Trump's Card

[Nocturnal Submission]

I've been watching a documentary about the man, Trump: An American Dream, which is running on Channel 4. It's mainly about his business and private life so far and is hugely entertaining.

I didn't realise just how large a celebrity figure he was even back in the '80s and '90s: frequent TV appearances, the breakdown of his marriage to Ivana on the front page of the newspapers and so on. There are some terrific vignettes though.

Last night we had an episode around the time of the Ivana-Marla transition where he called a newspaper reporter claiming to be Trump's fictitious new PR man, "John Miller," which the reporter then recorded for posterity. If you haven't heard it, seek it out. It's hilarious. Then there's Trump talking quite insightfully about his favourite film. Can you guess? Citizen Kane.

At the end of the programme we saw an interview with Trump' mum, who's autumn years-hairstyle Trump seems now to be mimicking. Odd accent too, more Irish than Scottish, but maybe that's an Isle of Lewis thing. Anyway, she was talking about an event from the Trump nursery. Donald and his younger brother, Robert, both had building blocks. Donald asked Robert for some of his and when Robert gave them to him, Donald glued them to his own so Robert couldn't have them back. Moral of the story - he's always been crafty, amoral, self-centred and quite ruthless.

Recommended.

[tee rex]

I didn't realise just how large a celebrity figure he was even back in the '80s: frequent TV appearances, the breakdown of his marriage to Ivana on the front page of the newspapers and so on.

In Bill Bryson's first travel book, The Lost Continent (1988) he mentions Trump when he's in NYC and the context makes it clear that Bryson assumes that UK readers haven't heard of him. This was a few years before the League Cup draw, which as we all know was his greatest moment before capturing the White House.

[Gangster Octopus]

Trump was a regular in Doonesbury back in the eighties.

[Incandenza]

My favorite pizza place in LA is a NY-style pizza place. Lots of old subway station signs inside and subway tile. The back wall is a big mural of a train waiting in a station with a strange mix of NYC celebrities and famous athletes of the time from the early 1990s. Trump is in it, depicted as a panhandler, sitting on the steps and with his head in his hands, holding out a paper cup that says IVANA LOAN. So even back then, people laughed at him.

I had pretty much forgotten that since I always saw it and it just blended into the background, until I went in one time with my kids and they asked if that was Trump, then I had to explain all of that background.

[Capybara]

This was a few years before the League Cup draw, which as we all know was his greatest moment before capturing the White House.

Indeed. He drew us away to Peterborough which I went to. 0-0 if you are interested.

[Nocturnal Submission]

The programme mentioned that he was about $3bn in the hole at one point in the '90s. Taking the company public seems to have been the event which helped him get back on his feet, though it wasn't really examined in any great depth.

[ursus arctos]

The Trump Organization itself has never been a public company and it is widely believed that its accounts wouldn't stand the scrutiny.

The casinos were part of a public company that went bankrupt several times.

[Nocturnal Submission]

The Trump Organization itself has never been a public company and it is widely believed that its accounts wouldn't stand the scrutiny.

The casinos were part of a public company that went bankrupt several times.

Ah yes, Trump Entertainment Resorts, formerly Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts. The programme said that the float was a big success. Given the shaky nature of the assets I find that a little surprising.

I presume that Trump wrapped up his liabilities, " Trump and his companies owing 72 banks a total of $4 billion, of which Trump personally guaranteed $800 million" says Wiki, in the new company which I presume were written off in the subsequent bankruptcies.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I didn't realise just how large a celebrity figure he was even back in the '80s and '90s: frequent TV appearances, the breakdown of his marriage to Ivana on the front page of the newspapers and so on. There are some terrific vignettes though.

He was in the video for the theme song to Ghostbusters II, I noticed on one of the TOTP re-runs earlier in the summer. It was quite jarring.

[WOM]

I presume that Trump wrapped up his liabilities,

Baron would beg to differ.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Baron would beg to differ.

Heh!

The programme also mentioned that Trump didn't like the idea of having sex with women who had had children, the old charmer, which is why he wanted to dump Ivana for Marla.

We also saw him snogging some of the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, which was rather unpleasant.

[Satchmo Distel]

I was wondering if the Haredi Jews in Chicago were also protesting or if this is specific to NYC?

[ursus arctos]

Two "r"s in Barron

The casino IPO was launched into the frothy market that preceded the first dot com crash at a time when US casinos were almost universally seen as licences to print money (a piece of conventional wisdom that Trump destroyed single-handedly). Its short term success (anyone who held the equity was obviously wiped out) was not a surprise.

Trump was ubiquitous in NYC tabloid culture of the 90s and Kurt Andersen (coiner of the "short-fingered vulgarian") largely built Spy Magazine on taking the piss out of him and them.

[ursus arctos]

I was wondering if the Haredi Jews in Chicago were also protesting or if this is specific to NYC?

It isn't just specific to NYC, it is specific to particular Haredi communities in NYC.

As I mentioned last night, the Haredi in our neighbourhood are appalled.

[caja-dglh]

In Chicago there isn't any localized COVID outbreaks or actions taking place. Were there to be local action in Skokie (for example) you might see something.

For now it is just the daily mistaken shooting of a kid in a park on the Southside / in Austin (delete as applicable).

[MsD]

Thanks for that

The photos are wonderful

Yep. That was my hood for 20 years, until May. I took maybe two photographs as I didn’t want to intrude, but they really are an interesting community.

When they all troop down to Springfield Park, women and girls around the pond, men and boys down to the River, to repent and pray, it’s quite a sight.

[Satchmo Distel]

There was an incident in April where the Chicago Rabbinical Council condemned a wedding that broke the guidelines

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/04...ely-horrified/

[Lang Spoon]

At the end of the programme we saw an interview with Trump' mum, who's autumn years-hairstyle Trump seems now to be mimicking. Odd accent too, more Irish than Scottish, but maybe that's an Isle of Lewis thing. Anyway, she was talking about an event from the Trump nursery. Donald and his younger brother, Robert, both had building blocks. Donald asked Robert for some of his and when Robert gave them to him, Donald glued them to his own so Robert couldn't have them back. Moral of the story - he's always been crafty, amoral, self-centred and quite ruthless.

The Hebrides, and the Highlands in general really don't sound particularly "Scottish". Lewis is still within the Gaeltacht and Gaelic has only about 500 years of being a divergent language to Irish.

[Satchmo Distel]

Regarding the debates, the Trump team are behaving like they're the ones who have the big poll lead and so can dictate terms.

[San Bernardhinault]

I'm assuming they're "dictating terms" because they absolutely can't have Trump show up, even in a virtual debate. It would demonstrate his lack of recovery and even greater than usual lack of acuity. There's also the issue that he's utterly shit in debates, so even being behind they can't risk him making things even worse than he already did. Better to find a way to get out of it.

[That Night In Barcelona]

Yup, easy to dictate terms when you've no intention of going through with it

[sw2borshch]

Is much of the current US coverage explicitly making the point that the POTUS is off his tits on drugs as things stand?

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/renato_mariotti/status/1314260442341142528

[ursus arctos]

Not as much as it should be

[sw2borshch]

Jeepers, just seen some footage of him doing the spiel about how good he feels on the White House lawn, and the fucking colour of his face. I know it's a long-time thing about how orange he is, but he must look absolutely shocking if they've trowelled that much clart on him.