I wish I could tell you that this article isn’t another story about the current frontrunner of the GOP race. I wish I could tell you this article focuses on an actual politician—not a businessman masquerading as one. But most of all I wish I could tell you that reason will prevail in America—that the poor actions of a candidate reflect on his record; that the American electorate votes on a candidate’s knowledge and rationale, not personality. But at this point, sadly I cannot.
Donald Trump has been a frontrunner since he began his campaign. Most people, myself included, shrugged off his stellar performance, confident that reason would prevail. As Mr. Trump now gets closer to becoming the Republican nominee with every primary, that confidence thins.
Finally though, there is one thing that seemingly could derail the Trump campaign: a recent New York State court case, Matter of People of the State of N.Y. by Eric T. Schneiderman v Trump Entrepreneur Initiative (Schneiderman v. Trump). This case focuses on potential fraudulent behavior by Trump University and those involved (including Mr. Trump).
Trump University was an online-based education company that offered courses in real estate and many other business topics for tuition anywhere between $2,000 and $35,000. In 2005 the New York State Department of Education forced Trump to change the name of this business since “Trump University” was not actually chartered as a University. There have been several other lawsuits, especially by people that paid near $35,000 for their “education.”
In this case, New York Attorney General Schneiderman claimed Trump University was a bait-and-switch scheme that misled over 5,000 people nationwide, and over 600 in New York, to pay $35,000 for an “education” in real-estate. He also pointed out that the New York State Department of Education ordered Trump University to stop operations since it violated several laws by not having licenses for student instruction. The organization, however, neglected the law and continued to operate until 2011.
Donald Trump also claimed that all instructors would be “handpicked by [himself]” in advertisements and infomercials, but Mr. Trump admitted he did not pick many instructors and one instructor admitted he had never actually met Trump. Schneiderman claims that many students bought into the scam due to this claim and the Trump brand, as they respected the success of Donald Trump and his business prowess—something that seems to be evident once again in this primary cycle.
Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have both gone after Trump University, but with little success. While Rubio went after Trump on the subject in a February Republican debate, the topic has disappeared from conversations and the voters’ minds as campaign violence came to the forefront. So why even bother talking about this topic?
Well, Schneiderman v. Trump is close to trial, with many sources speculating it could occur as soon as May. It is very likely that Mr. Schneiderman will call Trump as a witness, which is interesting for two reasons. First, Mr. Trump will have to take time off from campaigning in order to resolve the case. But perhaps more importantly, Mr. Trump will have to defend his actions in court, and if he loses, his reputation could be damaged.
Additionally, another case in California against Trump University is also nearing its trial, set for sometime this summer (around the Republican National Convention on July 18-21). Mr. Trump may also have to testify in this case, creating the same scenario as above even closer to the potentially contested convention.
But does any of this actually matter? Even if Trump University is convicted of fraudulent behavior and Mr. Trump is fined millions of dollars, will his supporters care? They may point to the cases as the “establishment” government or Democrats trying to undermine Donald Trump. They may rally around him as a victim of an attack by the left on his reputation. They may claim Trump University is no different than other for-profit universities. They may simply not care.
While it seems hard to believe a large portion of the electorate would simply ignore Mr. Trump being fined on charges of fraud, they have given him a lot of leeway in the past and even rallied around some of his more outlandish actions.
Remember: this is a group of people who idolize a man who once said, “Laziness is a trait in blacks.”
They praise a man who also exclaimed, “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”
They defend the political brilliance of a man who was so bad at research that he thought religion was on a birth certificate when he alleged Obama’s birth certificate would indicate he is a Muslim.
They believe a man who once rented a piece of land to Muammar Gaddafi, former abusive Libyan leader and enemy of the United States, will “Make America Great Again.”
They admire the intelligence of a man who was either stupid or entitled enough to tweet “It’s freezing and snowing in New York. We need global warming!”
They applaud a man who believed The United States should have stayed in Iraq after the war and take Iraqi oil stating, “To the victor belong the spoils.”
They listen to a man who was sexist enough as to shoot down Carly Fiorina’s campaign solely because she is a woman, claiming “I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”
They stay with a man who called all his supporters loyal to the point of stupidity by saying, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
And finally they vote for a man who disrespected the GOP’s 2008 nominee, John McCain by contending, “He’s not a war hero, he was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
The fact that Trump voters have stayed with him regardless of what he has said in the past or the present means that the result of the Trump University lawsuits could simply have no effect on the election.
I wish I could tell you that Trump supporters will run from their candidate if he is found guilty of fraud through Trump University. I wish I could tell you American voters are well educated and politically socialized towards issues, not personalities. I wish I could tell you that there is no chance Donald Trump will be elected President of the United States of America. But sadly, I cannot.
President Bill Clinton was impeached and his law license suspended, for perjury and obstruction of justice. That stopped none of his followers from idolizing him, by the way.
If you think Trump is a racist who sees any color other than green, you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Take a look at his life and career; he has always hired and worked with people of all walks of life.
If you think Megyn Kelly isn’t an exploiter (establishment) tool who tried to take down Trump, and you think Trump is a misogynist because of the bloodlust comments he made regarding her (while making bloodlust comments about Chris Wallace at the same time) then you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Just like any true capitalist, Trump states “I’m just oblivious to a person’s gender” when dealing with people.
If you think Trump is an isolationist because he wants fair trade, you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. “Free-trade” comes at a huge cost to workers in developed countries! The end result is that America will produce nothing and will provide no services outside our borders because services and products will always be cheaper from poorer countries. Anyone who says anything else concerning free-trade is either lying through their teeth, or is completely clueless!
If you think Trump, who continually says “I love Mexican people,” is a xenophobe because he wants to secure our southern border, you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Illegal immigration is destroying our society (their children are almost always below grade level so teachers have to spend most of their time teaching at that level, they lower our wages, they abuse welfare, they bring gangs, and they bring drugs); 90% of the cocaine here comes through our southern border; 80% of the meth and heroin here comes through our southern border!
If you think Trump wants to punish women for having abortions, you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Trump said he made a gaffe during convoluted conversations about hypothetical situations. He has clarified that in the real world he would like to see abortion regulations left up to each state.
If you think Trump is ignorant because he thinks it might be more pragmatic for Japan to have a nuke rather than having 54,000 U.S. troops stationed there at our expense, you are a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. The simple fact is that nothing ensures sovereignty like having a nuke. No country with a nuke has been or ever will be invaded. We would have never invaded Iraq if they had a nuke; in fact, the best evidence that we knew they didn’t really have any WMDs was the fact we invaded them. The 54,000 troops we have in Japan are absolutely no deterrent for North Korea, China, or anyone else; what deters them is the fact we have nukes. Furthermore, what would happen to Japan if they can’t defend themselves and we go bankrupt over the next decade or so?
Trump University was a venture consisting of real estate seminars and guidance. It never offered any college credits; you couldn’t get public loans for it. It was similar to Dave Del Dotto’s real estate training advertised in the early 1990s. People who are saying it pretended to be a REAL university either have no integrity or are simply tools who just parrot whatever they hear. Customers who wanted their money back within the time period allotted were given their money back. Just like any training, many benefited from it while many others did not. You actually have to make an effort and put that training to use afterward.