwide billboard getting people to buy his brand. The only difference is that, unlike an elected official, Trump's profits and sought spoils aren't determined by the vote of the people.
No matter which party you support, lending your voice to Trump's name will only fill his coffers with more money, America with more controversy and yourself with more anger. If you're an opponent of a Trump, the best strategy is to ignore him, except when sharing this news: Trump is not to be trusted, nor is he worthy of attention. Though he says what he may about supposedly benefiting America, the only person standing to profit from a Trump campaign is Trump.
