COMMENTARY | After a day in which there was some confusion about whom he was actually endorsed, celebrity real estate mogul and television personality Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president at a Las Vegas press conference, as shown on YouTube.
According to CNN, Trump based his endorsement on Romney's business acumen and his willingness to stand up to China.
One cannot imagine how many people who were on the fence would go for Romney because the Donald has "hired" him. But seeing the two wealthy men, one a celebrated playboy whose public pronouncements are always interesting, albeit sometimes bizarre, the other a straight laced Mormon who tries (and mostly succeeds) to be careful about what he says was an interesting experience, to say the least.
The media buzz will likely redound more to Trump's benefit than Romney's, since Trump craves above all media attention. And pretending to be a kingmaker has certainly garnered Trump that commodity in abundance.
Romney, on the other hand, is looking at a mixed blessing. About a year ago, Trump toyed with the birther theory, which states that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, but rather in his father's native Kenya. This forced the White House to release the president's birth certificate, laying to rest for all but the most fervent birthers the question of where Obama was born.
However, along with Trump's endorsement will come Trump cash to fill the coffers of super PACs that will then go forth and promote Romney and rain calumny after calumny upon his opponents. Romney is going to need every dollar he can get if he expects to become president. Obama has his own bevy of wealthy givers, on Wall Street and in Hollywood. Romney must meet Obama mass for mass where it comes to paid advertising and all the other things that money can buy.
Trump also levied a sort of threat. He promised that he would not go third party if his preferred candidate, i.e. Romney, wins the Republican nomination.
After Romney wins the presidency (if he wins the presidency) Trump will have gained something else that will be useful. He will have the ear of the president whom he will have helped put into office. There will not be anything as crude as doing a favor or a favor. But Trump's opinions on public policy issues, especially economic ones, will have some weight. That is surely worth an endorsement.
Source: Trump: Getting to Know Romney Led to Endorsement, YouTube, Feb 2, 2011
3 comments