http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/look-inside-the-mad-world-of-donald-trump Last night on British terrestrial tv there was a program entitled The Mad World of Donald Trump. It was a pretty unflattering look at Trump, but it is not really the content of the program so much as the fact the program was aired at all that interests me. I cannot remember a US presidential race that has generated so much interest within the UK. Even Obama's campaign did not get this much attention so early on and the coverage told people in the UK who he was, certainly not openly critical. Add this to the openly hostile comments made by leading UK politicians from all sides which again is a phenomenon I have never seen around a presidential candidate. It appears to me that Trump is a certainty for the Republican nomination. So what is going on, why all of a sudden is the UK establishment so critical of someone who looks to have a real chance at the Whitehouse? I really do not think the UK establishment would be so critical unless they were certain Trump will not make president. What do they know that we don't?
I think it’s the opposite actually. It’s the lack of certainty, in both who will become president and, were it Trump, what kind of presidency it would be, that attracts so much attention abroad. For all the interesting factors in previous races, they’ve still been largely within the existing political establishment. Regardless of the results, we could be confident or a certain level of continuity of policy and it’s that stability that is the only really important thing to the rest of the world. Trump’s rhetoric promises revolutionary change and in itself is unpredictable and with little practical detail. If he were to make it to the Whitehouse and (try to) implement even some of what he promises, it could have more negative impact on the rest of the world than any other recent presidency.
If Trump ends the gravy train, some other countries may be dissapointed but it's a step in the right direction for the US. Sometimes we Americans need to make decisions without regard for the rest of the world. We tried that whole "rest of the world" thing and it got us into this mess today. Sorry, America for the Americans. We'll be willing partners with the rest of the world if the rest of the world is our partner. It's gotta be collaborative.
I am not so sure, simply because our establishment normally plays safe, and saying nothing is clearly the safe option. I really think it is out of character for someone like Cameron. There is a nightmare scenario, Trump and Boris!
Hes a very famous American who is regularly on our TV screen on the Apprentice and who has been pissing people off up in Aberdeen with his golf project.
The problem is saying nothing, especially in response to a direct question, would be interpreted as support (and certainly would be spun that way by his opponents). Cameron’s actual response (not the tabloid headlines) was strong but fairly measured, especially in the context of the way Trump speaks himself, and I don’t think it would be all that different if a sitting president made such extreme claims and statements. Scary because it’s actually possible.
