Don't worry, you probably won't be secretly murdered if you watch this.
August 2, 2015 6:05 AM   Subscribe

In 1991, a documentary, intended to be the first of a series on celebrity businessmen, was completed. It was screened twice, but its subject prevented its release and it was clear that continuing the series wasn't worth the trouble. So why has that film been released almost a quarter of a century later? Because that same businessman is now running for president. Trump: What's the Deal? (trailer, direct Vimeo link to full film, unofficial YouTube mirror)
posted by BiggerJ (74 comments total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Are Trump and Clinton going to debate? Because I just might break my rule and watch that, for the sheer cringe factor.
posted by sidereal at 6:28 AM on August 2, 2015


Looking forward to Sanders vs Trump and for the veeps debate (as well as the ultimate in politico-cognitive-dissonance) Warren vs Palin!!
posted by sammyo at 6:32 AM on August 2, 2015


It's sort of funny how un-dramatic the documentary is. Lots of people saying some variation of "You'll never believe what this guy did -- he lied about how much he paid for a property, then when he sold it, he lied about how much he sold it for!" or "This guy uses his father's good name and political connections to get what he wants -- can you believe it!!" Almost quaint.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:37 AM on August 2, 2015 [10 favorites]


Are Trump and Clinton going to debate? Because I just might break my rule and watch that, for the sheer cringe factor.

Meh. The real debate I might actually bother to watch is Trump and Christie going at it, bully-to-bully, during the GOP debates. Pure gold, that one.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:42 AM on August 2, 2015 [5 favorites]




Trump has a closet so full of dead bodies, it's a wonder no Republican has broken ranks yet to expose them. Maybe it's because Trump would have no qualms about destroying them right back.
posted by fungible at 7:22 AM on August 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


Trump has a closet so full of dead bodies, it's a wonder no Republican has broken ranks yet to expose them. Maybe it's because Trump would have no qualms about destroying them right back.

I think they don't see any value to hitting a guy who they're all certain is just going to flame out or see something shiny and walk away from the race anyway.
posted by Etrigan at 7:41 AM on August 2, 2015 [4 favorites]



Meh. The real debate I might actually bother to watch is Trump and Christie going at it, bully-to-bully, during the GOP debates. Pure gold, that one.


They just start screaming until they give into passion, furiously making out like one huge pink multi-limbed hatred orb.
posted by The Whelk at 7:54 AM on August 2, 2015 [61 favorites]


Ladies and Gentlemen, The Whelk, creator of post-Lovecraftian horror stories.
posted by mephron at 7:55 AM on August 2, 2015 [37 favorites]


As hilarious as Trump is, his popularity betrays a deep problem in this country. He won't get elected but he will expose the part of our culture that is racist, hateful, greedy, and stupid.

Another Trump document from that era is the Ivana Trump divorce proceedings where among other things, she describes how Donald Trump sexually violated her. Or straight out raped her, according to Ms. Trump's initial deposition, which she then recharacterized. This Trump-the-rapist thing would be all old news except for just last week Trump's lawyer addressed that story by saying "You cannot rape your spouse." Thereby demonstrating both a basic ignorance of the law and a shocking contempt for women.
posted by Nelson at 8:09 AM on August 2, 2015 [24 favorites]


Remember when we had a presidential candidate that was a clown, failed businessman, ex-coke addict, admitted alcoholic (recovering), had inherited his wealth and never earned a thing, used family connections to avoid serving in the military?

Yeah, we thought there was no chance he'd ever get elected.

That was President Bush (jr).

So while Trump seems like an unlikely president, and a buffoon, just remember there is a chance he'll be the next president of the United States.
posted by el io at 8:19 AM on August 2, 2015 [25 favorites]


At this point, I'm just hoping Trump stays in through the Iowa primaries. I'm not too worried about the prospect of a Trump presidency, not because I don't think he could win, but because aside from the anti-immigrant bluster, he's been much more moderate than the other Republican candidates.
posted by drezdn at 8:34 AM on August 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


just remember there is a chance he'll be the next president of the United States

I wish there were still prediction markets in the states where you could bet on this stuff. I'd wait for Trump to get up above 25% in the primary polls, then put my life savings into him not getting the nomination.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 8:35 AM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


Thanks to On The Media, my favorite description of Trump for this week is "untethered parade float."
posted by jon1270 at 8:36 AM on August 2, 2015 [31 favorites]


They just start screaming until they give into passion, furiously making out like one huge pink multi-limbed hatred orb.

I will end you.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:52 AM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


So while Trump seems like an unlikely president, and a buffoon, just remember there is a chance he'll be the next president of the United States.

This.
I see it as very possible that Trump could actually win the election, even as a third-party candidate (which he has threatened to do.) He's a very dangerous man in many, many ways. Do. Not. Dismiss. Him. simply because he comes off as a classless, loudmouth boor.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:54 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Trump is going to be as nice as possible in the debate, and will own the headlines because of it. "Trump shows different side."

The very next day, he'll say something inflammatory about the debate. "Those weasels couldn't touch me." Then he'll own the headlines because of that.

One of the others will respond, and Trump will own the headlines again. "Trump slammed for 'weasels' comment.'"

This is trolling as art form.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:55 AM on August 2, 2015 [10 favorites]


I'm kinda trying to parse "it seems wrong of me to make the joke and then I'll make the joke again" and having some difficulty.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:05 AM on August 2, 2015 [4 favorites]


Nelson: "As hilarious as Trump is, his popularity betrays a deep problem in this country. He won't get elected but he will expose the part of our culture that is racist, hateful, greedy, and stupid. "

From 2012 but still relevant.

posted by Splunge at 9:06 AM on August 2, 2015


I see it as very possible that Trump could actually win the election, even as a third-party candidate (which he has threatened to do.)

If he runs as a third-party candidate, he splits the votes on the right and the Dem nominee (who could be a cheese sandwich for all that matters in this scenario) winds handily.

There remains no way the RNC allows Trump to be their nominee. The Koch Brothers have already frozen him out, and the business wing of the GOP would never permit it.
posted by Xavier Xavier at 9:09 AM on August 2, 2015 [4 favorites]


Don't wring your hands about Trump getting elected. The only reason he's getting attention now is because the serious candidates haven't even begun campaigning yet. Well they're campaigning, but in private raising funds from rich people and companies. As noted above, Trump is a master troll. He is trolling the media now and providing entertainment for news programs nationwide. Once the election gets serious other candidates will start getting media time too. Also as Trump's previous political flirtations have shown, he'll get bored at some point and move on.

What's troubling is the stupid part of America that looks at Trump's hideousness and says "why yes, I do want this man to be president!" That is a sincere and real part of our country.

In conclusion, enjoy your Trump Steaks.
posted by Nelson at 9:16 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


People realize that only 20% of Republican primary voters are signaling their intent to vote for Trump, right? That's 1/5 of 1/4 of the voting population. Is it a surprise that 16 months from the election, the guy who is garnering all of the headlines is the billionaire carnival barker shouting offensive claptrap? It is pretty enjoyable to watch as a Democrat but Trump is hilariously not even remotely a possible candidate. I do so hope he runs as an Independent.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 9:18 AM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


his popularity betrays a deep problem in this country... he will expose the part of our culture that is racist, hateful, greedy, and stupid.

I'd suggest a slight variation on this: there's a part of America that really wants a rich gobshite bully in charge, and Trump represents the upper limit of the rich gobshite bully in the popular imagination. It's a kind of cosplay.

At the same time, Trump is significantly less wealthy and less powerful than the billionaire conservatives who are politely demanding the other GOP candidates dance on command in resort hotel ballrooms to decide which ones will receive their largesse over the next year and a bit.
posted by holgate at 9:23 AM on August 2, 2015 [9 favorites]


I wouldn't bet on Trump getting bored and dropping out. This is further than he's gone before, and now he's had his ego juiced by "proving the pundits wrong." This is by far the most important thing to conservative assholes - proving the media wrong and making liberals cry.

However once it looks like he's really in danger of getting the nom, I'm sure the Kochs or the establishment will dig up some prostitute he strangled or whatever. (Which, mind you, might still not stop him.)
posted by fungible at 9:32 AM on August 2, 2015


Give Donald New Hair
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:36 AM on August 2, 2015




Trump is in charge. He has both parties over a barrel. Promise the Dems he will run as an independent-or-threaten the Repubs with running as an independent.

He has just a bit more influence than 'us'
posted by notreally at 9:45 AM on August 2, 2015


Yeah, if Trump runs as a third-party candidate, the Democrats start buying extra champagne.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:48 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Indeed. Trump is truly a genius. His personal brand is in tatters, he's losing business partnerships daily, and his net worth is taking a huge hit, but it's all part of the master plan. The plan to, uh, like, to be on tv a lot. Hats off to you, Donald.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 9:48 AM on August 2, 2015 [6 favorites]


But Trump bows out right before the Iowa caucus and no sooner. He takes this right up to the point before there's an actual vote on anything. He "loses" nothing.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:50 AM on August 2, 2015


his net worth is taking a huge hit

Trump has declared bankruptcy four times, so net worth doesn't matter. Only visibility.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:53 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Trump the progressive.
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:59 AM on August 2, 2015


Yeah, if Trump runs as a third-party candidate, the Democrats start buying extra champagne.

This is what puts him in the Oval Office. The Republicans can't afford to piss him off, he clearly would be fine with splitting the vote and giving it to Hillary. But if he is the candidate, everyone may just be even more surprised at how divisively deep opinion is against her and Trump gets crossover protest votes.
posted by sammyo at 10:04 AM on August 2, 2015


> The Koch Brothers have already frozen him out

For now. Someone who looks suspiciously like John Malkovich has had his people reach out and were rebuffed, but eventually, Trump will be "invited" to take the pilgrimage to the Nevada desert to be given his marching orders.
posted by morganw at 10:05 AM on August 2, 2015



This is what puts him in the Oval Office.


I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. It vastly overestimates his staying power and ability to buck the two-party system.

I'm getting heavy flashbacks of the breathless coronation talk of Presidents Guiliani and Cain, here.
posted by Xavier Xavier at 10:08 AM on August 2, 2015 [7 favorites]


Donald Trump's atlas.
posted by Roger Dodger at 10:10 AM on August 2, 2015


If anyone honestly thinks Trump will be elected President, then get thee to a prediction market. A $30 bet will net you around a $1,000 if he ends up in the Big Seat.

*checks site again... considers placing a bet on Kasich...*
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 10:16 AM on August 2, 2015


Wait so prediction gambling isn't allowed now?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:27 AM on August 2, 2015


If anyone honestly thinks Trump will be elected President, then get thee to a prediction market. A $30 bet will net you around a $1,000 if he ends up in the Big Seat.

Then you can spend the winnings on booze, to try to drown your sorrows.
posted by el io at 10:28 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Damn it how do I make money on this Trumptastrophe
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:33 AM on August 2, 2015


Wait so prediction gambling isn't allowed now?

Not in the U.S. (for the most part).
posted by Etrigan at 10:34 AM on August 2, 2015


Wait so prediction gambling isn't allowed now?

They shut down InTrade but somehow PredictIt is allowed to run, ostensibly under the guise of "research."

Damn it how do I make money on this Trumptastrophe

If you go to PredictIt, an .84 cent bet against wins you a dollar. Close to 20% gain -- beats the hell out of a savings account!

[edit: I wish I hadn't found this page. this is going to be a problem, I think]
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 10:36 AM on August 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


Damn it how do I make money on this Trumptastrophe

Invest in Halliburton.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:49 AM on August 2, 2015


A $30 bet will net you around a $1,000 if he ends up in the Big Seat.

Is that $1000 in pre- or post-Trump dollars?
posted by a lungful of dragon at 10:50 AM on August 2, 2015 [5 favorites]


Bush was a well meaning guy who got steamrolled by Cheney and Rumsfeld.
posted by humanfont at 10:56 AM on August 2, 2015


Bush publicly ridiculed Karla Faye Tucker, laughing as he imagined her making desperate pleas for clemency, before allowing her execution to proceed.

There are not enough shoes in the world to throw at him.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:08 AM on August 2, 2015 [18 favorites]


InTrade got in trouble (more or less) for running unregulated commodity and currency future markets, not presidential election betting. Does PredictIt do bets on financial markets?
posted by Elementary Penguin at 11:15 AM on August 2, 2015


From Cassell's Dictionary of Slang:

"trump v. [mid-17C] to break wind loudly; occas. also of the vagina, to make a similar noise during sexual intercourse. [SE trump, to trumpet]"
posted by Paul Slade at 12:04 PM on August 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


They just start screaming until they give into passion, furiously making out like one huge pink multi-limbed hatred orb.

I will end you.




Hell, after reading that, I want to end me.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:35 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]




Trump is garbage capitialism, greed and egoism personified, but the prospect of a Trump presidency (as slim as it may be) is *vastly* less horrifying than a Walker, Cruz, Santorum, Huckabee presidency.
posted by young_son at 1:33 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Do not underestimate the ego of Donald Trump, the man is the personification of Dunning-Kruger. He really thinks everyone else is a moron and that he can win it all.

My bet is he's staying in it to win it (see the firing of the staffer above, for example) and he has enough money to stay in for the long haul. Bless his black little heart.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:37 PM on August 2, 2015


My main thing about Trump is that he obviously surrounds himself with yes-men, people who only tell him what he wants to hear. Evidence: his hair, there's no way in hell he'd have kept his hairstyle for more than 30 minutes if there was single organism within 500m of him who dared tell him the truth to his face.
The fact that he goes out into the world looking like that is all the proof I need that he lives in a self-made fantasy world.
posted by signal at 2:00 PM on August 2, 2015 [5 favorites]


One of my favourite Letterman bits is Trump or Monkey?
posted by juiceCake at 2:07 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


There's a concept in marketing called Anchoring, where a product with an extraordinarily high price is placed alongside other products to make them look more appealing, and reasonably priced in comparison. Think of the $100 poilane bread or the $100 watermelons/cantelopes in high end grocery stores, for example.

I am convinced that Donald Trump is an anchored candidate - his antics and pronouncements distract from the political narrative and make the other outliers look closer to centre. I also think that Sarah Palin played that role (to a lesser degree) in the previous nominations.

If we take these two out of the running, how will the other candidates' policies and promises sound like?
posted by seawallrunner at 2:47 PM on August 2, 2015 [7 favorites]


Of course, Trump's not the only 2016 candidate to have attempted to suppress a documentary.

And this one went all the way to the Supreme Court.

During oral arguments, the prosecutor claimed that the target of the documentary was so special, it would be illegal to even publish a book discussing her.
posted by Hatashran at 2:52 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


I am convinced that Donald Trump is an anchored candidate - his antics and pronouncements distract from the political narrative and make the other outliers look closer to centre. I also think that Sarah Palin played that role (to a lesser degree) in the previous nominations.

Sarah Palin was the Republican nominee for the Vice Presidency. Candidates for the Presidency don't pick a VP candidate as a distraction -- quite the opposite, in fact.

And if Trump were an anchored candidate, he would just be out there being racist and crazy without taking shots at other Republicans. His attacking Lindsey Graham didn't make Graham (or anyone else) look closer to the center.

Ben Carson may be an anchor, but not Trump. He has never -- over the last forty years of being in the public eye -- shown that he could tamp down his own ego enough to work for someone else's benefit.
posted by Etrigan at 3:21 PM on August 2, 2015 [4 favorites]


The only thing that separates Trump from other nut-job candidates is his high profile as a tabloid/reality show personality. The most annoying thing, as Jon Stewart pointed out a few weeks ago, was how the MSM continues to feed the troll.

What continues to bother me is the attention the NYTimes and NPR give the Trump campaign. I worry the idea of the damage Trump does to the RNC brand is too compelling for them to resist giving him undue attention that feeds the troll. While it's nice for the paranoid-delusion wing of the Republican party to be so openly exposed, this kind of motivated journalism is the antithesis of impartial reporting I would prefer.
posted by midmarch snowman at 3:35 PM on August 2, 2015


Of course, Trump's not the only 2016 candidate to have attempted to suppress a documentary.

If you are trying to suggest that Hillary Clinton tried to suppress Hillary: The Movie, you should read the page you linked to.
posted by peeedro at 3:42 PM on August 2, 2015 [5 favorites]


My theory about the true secret reason behind Donald Trump's presidential run is that he's a narcissistic blowhard.
posted by kyrademon at 4:00 PM on August 2, 2015 [10 favorites]


Y'all, I've long defended Mark Cuban, despite him being obviously insane, but yesterday I read that he wants to be Trump's running mate, and that's just a step too far. I think it's time for an intervention before this gets really ugly...
posted by dejah420 at 5:16 PM on August 2, 2015


Re: Anchoring ... I think that's a good point, and it's also an example of someone shifting the Overton Window, where if an idea at an edge of the acceptability range becomes more popular, then the window of acceptability itself shifts and the formerly extreme ideas become more palatable. If Trump keeps his popularity, everyone will shift in his direction.

The $100 cantaloupe analogy is also an example of a Veblen good, which is something that is desirable because it's expensive and not for any other real reason. Trump likes to portray his personal brand as a Veblen good -- he's rich, so his quality is self-evident.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:17 PM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


Jimmy Carter thinks your country is no longer a democracy.

Careful out there, kids.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:15 PM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


Evidence: his hair, there's no way in hell he'd have kept his hairstyle for more than 30 minutes if there was single organism within 500m of him who dared tell him the truth to his face.

But this fits with the cosplay aspect: of course he has ridiculous hair, because that's the character he plays, and has played at least for the past 20 years, slapping his name on things and selling the rights to his name. He is his own stereotype, which is actually pretty valuable in politics, because it makes it harder to be categorised.
posted by holgate at 8:55 PM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Jimmy Carter thinks your country is no longer a democracy.

A former US President says something pretty unsparing about a country he used to run, and his words rate no mention in the NYTimes or any mainstream press outlet.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 11:28 PM on August 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


There remains no way the RNC allows Trump to be their nominee. The Koch Brothers have already frozen him out, and the business wing of the GOP would never permit it.

I read this a lot, and maybe everyone who says it is right, but I don't quite get how that's supposed to work. The candidate is chosen through the primary process. Whoever rallies the base and gets enough votes wins, and if it's someone the business wing doesn't like, how do they thwart the will of the people?

I think Trump is likely to implode, too, but what if he doesn't?
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:01 AM on August 3, 2015


It's sort of funny how un-dramatic the [24 year old] documentary is. Lots of people saying some variation of "You'll never believe what this guy did -- he lied about how much he paid for a property, then when he sold it, he lied about how much he sold it for!" or "This guy uses his father's good name and political connections to get what he wants -- can you believe it!!" Almost quaint.

...yeah, hard to think about it, but those are hardly accusations these days.

There's a trend in modern documentaries to re-enact parts of the story with live action, which invariably injects some drama into the tale. Perhaps the above comment underscores the need to update this documentary with some re-enactments. For casting, Alec Baldwin hands-down, though a part of me wants to see Christopher Walken as The Donald.

There's just enough time to get this remake before the public, and it could help avert this catastrophe. It could be this year's "House of Cards", at any rate.
posted by Artful Codger at 8:55 AM on August 3, 2015


how do they thwart the will of the people?

I think there are things they could do at the convention, or games they could play with delegates, but it would be a bad look.
posted by drezdn at 9:02 AM on August 3, 2015


how do they thwart the will of the people?

Mitt Romney won the Republican nomination in 2012 with just over 10 million votes. That's between 1/5th and 1/6th of registered Republicans. Primaries are won by those who show up, and it wouldn't be that difficult for the money men to get more people to show up if they really wanted to.
posted by Etrigan at 9:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]


Whoever rallies the base and gets enough votes wins, and if it's someone the business wing doesn't like, how do they thwart the will of the people?

What Etrigan said.

Also: Trump is not your standard-issue GOP candidate. You have to remember that Trump (despite surface appearances) is NOT ultimately comparable to a token rhetorical-bomb-throwin', red-meat-tossin' candidate like Ted Cruz who, however much he may (deliberately) piss off Republican leadership in Congress, is nonetheless a lifelong Republican and conservative to his bones. Trump has no recognizable long-term ideology other than self-promotion, and this will ultimately doom his hopes as a would-be major party candidate.

In past election cycles, Cruz would be the one saying offensive things to rile up the base and give the impression of a serious challenge from the far-right. Cruz HAS, but nobody cares since Trump is sucking all of that particular oxygen out of the room at the moment. There's not much for someone like a Cruz to do but nod approvingly and largely stay out of it until Trump implodes. Then, Cruz can swoop in and try to scoop up as many Trump voters as he can. Trump's campaign to-date has been a weird amalgamation of fiery anti-immigrant rhetoric (which the base loves) and my-vast-wealth-is-evidence-of-my-competence bravado, but what's captured the headlines and mesmerized the media is that it all comes seasoned with personal insults and attacks aimed directly at the rest of the GOP field (e.g., directly insulting Perry's intelligence, joking about McCain's war hero status, etc.).

This bizarre cocktail is catnip to certain elements of the base NOW, but we're in August 2015 with a field of 16 (!?) contenders for the GOP crown. Since Trump doesn't seem to have an actual ideology, it makes no sense to think the base-rallying effect we seem to be seeing now has any staying power once the grossly large field of candidates begins to get whittled down.
posted by Xavier Xavier at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015




In the new Bloomberg poll, Trump leads Bush by more than 2-to-1, and is the leader in almost every demographic category (except, we can presume, Hispanic and Latino voters), even "born-again" evangelicals. He's only behind Bush by a single percentage point among "moderate" Republicans.

I don't even think the Anita Sarkeesian popcorn.gif could fully express how crazy this whole thing is. I can't wait for Thursday!
posted by zombieflanders at 9:33 AM on August 4, 2015


Oh, and apparently his favorables have undergone almost a complete flip from rock-bottom to rock-solid, as well.

Primaries are won by those who show up, and it wouldn't be that difficult for the money men to get more people to show up if they really wanted to.

Whatever makes the money men spend a ton of money in the circular firing squad (or at this point, one largely aimed at Trump) is win for Democrats. They might have to spend a lot of money and alienate a lot of people doing it.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:43 AM on August 4, 2015


The question now is does everyone else gang up on Trump, or does everyone else start carving off other guys who are too close to themselves (e.g., Huckabee, Jindal, and Perry try to grab the "Southern Christian" spot; Christie and Walker as blue-state Governors; Bush-Gilmore-Santorum-Kasich as swing-staters...) to consolidate their appeal and wait for Trump to implode?
posted by Etrigan at 10:26 AM on August 4, 2015


does everyone else start carving off other guys who are too close to themselves

That assumes that everybody is actually running for president, when some are running for president, some are running for VP, and some are running for the grift. As long as there's money coming in and no actual voting, there's no incentive to unload the clown car.
posted by holgate at 10:44 AM on August 4, 2015


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