Unless this is some kind of negotiating tactic to get even more money for his crappy reality show. it looks like Donald Trump really is running for president!
O, happy day!
Vox reports he's launching an exploratory committee today, and has decided not to renew his contract with Celebrity Apprentice, and is already staffing up for the early-primary states.
Let's be clear: Donald Trump will not win the GOP presidential nomination, if he does end up running. The party elites who play such an important role in the primary process have absolutely no desire to hand control of the GOP over to a mercurial billionaire who's never held political office before. (Indeed, Trump's most prominent political endeavor until now was his effort to get President Obama to release his birth certificate — which was eventually successful).
Instead, the effect of a Trump entrance into the race (if it happens) will likely be to sap support from other far-right bomb-throwers, like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Trump's genius for self-promotion could win media attention — and, as a well-practiced star of reality television, he could perform well during the debates. The voters he's most likely to attract will be staunch conservatives, not Jeb Bush supporters.
Interestingly, in recent weeks, Trump has hired two staffers formerly affiliated with the Koch brothers' political operation, as the Washington Post's Robert Costa reported. Cory Lewandowski, who was Americans for Prosperity's voter registration director, would manage Trump's presidential campaign. Alan Cobb, formerly a Koch Industries adviser, will also join Trump's team.
So here it is. If you are as big a fan of Donald Trump's Hair as I am, this is a great day. And if you are a Republican who yearns to vote for someone who is openly carrying the banner for our evil multinational corps like Koch Industries, why, this is a very lucky day, indeed.
