Trump is a Genius

Yes, what Albert Einstein was to mathematics, what Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was to music, what Stephen Hawking was to theoretical physics, and what Charles Darwin was to biology, Donald J. Trump is to corruption.  He is a corruption savant.  If there is an easy and honest way to accomplish something, “The Donald” will find a more convoluted corrupt way to achieve the same goal.  Donald Trump is the Marie Curie of corruption.

Corruption is from the Latin word ‘corrumpere’ meaning to mar, bribe, spoil, seduce, or destroy.  In the mid-14^th century, it meant corrupted, debased in character, depraved morally, or perverted from good to bad.  In the late-14^th century, it also included contamination, the impairment of purity, and the seduction of a woman. In the Old French, it was ‘corropt’, meaning unhealthy or uncouth.  Etymological studies find that in its intransitive sense, the meaning of corruption is to putrefy and change from a sound to a putrid state.  I thought it was a good idea to see how this colorful and descriptive word might be applicable to the world’s most prodigious liar.

Donald Trump may not be a good businessman but he is a good corrupt businessman.  The nature of big-city real estate, particularly in New York, is to demand a small bit of larceny in order to achieve any level of success.  That is New York’s problem and an easy one to circumvent by avoidance even in that city; don't do business with him and you are safe.  The problem for us is that he has now brought his genius-level corruption to the world-stage where it impacts those outside the Empire State.  Now everyone from Bangor to Honolulu and from Fairbanks to Miami is within his corruptive clutches.  We will ignore for the time being the remaining 7.7 billion other folks who may also be impacted by his actions.

We have sadly come to accept a certain level of corruption in our government.  A little nepotism here, a favor for a friend there, or perhaps even a campaign donation finding its way into a home remodeling job will hardly raise an eyebrow anymore.  What caught us all off-guard with this president, however, was the openness and gravity of the corruption; the sheer audacity of it all.  We are now expected to accept campaign funds being used to pay off a porn star for her silence regarding an extramarital affair.  We are supposed to look the other way when the president’s admitted financial ties to Russia are the backdrop to a complete reversal of 45 years of Cold War animosity between our two countries.  In the most recent case of this president’s adoration of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president’s word is accepted above those of the whole of our intelligence community and the findings published in a bi-partisan two-volume Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report regarding Russian interference in our 2016 election.  Our president would have you believe the ex-KGB agent and current president of Russia over everyone else in our government.  What explanation could there be for that level of denial, if not blatant corruption?

I am reminded of a quote from Rodney Dangerfield in the movie comedy Back to School where Rodney plays a character named Thornton Melon.  Mr. Melon is a successful businessman who returns to school.  In the scene, he is in a business class and the professor is discussing a sound business plan.  Thornton calls out the teacher and tells him he has “left out a bunch of stuff.”  When asked, “Like what for instance,” Melon replies, “First of all you're going to have to grease the local politicians for the sudden zoning problems that always come up.  Then there's the kickbacks to the carpenters, and if you plan on using any cement in this building I'm sure the teamsters would like to have a little chat with ya, and that'll cost ya.  Oh and don't forget a little something for the building inspectors. Then there's long term costs such as waste disposal.  I don't know if you're familiar with who runs that business but I assure you it's not the boy scouts.”

Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School

Mr. Melon’s depiction of rampant corruption in various areas of business is perhaps accurate and somewhat cynical if not comical.  It is, however, this very corruption that President Trump claims to want to dispose of in Ukraine but he adopts it as a tool when it benefits his interests.  Donald J. Trump the businessman, brought with him the immorality and corrupt work ethic from that wheeling and dealing world of real estate and business to the White House.  He promised reform and to "drain the swamp."  It would appear that he has changed the meaning of "drain the swamp" from one of an ethical standard to one that embodies anything he doesn't like.

Misspeak or Freudian Slip?

Trump's properties have now become attractive destinations for foreign governments and business interests who want to curry favor with this president.  Even our own government operations have been steered to Trump-branded properties delivering a financial emolument to their namesake.  In February of 2017, the State Department booked 19 rooms at the Vancouver, BC Trump hotel.  The US military has likewise spent over $200,000 at Trump’s Turnberry Scottish resort even though it is inconvenient to locate there.  Mar-a-Lago is now the Winter White House as advertised and promoted on a State Department website in April of 2017, with descriptions of praise for its “Venetian and Portuguese influences and private collection of antiques.”

The president’s claims of his financial separation from his businesses are belied by the fact that, while business direction has been transferred to his children, he still has open accounts with the business to withdraw any needed monies.  The new tax reform initiatives are due to save Trump businesses tens of millions of dollars annually.  This article and this writer don’t have the time or inclination to further detail the numerous examples of corruption perpetrated by this president in his three years in office.  Suffice it to say that this presidency will probably be tied up in court battles for years.  To read a chronological list of the president's corruptive practices, you might want to visit this GQ (my bible) article.

The problem faced by all of us today stems from the caustic nature of government corruption, particularly on this scale.  We all realize that some level of corruption will always be present; this is nothing new.  What is new is Donald J. Trump’s blatant and blasé attitude toward that corruption.  His “above-the-law” defense rings hollow to us but he is getting away with it before our very eyes.  His open corruption breeds more corruption elsewhere.  If the president can do it and make money, why is it wrong for anyone else?  How can we demand corruption reform from countries like Ukraine when our president abuses his power for political and financial gain?

We earlier stated that Donald Trump was the Marie Curie of corruption.  Madame Curie was a true genius in her field of radioactivity but it brought about her eventual demise.  President Trump should be wary of his field of endeavor and worry that corruption may too be a cause of his undoing.

Marie Curie

Footnote:  Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and she was the only winner of two such prizes.  Donald J. Trump's much sought after Nobel Peace Prize is still elusive.