“I put lipstick on a pig. I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is…..I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.” (Tony Schwarz, writer of ” The Art of the Deal”. New Yorker, July 25, 2016)
Donald Trump has been named one of the top 10 greatest risks to global stability, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. They say that a Trump presidency threatens the global economy, as well as US politics and national security. They rated the danger of various risks on a scale of 1 to 25, with 25 considered most dangerous. Trump was given a score of 12. It is the first time a US candidate has been included in the list.
This issue is a good reason why those who follow Epicurus should also be concerned about politics and Trump. It is not only a matter of peace of mind; it’s a matter of international security for us all.
“Most of us who have our names on the door know that we’re only as good as our word,” said Michael Bloomberg, a former Republican, at last week’s DNC. “But not Donald Trump. Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders, and contractors who feel cheated, and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business. God help us.”
That was the speech of the convention for me (though Obama and Biden also did a good job.) In the UK, Bloomberg would definitely be a Conservative, even during the Blair years. Yet his speech to the DNC highlighted how extreme Trump is so effectively, precisely because Bloomberg is not a Democrat. As Trevor Noah said on the Daily Show, Bloomberg is everything Trump wishes he was: Bloomberg is far richer, more successful and more popular than Trump. It felt as if the real deal had arrived to call out the phony.