Crowley Political Report

Politico says Donald Trump to endorse Newt Gingrich

UPDATE - Politico blew it. Trump endorses Mitt Romney.

Politico's Maggie Haberman is reporting that Donald Trump will endorse Newt Gingrich during a 12:30 p.m. press conference Thursday.

What is a Trump endorsement worth?

Not much. This has more to do with Trump's childish demand for attention. Frankly, it is more surprising that Gingrich would care about getting support from Trump. 

Read the Politico story here.

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Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee play Republicans for fools

Many years ago there was a small traveling circus know as the Ring Brothers - not to be confused with Ringling.  Maybe the Ring Brothers would still be around today if they had clowns of the caliber of Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee.

Give them credit - they did a brilliant job of playing Republicans and the media for fools.

Does anyone deep in their souls believe that Trump and Huckabee were going to run? And does anybody believe the nonsense they spewed as they bailed out.

Of course both Huckabee and Trump tells us that they would have won the Republican nomination. And both believe they could have defeated President Obama.

But despite what they claim to be a strong chance of winning the White House, they would rather be television personalities.

Bob Barker must be proud.

The fact is that these two make-believe candidates abused the Republican Party and political activists for their own personal gains.

If we believe Pastor Huckabee, building a multi-million dollar home in Florida is his spiritual calling.  If we believe Trump, deciding whether to fire Gary Busey on Celebrity Apprentice is more important than becoming president and creating jobs.

Maybe they should get together and take their circus on the road.

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Donald Trump avoids draft with medical deferment

First, some shocking news - Donald Trump has told a fib.

During a television interview with a New York station this week, Trump offered a vivid recollection about how he learned that his military draft number was so high that he would not be drafted.

“I actually got lucky because I had a very high draft number. I’ll never forget, that was an amazing period of time in my life. I was going to the Wharton School of Finance, and I was watching as they did the draft numbers and I got a very, very high number and those numbers never got up to.”

As delightful as that tale sounds - it is not true.

Trump was 18 when he graduated from New York Military Academy - where he was a "star athlete" in 1964.  According to The Smoking Gun Trump registerd with the draft and was 1A - prime military material.

Trump entered college and while there are some variations to his draft status he maintains a college deferment until he leaves school in 1968.

So what about that story he tells about watching them assign his draft number?

Didn't happen.

In 1968, there were no draft numbers. Draft numbers were started in December 1969.

So for 18 months, Trump should have been in the pool of draft eligible young men. Trump was no longer in college. He was working for his wealthy father's real estate firm.

Crowley Political Report is unaware of the "real estate worker" draft exemption.

Instead, the "star athlete" got a medical deferment - 4F.

Which raises a number of questions? What was wrong with Trump? Is he cured? Is he medically fit to serve as this nation's commander-in-chief?

Clearly, we need to see Trump's deferment papers. America needs to know Trump's medical status in 1968.

After all, Trump himself believes that one's status in life needs to be verified.

So Donald, shows us your papers before the birthers start going after you.

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Did Donald Trump avoid the draft?

Pursing his lips, leaning into his interviewer, Donald Trump exudes buffoonish power as he warns the world that he if is president of the United States oil prices will drop, labor markets will buckle to his will and America will strike fear in the hearts of anyone who dares defy him.

Trump spends a lot of time pretending that he would be the greatest commander-in-chief in American history.

Or as he would say - he would be "amazing."

What may really be amazing about the militaristic Donald Trump is that he may be a draft dodger.

Consider this from A&E Biography profile of Trump:

Donald Trump was an energetic, assertive child, and his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy at age 13, hoping the discipline of the school would channel his energy in a positive manner.

Trump did well at the academy, both socially and academically, rising to be a star athlete and student leader by the time he graduated in 1964.

He entered Fordham University and then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania from which he graduated in 1968 with a degree in economics.

Donald Trump joins Allen West at Tea Party rally in Boca Raton

 
 This is one odd presidential election cycle. It is hard to believe that Donald Trump has become a darling of the Tea Party.

There is nothing in Trump's background that would suggest he should be this popular with a family values, economically thrifty, Tea Party supporter.

Trump is on wife number three. His gaudy lifestyle certainly does not suggest thrift, and when he speaks about issues it is clear that it has been many years since he read a book.

And there could be no more unlikely political pairing than Donald Trump and Allen West?

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hasner is also attending the event.  

Donald Trump headlines Tea Party event in Boca Raton

  
Conspiracy theorist Donald Trump will be the keynote speaker for the 3rd Annual Tax Day Tea Party in Boca Raton on April 16.

Which leads Crowley Political Report to wonder - does Trump know how to pronounce Raton?

There has been a disturbing trend of national commentators, news anchors and celebrities who mispronounce Boca Raton.

As former Boca mayor, Carol Hansen, used to say - "it is Ra tone, as in Al Capone."

It is not Boca Ra tan pronouced like flan.

This could be the first big test of Trump's presidential campaign.

We also hear his next stop is Area 51.

From the press release:

Ten questions about Donald Trump

Clearly fearing that he might start the week without enough media attention, Donald Trump went on another birther rant Monday while talking to FOX's Greta Van Susteren.

"I've been into this issue for a couple of weeks and I'm getting very concerned," proclaimed Trump who went on to say "birthers are great Americans."

Proud Republican Trump also blasted the Obama administration for its handling of Libya wondering why China and Saudi Arabi are not taking the lead.

"We have people with no clue leading our country" said Trump who is an expert on the clueless.

As for his own ambition to run for president?

"I have an amazing interest, a very strong interest in running," Trump said.

Crowley Political Report believes there are a number of vital questions that must be answered before we can take Donald Trump seriously as an "amazing" presidential candidate.

Will Trump's neighbors in Palm Beach evict him for excessive buffoonery?

Has anyone demanded to see Donald's birth certificate?

Is Donald's hair legal in all 50 states?

Does the Wharton School of Business want its degree back?

Has anyone demanded to see Donald's marriage licenses?

Will American voters demand to see Donald's hair wet?

Spanx for men Donald?

Can Donald complete three sentences without using the word "amazing"?

Who does Donald see when he looks in the mirror?

Is it possible for the Florida Legislature to legally ban Donald Trump from being on the presidential primary ballot?

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Donald Trump Palm Beach's court jester

 
Crowley Political Report apologizes to the court jesters of the world - perhaps it is unfair to them to include Donald Trump.

Buffoon?

That's better. Trump is one of those self-absorbed, loud mouths who lives to see his name in the news. He loves to tell folks he's a really smart guy but in fact he is not.

Yes, he knows real estate. And yes, he has made a fortune in real estate.  But in the great scheme of human endeavors - so what?

Oh that's right, he's the star of Celebrity Apprentice - a show where he surrounds himself with folks whose stars stopped shining long ago.

In June, Trump will reach his full Social Security age of 65. Maybe that explains why he is pretending to run for president of the United States. Perhaps even he realizes that his life's legacy is just another tall building and a goofy TV show.

No one takes Trump seriously as a potential presidential candidate even when he brags that he could spend his own cash to win (we doubt it).

When he appeared before CPAC last month, Trump warned the audience about the threat from China because of their growing economic power and control of a huge chunk of our nation's debt.

Trump said these things as if he were the first to figure it out. Not hardly.

Now, he is ranting about President Obama's birth certificate. Trump would like to see it.

Does he really care about Obama's birth certificate? No.

It just another Trump stunt.

Sort of like the time he got tons of publicity by telling the staid folks of Palm Beach that he was going to fly a giant American flag in front of his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

His flag had nothing to do with patriotism - it was about headlines.

It is kind of sad to watch as Trump desperately clings to the stage just like the the folks who surround him on Celebrity Apprentice.

Trump's biggest fear is clearly his own irrelevance.