A new PPP poll released on Friday shows Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential primary race by much more than a hair.
[….]Trump garnered 26% of the vote, followed by Mike Huckabee (17%), Mitt Romney (15%), Newt Gingrich (11%), and Sarah Palin (8%.) Ron Paul earned 5%, while Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty took 4% each.
And he’s the kind of guy you’d run into at the Applebee’s Salad Bar too:
Like Starbucks or The Gap, Trump has crafted a brand that feels white glove but is sold blue collar. He may have gilded his Fifth Avenue penthouse, but he is still a Queens kid to the core.
When Snooki gets into this race, it’s really going to shake things up.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Surely I can’t be the only one who finds an appropriate response to the clown car assembly that is the GOP lineup right now to be “WTF, over.”
cleek
co-presidents Giuliani and Clinton are not worried about Donald Trump.
eemom
I see what you did there.
Just Some Fuckhead
Trump’s daddy was a real estate mogul who left Trump half a billion dollars. And yet, somehow Trump still manages to convey the good manners and class sensibilities of the number one salesperson on a used car lot right outside the navy base.
Breezeblock
I predict a popcorn shortage during the Republican primary season.
I’m stocking up now!
Gin & Tonic
26% of the vote. That’s statistically within the margin of error of 27%, right? The crazification factor is the only logical explanation.
4tehlulz
Will the Donald debate Obama if he doesn’t recognize him as a legitimate candidate?
Bob L
It’s not to late from the GoP to reanimate the corpses of Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon for 2012.
They could call it “republication”
Halteclere
Republicans (non-monied and non-astoturfing) love themselves some crafted TV personalities (see Thompson, Fred)
lacp
The underdog? So that’s what’s on top of his head?
El Tiburon
Trump is Palin but with a nicer complexion.
Cult of personality is all that matters to these Authoritarian Followers. Remember when they were all ga-ga over Ahnuld Schwarzeneggers?
These people will literally vote for a mannequin as long as they bag on Democrats and question Obama Hussein’s birthplace.
The Dangerman
Pardon my early Friday morning stupid question (read: more Joe, STAT), but any chance Trump could take one or both of the electoral votes of New York / New Jersey in a favorite son kinda way?
dmsilev
Beyond the train-wreck amusement factor, I think what a poll like that says is that the GOP base isn’t enamored of any of the serious potential candidates. As a result, there’s a major case of shiny-object-itis, and “support” lurches strongly from one in-the-news candidate to another.
dms
Roger Moore
Great idea, but I want to see her birth certificate. After all Wikipedia says she’s only 23 and was born in Chile.
scav
Have to admire the depth of their bench when a random walk-on can lead the pack in an instant, taking over from the last unbeatable flavor the the week.
pk
Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann. Was Bozo the clown not available?
ET
I was talking to someone the other day who was impressed/receptive to Trump and I have decided most of those who are have no idea that running the government is not like running a business.
They have no idea that there are things that can’t be done in government for good, solid, legal reasons that can be done in the private sector. Trumps “solutions” or “thoughts” sound so simple to most people.
loretta
New Yorkers hate Trump. And they hate New Jersey, too.
birthmarker
Two words–Fred Thompson.
Two more words-Aqua Velva.
Gin & Tonic
@The Dangerman: None whatsoever.
reflectionephemeral
Once Gary Busey throws his hat in the ring, though, Trump’s “man of the people” appeal will diminish. It’s just a shame Gary Coleman isn’t here for his big moment.
It all makes some sense. The GOP doesn’t have any policy beliefs– certainly if any, none that can’t be mastered in 5 to 10 minutes. Trump is willing to say anything to annoy people, and that’s all it takes.
It’s funny how much less serious this is than Howard Stern’s threatened NYC gubernatorial run a while back. Stern actually filed papers, and actually had an issue– do road construction at night. Trump is just willing to be a jerk in public, and he shoots to the top of one of the GOP race for president.
OzoneR
@The Dangerman:
as a Democrat, maybe.
piratedan
@The Dangerman: well he does make Carl Paladino look sane, so who knows?
Schad
@Gin & Tonic:
That’s what I thought, initially. Then I noticed the 8% for Palin and 4% for Bachmann, and remembered that this is a poll of Republicans only. The crazification factor of that particular group is 50-60%, easy.
ChrisNYC
Except he’s not your ordinary “Queens kid.” His father was a rich real estate developer and he went to chi-chi private schools. Donald never actually got a job with anyone other than his father.
el donaldo
Chuck Norris should run! Right now the GOP’s gotta be thinking, if this is working, let’s up the crazy another notch!
dmsilev
@Bob L:
I’m pretty sure that was the theory behind Fred Thompson ’08.
dms
AnonGuest84
The boys from Woodside respond: ‘Trump is just a punk-ass poseur with a shitty comb over.’
Roger Moore
@ET:
You’d think that people who like the idea of a businessman for President would at least want a successful one. Instead, we got serial failure George W. Bush and now we’re getting Trump, the man who managed to bankrupt a Cas1no. Couldn’t they at least get behind Mitt Romney, who showed some actual ability to run a business?
Josie
A friend mentioned Trump as a possibility yesterday and thought that he was a self made man who had climbed out of obscurity to make his money. When I told her that father had left him 400 million, her attitude changed somewhat. This needs to be shouted from the rooftops to show people that he is not as smart and talented as he pretends to be.
ant
lmfao.
must be frustrating as hell to be a Republican right now….
Violet
So the birther bill has passed in Arizona and is just waiting for Gov. Brewer to sign it. Any thoughts on what’s going to happen?
The Political Nihilist Formerly Known as Kryptik
Depressing how Birtherism is not only mainstreamed now but the prime issue that Republicans are using to decide who to take seriously as a candidate, isn’t it?
I wish I could say I was amused and gleeful about the crazy consuming people I see as political opponents, except 1) Apparently the country would rather be crazy than a Hippie, and 2) call me an idealist, but I want a functional, sane political opposition that can keep my side in check at its most indulgent. Unfortunately, it seems like “my side” refuses to even get within seeing-eye distance “indulgent” at least on the wide national scale, and the GOP seems to be all about enabling its most indulgent and selfish as if it was a guiding principle.
WereBear
@piratedan: Carl Paladino also has the ability to make Donald Trump look attractive.
Southern Beale
Nobody could have anticipated that Trump would announce his decision on the finale of The Apprentice.
Suckaz!
dmsilev
@Violet: I assume the law will get challenged in court, on a variety of grounds.
Too bad “the people who passed that law are a bunch of drooling morons trying to pimp themselves out to a bunch of even stupider voters” is not a valid reason to overturn a law. Though arguably it should be.
dms
piratedan
@WereBear: yeah, but not THAT kind of attractive
Caz
Make fun while you can. He’s a serious contender that Obama should not want to face in an election. You better hope that Romney or Huckabee gets the nod if you want Obama to stay in office.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Southern Beale:
Celebrities (looks at John Rich and Marlee Matlin), your task today is to fundraise for my Presidential campaign. For this task, I have brought back every celebrity that has ever competed on Celebrity Apprentice. Your goal is to raise a billion dollars.
MattR
Trump is not running. This is all publicity for the Celebrity Apprentice.
Uloborus
Wow. Just… wow. What an insult. He’s pretentious nuveau riche with ignorant tastes and blockhead attitudes. That’s what they just said. The kind of man who’s suited to being a garbageman but is fantastically wealthy instead.
That says it all about our system of meritocracy. Yes, everyone CLEARLY deserves the economic position they’re in.
@Caz:
Are you the one who was telling us that you don’t know any Tea Partiers who believe in birtherism and it’s a fringe straw man, when polls actually show 51% of them do? If you’re not, I apologize, but we have so MANY trolls dropping by to tell us black is white. I can’t keep who’s who straight now.
piratedan
@Violet: expect her to sign it…. because this is Arizona, constitutionality isn’t a consideration that stops our stalwart legislators from their appointed rounds.
some sordid details here:
http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2011/04/arizona-passes-birther-bill-with-an-odd-amendment.html
so, laughably one of the caveats is a circumcision document….
Tsulagi
Do they use special breathing techniques when delivering the birthmentum? Any screams when pushing it out?
Obviously tapping into that magical guaranteed 27% loon vote demo. Look forward to the combover extolling the virtues of family values while shedding a tear for Jesus.
The Political Nihilist Formerly Known as Kryptik
@Violet:
My prediction? Judicial clusterfuck as sane courts try to lay the smackdown on the law via the Supremacy clause, while “judicial activists” decide that federal requirements be damned, that blackity black Kenyan prove he’s not really an illegal alien pretending to be president.
The law will end up with a temporary restraining order while the legal issues are cleared up. Meanwhile, the punditry and public discourse will continue to question and gradually accept birtherism as “serious” discussion and poison the presidential well for anyone without an R in front of their name or without lily white skin. The US continues to celebrate its embrace of Idiocracy and who knows, maybe this will save us from the scary Musli-Marxist weakling tyrant and give us the Galtian utopia we all dreamed of!!
Southern Beale
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Marlee Matlin is a DFH liberal so I’d say Trump is barking up the wrong tree there….
Martin
Trump is leading this on name recognition and complete ignorance of the birther bullshit he’s been peddling lately. He’s like Ross Perot until people learned he was short and had a flip chart fetish.
AnonGuest84
@MattR:
It’s also the theme/plot of next seasons programming
Southern Beale
@MattR:
Nooooo!!!
:-)
And the biggest suckers are the media. I’ve said it before: a Trump candidacy is the balloon boy story of political journalism.
Martin
@Southern Beale: Well, I can’t find it in myself to criticize Trump for trying to bark up Marlee Matlin’s tree, to be perfectly honest.
Amir_Khalid
@reflectionephemeral:
Willingness to be a jerk in public is the qualification for a Republican candidate for POTUS; right now, the Donald is the biggest and loudest jerk who’s talking about running.
chopper
@Just Some Fuckhead:
his father, frederick christ trump? seriously, that was the fucker’s middle name.
MattR
@MattR: I should have added that the other part is that Trump has to realize what Mike Bloomberg already did – a CEO can push/control the board of directors and others much, much more than the president can influence congress.
Martin
@Southern Beale: Nah, he’s running. He learned from Dear Sarah that running for office means you can charge all of your expenses to the ‘idiots from Alabama’ account for a year and a half, and with ‘Presidential nominee’ on his resume, his speaking fees will double.
Running for office is like hitting the wingnut welfare pick-6.
Maude
Trump had a phobia about germs, refuses to shake hands.
Could be a problem for a candidate.
RP
This is great news (for us, not John McCain). It’s not as if the primaries are years away. We’re getting pretty close to the point where their campaigns will need to start in earnest (if we haven’t passed it already).
AAA Bonds
I don’t know, man, I think it’s plenty fair to call Trump “a Queens kid to the core”.
You ever see those guys selling t-shirts with backwards logos on 59th by the bridge?
Shoemaker-Levy 9
I hate to bring this up again but there was a time in the 1970s when nobody thought a washed-up “B” movie actor could be elected President. So why not a “B” capitalist with a comical haircut?
AAA Bonds
@Shoemaker-Levy 9:
This is as good a way as any to sum up the political history of America since 1910 or so.
Tom Q
@AnonGuest84: Hey, I’m a kid from Woodside/Sunnyside myself. And I concur 100%.
slag
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): You are not.
Midnight Marauder
@scav:
This is what most blows me away about the farce that is Donald Trump’s “presidential ambitions.” I think a lot of us have long known the Republican bench was thin when it came to legitimate presidential contenders, while also being increasingly short of credible national figures. But to see fucking Donald “Ya Fired!”‘Trump waltz into the dance and suddenly become a fordimable contender in, like, two weeks is an astonishing thing.
It makes all the Fred Thompson shenanigans look like child’s play.
chopper
@Martin:
trump makes perot look like a serious candidate.
Citizen_X
@Just Some Fuckhead: I thought the old stereotype was that the to-the-manor-born types had some class, and the nouveau riche types were the boorish ones.
I guess Trump and, before him, Bush II proved that idea wrong.
AAA Bonds
I can’t get over how apt the comparison here is, really.
Go to 59th in Manhattan, right at the Queensboro, early in the AM. You will see a couple dozen little Trumps oozing over the bridge with cases, patting down their combovers as they rehearse their street pitch to the Kansans. “Now, I see you have an iPhone there . . .”
Queens to the core!
cleek
@Shoemaker-Levy 9:
at least Reagan put in the effort to do two terms as CA governor before moving to Prez.
dmsilev
@RP: The first scheduled debate is something like 3 weeks away. The Fox News debate, not the Reagan Library one which was rescheduled due to lack of serious candidates.
dms
Stefan
Pardon my early Friday morning stupid question (read: more Joe, STAT), but any chance Trump could take one or both of the electoral votes of New York / New Jersey in a favorite son kinda way?
Dear god, no. We actually recognize this huckster for what he is.
SpotWeld
So, that’s a dressed up way of saying “rich @ssh0le”?
FlipYrWhig
Trump went to the Wharton School of Business at UPenn. In other words, he’s a born-rich Ivy Leaguer. He just has awful taste and a self-promotion streak as long as the one hair he wraps back and forth around his skull. That’s his “common touch.”
scav
Another thought. Won’t some of the base get confuzzled if they’re asked to elect a guy in any way associated with Queens?
FlipYrWhig
FYI, the first time I heard of Donald Trump was in the early ’80s, when he was the owner of the New Jersey franchise in the ill-fated USFL. He made a splash by signing away players from the NFL, including Heisman winner Herschel Walker.
AAA Bonds
LOL, sweet, now WordPress is giving me a new banner ad:
“President Trump?”
I really cannot get enough of this. It’s beautiful.
Social outcast
They’ve already built a party by combining lots of money with smug, bombastic ignorance. If it’s important to have a leader who fits the brand, Trump is the guy.
fasteddie9318
*fingers crossed*
…please…please…
Hey, maybe The Blacks will push him over the top. He’s always had a great relationship with The Blacks, you know.
Catsy
@Caz:
This statement is simply not connected to the reality in which we live.
Trump is a vanity candidate whose current lead over other Republicans comes from 1) the underwhelming weakness of the Republican field, 2) his broad name recognition and 3) the degree to which Republican voters are ignorant of his actual political views.
He has zero experience in any elected office, has an abrasive personality, is best known during a recession with high unemployment for firing people on a reality show, and has a name that is synonymous with wealthy elitism, wealth which he did not earn. He has all the negatives that GWB had without the “everyman” appeal of the guy with whom you’d like to have a beer.
He has no established state-level organization, and is too socially liberal for the GOP party structure to put their full weight and organization behind him. Even if he gets through the Republican primary despite his pro-choice, socially liberal politics, his presence at the top of the ticket would virtually guarantee that evangelicals and pro-theocracy conservatives would stay home in large numbers, suppressing Republican turnout.
And as if all of these negatives weren’t enough, he’s dabbling in birtherism–possibly the only part of the Republican fringe that polls worse than the Tea Party. He’s cast his lot with motherfucking Orly Taitz, for the love of FSM.
Trump is a hilarious joke on the GOP. As a presidential candidate, he is categorically unelectable.
If GOP primary voters are so incomprehensibly stupid as to nominate him, I say pop the popcorn and bring it the fuck on. And I don’t even like popcorn. It would be an Obama landslide that would rival Reagan in 1984.
JCT
@Shoemaker-Levy 9: Except that B-movie actor had already been the Governor of California. No way, no how for Trump.
Remember how Rudy “9-11” Giuliani was supposed to be so formidable? And that New Yorkers “loved” him — ah, no.
geg6
@el donaldo:
Victoria Jackson, FTW.
fasteddie9318
@Caz: Thanks for that. Your comment is maybe the only thing funnier than the results of this poll.
Jay C
@The Dangerman:
And why would you think Donald Trump would be anyone from New York’s “favorite”? Most people I know think of Trump, if at all, as either a rapacious real-estate shark, or a vulgar reality-TV joke. But then, I guess most of the folks I know are here in NYC, so not “Real Americans”(tm)
Jay C
@Caz:
Why not? Because if he ever got up on a podium to debate “The Donald” he wouldn’t be able to stop laughing?
AnonGuest84
@Tom Q:
HeyTommyQHowYaDoin’
Shoemaker-Levy 9
@JCT:
Perot started from a baseline of far less recognition than Trump and managed 19%, in an era before “reality” TV had ensconced a majority of the country into a state of completely brainless inertia. Schwarzenegger went straight from movies to governor of the world’s 8th largest economy. I rate Trump’s chances as low but nonzero. This is America, after all.
Montana
Trump loves “rattling the Birthers cages”, too funny.
The GOP is like the “Chicken Littles” always saying that the “Sky is Falling”, like the same ones that were the “Chicken Hawks” (“W” Wars), big talk no courage. The United States, favors creativity wherever it can be found. We’re apostles of prosperity and defenders of the free exchange of ideas and when more people in more countries are free to rise, to invent, to communicate, to dissent, it’s not the doom of United States leadership, its the triumph of the American way.
Generations have worked hard and sacrificed much for the country to reach this point (individuals and our unions!), and with further hard work and sacrifice (along with our relentless self-doubt) the United States will rise again, we do not tire and we are coming back, no matter what the “Chicken Littles” keep saying about our nation. Never Bet Against the United States!
Our current President travelled under a USA passport long before he was elected President, but I guess the quacky BIRTHERS, must believe that the USCIS – United States Passport was in on the lie, please, grow up, you are wrong! Remember when some contractors were busted during the “George W. Bush” administration for looking at our current President passport file (how quick you forget).
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2008/03/20/obamas_passport_files_hacked/
The Birthers just HATE and can’t debate!
Have any of the quacky BIRTHERS presented any credible proof that will standup in court? Answer: No
Have any of the quacky BIRTHERS won any Court Cases? Answer: No
They are just mainly backward, uneducated, white people who HATE our half black President.
The majority of the voting public ask “where the proof”, show some proof BIRTHERS or the voting majority will continue to see you as dumb, stupid or racist, maybe all three. Can you blame them?
Still, I really hope one of these retreads and blowhards runs for president, not because they have a chance of winning but because I like to see the train wreck that they will cause.
Faux News Candidates:
former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ”The I graduated Early”,
former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. “The I Love The Interns”,
former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee “The Huckster Reverend”,
former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. “The I Love the Gays”,
former UN Ambassador John Bolton “The I Love The War ”
I Finance Myself:
real estate celebrity developer, Donald Trump, “I took my Casino into Bankruptcy, just imagine where I can Take the US”
former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney “The Flip-Flopping Fudger”,
former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush “The I Am Not My “Dumb Ass” Brother”,
Employed Long Shots:
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. “The History, I Don’t Need No Stink’n History”,
Mississippi Gov./ former tobacco lobbyist, Haley Barbour “The last White Hope”
dogwood
@The Political Nihilist Formerly Known as Kryptik:
It would seem to me that a state could legally require a certified birth certificate as a ballot requirement. But full faith and credit would demand they accept official documents from other states. This law, if deemed Constitutional, would keep Obama off the ballot, as well as all or at least most Republicans. Sarah Palin wouldn’t qualify, that’s for sure. Like Palin I was born in Idaho. The President’s COLB has more information on it than mine. This is all going nowhere.
I could never understand why Dems and the liberal media didn’t insist that everyone pony up in 2008. Place the President’s COLB next to Palin’s and simply ask a birther why one is valid and the other isn’t. The Arizona law might cause the media to require some fair play here. It’s sure as hell true we aren’t going to demand it. Geez, we probably won’t even ask nicely.
ruemara
Sweet Jesus. This fucker is no Queens kid. He went to a private boy’s academy in Manhattan, he’s been filthy rich since he dribbled out of his dad, who are these morons trying to fool? Besides each other.
Chet
@ruemara: Who are they trying to fool? C’mon, you’re kidding, right? Have you been asleep for the last four decades?
They’re trying to fool the same, not-inconsiderable chunk of the populace that bought Dubya’s brush-clearin’, “g”-droppin’ fake redneck act. The millions of Americans who fear and loathe an Elite that they define almost entirely in cultural and aesthetic terms rather than economic ones.
It’s Orthogonians vs. Franklins, Round 4,790,581.
PurpleGirl
The Donald a child of Queens… well, there is the Queens of Astoria or Woodside or Elmhurst, then there is the Queens of Jamaica Estates. I believe The Donald was raised in Jamaica Estates, which is not exactly blue collar.
Anne Laurie
@El Tiburon:
Much as I hate to say it, that’s not fair to Palin. She made her own fortune, and her celebrity. The only two things Trump has going for him are money and a
penisY chromosome, both of which are gifts from his daddy.greenergood
In order to compete with Trump, Sarah must seriously lawyer up and get divorced, before getting hitched to a great-looking, presumably athletic, guy aged around 35. In order to compete with Gingrich, she must seriously lawyer up and marry after getting divorced from a guy dying of cancer, and then find another guy a few years later, divorce the earlier (presumably healthy) guy, and marry again. Oh wait: only guys can do that; if Sarah did that, she’d be a tramp … and not presidential material AT ALL.
ranger3
For those bringing up Clinton and Guiliani… this is completely different. Clinton and Guiliani had big leads going into the 2008 cycle, based on their popularity over a period of time. Hillary Clinton was a big deal going back to the early 90’s, and Guiliani had been a big deal since 9/11.
Trump, however, is an insurgent in every sense of the word. He has zero support from the establishment, who are desperate to make him go away. This is the modern GOP. All the years of propaganda and self delusion, which is in itself an outgrowth of the fact that most Republicans have strong authoritarian tendencies have led inevitably to this state of affairs. They have invented their own fantasy world and will do anything to protect it from harsh realities of the world. They will reward any candidate who reinforces thier delusions, and reject any candidate who threatens the fantasy world they live in.
John Kerry could win in this environment. Obama will simply embarrass them. Popcorn, bitches.
Triassic Sands
I must have missed something. I’ve been engaged in some serious health treatment issues over the past several days and I must have missed something. What?
After reading about the PPP poll that found Trump leading the GOP pack, I went to Real Clear Politics and looked at a bunch of polls. What the hell has happened that explains the fact that in every new poll Obama’s approval rating has gone negative. The latest Gallup poll has it
41 Approve 50 Disapprove
That 9 point spread is the largest I can remember. And the last five polls (all by different pollsters) all have Obama’s approval numbers lower than his disapproval numbers.
What happened? Did I miss something?
Or is just that the American people are stupid, ignorant, and above all fickle?
bob h
I’ve long sensed that there is no bottom in American politics, and this Trump stuff really confirms that.
Karin
Honestly? I think they polled a bunch of old people who heard the word “Trump” and thought they were being offered a free bus ride and $10 worth of chips.
joe from Lowell
@Caz:
Uh, yeah, winning the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton was child’s play compared to running against a silly-looking dilettante who’s never held office, with a record of doing things like getting an old lady’s house condemned so he can have a parking area for limousines.
Huckabee is a much, much more impressive candidate than Donald Trump.