Comment on Trump Is Bonding Americans Together The Same Way Bibi Is Bonding Jews Together by dickie

Parent Post: Trump Is Bonding Americans Together The Same Way Bibi Is Bonding Jews Together · In Reply To

dickie · 10/1/2026, 6:04:51 AM · permalink

“He's not securing HIS future. Transparently not.”

I don't know how anyone could possibly know that about another person's motives, but Trump is an especially strange person to make that argument about.

This is a man who has spent decades putting his own name on practically everything he can monetize: Trump Tower, Trump Hotels, Trump National golf clubs, Trump Winery, condos, resorts, Bibles, sneakers, watches, perfume, coins, NFTs and now cryptocurrency and mobile service. His own company markets the whole collection as the “World of Trump.” New Trump-branded developments were still being announced internationally in 2026.

And this isn't merely old branding from before politics. During and after his return to presidential politics, Trump licensed his name and image for $100,000 watches, sneakers, Bibles and other merchandise, then launched the $TRUMP meme coin shortly before taking office. AP reported that his 2025 financial disclosure showed major income from crypto, golf and resort properties, real estate and branded merchandise.

You can argue that Trump believes his policies are good for the country. That's a political judgment.

But “he isn't securing his own future” is something else entirely. The observable record is of a man who has spent most of his adult life building, promoting, licensing and monetizing his own name, and who continued doing it while serving as president.

If there is one politician for whom “he has no interest in his own legacy or brand” requires evidence, Donald J. Trump seems like an unusually difficult choice.

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saarnok · 10/1/2026, 10:36:54 PM · permalink

I absolutely get what you're saying. I absolutely agree it's reasonable for you to come to that conclusion.  
  
Especially regarding how he's been portrayed, often by people who most people think admire him.  
  
I contrast what he needed to do to secure his and his family's future as a president of the US, which apparently can be almost publically advertised grifting with apparently no possibility of problematic scrutiny, with what he actually did, which exposed him to liability at every conceivable level.  
  
So, where you're finding yourself is contrasting a guy who was a billionaire who at least most public figures at the very least accepted as a brash gaudy billionaire with: "The sea level's are rising, so I'll buy ultra expensive property at Martha's Vinyard with money I shouldn't even possibly have." Obama.  
  
You seem to be genuinely trying to develop an honest transaction with reality as far as you can determine it.  
  
But, I think you're not quite employing the degree of skepticism to the narratives you're fed that you need to employ.

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