The HyperTexts

Donald Trump Reasons to be President (NOT!)
My Top Ten Reasons to "Fire" Donald Trump

These are my top ten reasons for not supporting Donald Trump, and for not voting for him in the coming presidential elections. I hope other American voters will join me in saying "You're fired!" to Donald Trump.

Donald Trump claims to be a Christian, but has anyone ever been less like Jesus Christ than The Donald?

According to the Bible, the fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." As far as I can tell, the current Republican presidential frontrunner exhibits precious little fruit of the Spirit. Donald Trump is the antithesis of Jesus, being a proud, arrogant man who seems to value only money, power, domination, fame and sex. He admitted that he never asks God for forgiveness, and he insulted Holy Communion by speaking dismissively of the body and blood of Jesus Christ as his "little bread" and "little wine." Would any real Christian speak of Holy Communion so lightly? Does it make any sense whatsoever for Christians to vote for politicians who are nothing like Christ, especially when they reject his main ethical teaching: to help the poor, widows and orphans? Trump is not talking about helping widows and orphans, but turning our backs on them if they are not Christian. What about the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus clearly taught that Christians should put aside religious differences to help people of other faiths who have fallen on hard times? Jesus was born into a family in Palestine that was told there was "no room" for a pregnant woman and her baby. Trump would clearly have turned his backs on Joseph, Mary and Jesus because they were refugees from the "wrong" part of the world, and not Christians! Is that Christian, really?

Jesus Christ: Blessed are the peacemakers. Trump: I am the most militaristic person on the planet.
Jesus Christ: You cannot serve God and Mammon. Trump inflates his net worth by billions, then sues people who suggest he is worth less than he claims.
Jesus Christ told a rich young Republican of his day to help the poor before he became a disciple. Trump wants to deport the poor without due process and ban non-Christian refugees, even widows and orphans.

Trump is putting the X back in Xmas by X-ing out refugee children and their mothers. If baby Jesus and Mary showed up needing shelter, Trump wouldn't provide them with even a lowly manger. Instead, he'd order American soldiers to drive them back into the wilderness at gunpoint. Meanwhile, this is what the satanic festivities at the White House looked like last year: Trump Christmas.

This list could go on for pages, because when have two men ever been less alike that Jesus and Trump?

Killing women and children is evil, morally wrong, un-Christian, un-American, and will not help win the war on terror.

Trump is a rank amateur who doesn't understand the most basic things about geopolitics, national security and waging an international war against terrorism. Donald "Trump of Doom" and Ted "Cruz Missile" have made it clear that they want to "carpet bomb" their way to "victory" over ISIS. But the real military experts have pointed out that we tried large-scale bombing in Vietnam, it didn't work, and indiscriminate killing of civilians violates international law and the Geneva Conventions, not to mention human decency and common sense. What will happen if Americans start killing Muslim women and children? ISIS and other terrorist groups will be flooded with recruits and donations. Trump is a loudly braying jackass who will do anything to "build his brand" and steal the American presidency. Cruz is a creep who is loathed by most of his own party, not to mention the other parties. Only creeps talk about carpet-bombing: something that is morally wrong, does not win wars, and would be counter-productive in the war against terror according to every military and security expert that I have heard to date.

Trump recently said that if elected president he would have the US military track down the widows and orphans of dead terrorists, to either "take them out" (i.e., murder them) or make them "suffer" in "retribution" for things they didn't do themselves. Trump would, in effect, turn American soldiers into hunters, abusers and serial killers of noncombatant women and children, in violation of international law, the Geneva Conventions, human decency and common sense. And he speaks with a wild braggadocios glee of being "the most militaristic" person on the planet, as if that's a very good thing. He and Ted "Cruz Missile" also speak giddily of carpet bombing ISIS into submission even though all the military experts seem to agree that such aerial bombardments would be war crimes and will not lead to victory. Rather, the experts point out that defeating ISIS will require Muslim boots on the ground. Carpet bombing of Muslims is not going to help the American cause, quite obviously. But delusional fascists like Hitler, Trump and Cruz have no time for facts and logic; they believe they are fated to "win" because they are "superior" and victory over "inferior" people is their "destiny." In other words they observe the creed of every playground bully: "Might makes right!" The person who can bully and/or beat other people into submission is "superior" according to the law of the jungle, which "trumps" compassion and justice (if you'll pardon the pun). And even Hitler understood that normal soldiers cannot murder women and children knowingly without losing their sanity. So Hitler used specially-trained assassins to hunt down and murder Jewish women and children after he came up with his ghoulish "final solution." I hope and pray that the US does not have such assassins, and that American soldiers would go to the brig rather than follow the ghoulish orders of Herr Trump and Herr Cruz.

Here is what Trump said during an interview with Bill O'Reilly of Fox News:

Donald Trump: We have to do what Israel was doing for a period of time. "Take out" means you have to wipe out their homes where they came from. You have to absolutely wipe them out. It’s the only way you’re going to stop terrorism. You have all these cells all over the place …

Bill O’Reilly: Would you kill the family members of terrorists? Would you have killed the Bin Laden family?

Donald Trump: I don’t want to be so bold. I will tell you, they will suffer! ... We have to be much more vigilant and we have to be much tougher. We can’t allow this to happen … There has to be retribution and if there never is retribution you’re never going to stop terrorism.

However, Israeli security experts quickly pointed out that Israel does not deliberately target women and children for purposes of "retribution," nor for any other purposes. Such targeting of noncombatants would be a war crime. Israel has never "absolutely wiped out" women and children. When women and children have been killed by Israel's military, Israel has always claimed those were mistakes, not deliberate acts.

Donald Trump is clearly talking about junking the Constitution and Bill of Rights in the name of "security."

Donald Trump's latest, greatest idea is pure genius! After we have thrown away the Constitution and freedom of religion by banning Muslims, we should double down and ban freedom of speech as well! It's past time to start "closing that Internet up"! Who needs it? It has no possible use, other than as a tool for extremist recruiting! Just turn the damn thing off and watch the official Trump broadcasts on real television! Quick, call Bill Gates and tell him to shut down that pesky Internet contraption! Everyone knows he invented it, owns it and controls it! But what about Americans who favor freedom of speech? According to Herr Führer Trump "these are foolish people!" So the American founding fathers were idiots, not smart like The Donald! Does Trump know that it's called "the Internet," not "that Internet"? Is he aware that his beloved Tweets require "that Internet"? Does he realize that he is only able to Tweet lies and nonsense because of documents called the Constitution and Bill or Rights? Has anyone informed him that the president of the United States must take an oath to protect and uphold those rights for all Americans? — Michael R. Burch

Donald Trump is unbelievably disrespectful and cruel to women.

Some of the best Donald Trump jokes are the ones he makes of himself, through his oafish, boorish behavior. Here's what the Trumpster said about Hillary Clinton during a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan: "She was going to beat Obama ... She was going to beat ... she was favored to win ... and she got schlonged. She lost. She lost." (Never mind that Trump has four bankruptcies and many other failures on his résumé, including Trump University, Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Mortgage, Trump the Game, etc.) Trump also rudely and crudely mocked Clinton for taking a bathroom break during a debate: "I thought she gave up! Where did she go? Where did Hillary go? They had to start the debate without her. Phase II. I know where she went. It's disgusting. I don't want to talk about it." Then why bring it up, Mr. I Never Have to Pee Because My Schlong is Perfect Like the Rest of Me? (The Donald reminds me of a child who, having been informed that his mother urinates, has a temper tantrum in disbelief.) Trump's zany "speech" was interrupted by protestors whose freedom of speech was denied when they were ejected by Trump's brownshirts. Herr Führer Trump, who does like anyone to contradict him or point out his mistakes, suggested that the protesters might be "drugged out" and chided another group for being "so weak" they didn't resist directions to leave. The Trumpamaniac has stripped away and tossed aside any remaining shreds of sanity and decency. The would-be emperor is now running around in public, entirely sans clothes, waving his schlong, screaming "Look at me! Vote for me!" Some Americans have been gullible enough to take Trump as a serious candidate, but I suppose even in their madness King George and Nero had followers.

Donald Trump is neither a gentleman nor a scholar. Who talks about female politicians getting "schlonged"? Who says it's "disgusting" four times for women to take bathroom breaks? Who re-tweets neo-Nazi race statistics? Who says three times "We have to take out their families!" meaning that under Commander-in-Chief Trump, American soldiers must become serial killers of the widows and orphans of dead terrorists? Who makes faces when other people are speaking, except the classroom bully who never grew up, causing one viewer to compare him to a "stretched Cheerio"? Another critic suggested that Trump should just go ahead, "stick out his tongue" and "make moose antlers" with his fingers. If as children we had spoken as insultingly as Trump about women, or had made faces when grownups were trying to carry on a serious conversation, we would have been disciplined, and rightly so. Trump had behavior problems as a boy, so his father sent him to a military academy, but it didn't seem to take. Rosalind Wiseman, the author of a series of books about childhood bullies, has compared Trump to an eight-grade girl who bullies her peers: "He's absolutely operating as an intelligent, manipulative bully who truly does not care about the consequences of his actions. He delights in his own ability to manipulate and to show that nobody can stop him."

Donald Trump is a narcissist and an egomaniac.

Donald Trump constantly brags about how "smart" he is, but he makes absolutely no sense on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the disgusting nature of women's bathroom breaks to the virtues of carpet bombing. Take, for example, the case of Mr. Putin, when he recently flattered The Donald. Of course Trump, being an egomaniac, immediately embraced Mr. Putin with open arms. It was bromance at first blush, except that Trump doesn't have the grace to blush when he's praised. But what about the source? As Joe Scarborough pointed out to the Trumpster, Mr. Putin has been accused of murdering journalists and political opponents. There is no doubt that he ordered the invasion and annexation of Crimea. There is little if any doubt that he is responsible for considerable death and destruction in Ukraine. Should someone running for president of the United States welcome praise by someone like Mr. Putin? Here is Trump's attempt to defend his new best buddy: "Nobody has proven that he's killed anyone ... He's always denied it ... You're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, at least in our country. It has not been proven that he's killed reporters." But if this is true, what about all the people Trump wants to ban, deport, punish and even kill, who have never been proven guilty of anything, and who are much less likely to be guilty of major crimes than Mr. Putin? Trump wants to deport 11 million suspected illegal immigrants without due process, including millions of women and children. How many of those women and children are likely to be more dangerous than Mr. Putin? Surely none. Trump also wants to ban Syrian refugees, including widows and orphans. How many of them are likely to be more dangerous than Mr. Putin? Furthermore, Trump wants the US military to hunt down and "take out" (murder) the widows and orphans of dead terrorists on the assumption that they knew something about the attacks and could have prevented them, but didn't. That's a pretty huge assumption! How many babies and toddlers can keep adult men in countries half a world away from doing anything? It seems quite obvious that Trump cares nothing about innocence or justice; like all fascists, he cares about power and the exercise of power. And that is why Herr Trump defends the powerful Mr. Putin, while brushing weaker people aside like insignificant ants. (But on the brighter side, any criminal who flatters President Trump will automatically be pardoned, embraced and paraded before the world as further proof of Trump's "brilliance.")

Does Donald Trump have a serious mental disorder? According to the experts at the Mayo Clinic, these are the DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder:

Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance: Trump claims that only he can "make American great again" when in reality his "experience" has been running virtual dictatorships surrounded by obsequious "yes men."
Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it: Trump exaggerates his wealth and ignores his many failures such as four casino bankruptcies, Trump University, Trump Air, etc.
Exaggerating your achievements and talents: Ditto, plus Trump is clearly delusional if he thinks he is more "attractive" than Heidi Klum and more "intelligent" than every other person on the planet.
Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate: "You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass!"
Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people: Trump says it is "unbelievable" and "sad" when other people disagree with his ludicrous "plans."
Requiring constant admiration: Trump never stops bragging about his wealth, "good looks" and "intelligence" (but people who are truly confident don't have to brag, so The Donald seems very insecure).
Having a sense of entitlement: Trump constantly talks over other people; he seems to think he is the only person entitled to have an opinion and voice it. 
Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations: Trump regularly has people physically removed from his campaign events for disagreeing with him.
Taking advantage of others to get what you want: Trump brags about bribing and "owning" politicians, taking advantage of bankruptcy laws and courts, etc.
Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others: Trump even ignores the plight of completely innocent refugee women and children!
Being envious of others and believing others envy you: Donald Trump obviously believes that everyone else wants to be Donald Trump.
Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner: Trump is the most arrogant, haughty and belittling person that most of us have witnessed in our lifetimes, and by a considerable margin!

Not only is Donald Trump a perfect 12-for-12 on the list of symptoms above, but can we think of anyone living who exceeds him in these categories? Trump seems to be in a class by himself as a self-important braggart and glory hog. His main rivals may be famous narcissists of the past like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Napoleon and King Henry VIII.

For mental-health professionals, Donald Trump is easily diagnosed. "Remarkably narcissistic," said developmental psychologist Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education. "Textbook narcissistic personality disorder," echoed clinical psychologist Ben Michaelis. "He's so classic that I'm archiving video clips of him to use in workshops because there's no better example of his characteristics," said clinical psychologist George Simon, who conducts lectures and seminars on manipulative behavior. "Otherwise, I would have had to hire actors and write vignettes. He's like a dream come true."

Narcissists demand empathy from others yet are lacking in empathy themselves. Trump demands that everyone else must be "nice" to him even as he insults other people right and left, with no regard for their feelings. Narcissists are extremely sensitive to criticism. Trump lashes out at anyone who questions him, even when they are only quoting what he said himself, as when Megyn Kelly pointed out that he really did call women pigs, dogs, etc. Narcissists are poor listeners, and Trump is one of the worst because the only opinion he respects is quite obviously his own. Narcissists are clever exploiters of other people and events, and it's easy to see the gears turning in Trump's head as he seeks to exploit every possible opportunity and turn it to his advantage, even if it means writing off 11 million people in one fell swoop. Hitler did something very similar when he wrote off millions of Jews, creating what developed into the Holocaust. Narcissists "feel entitled to special treatment, ignore criticism, and intimidate others," according to Ryne Sherman, a personality psychologist at Florida Atlantic University, who added, "They also tend to overestimate their capabilities, which results in trying to accomplish too much too quickly and overextending one's resources." And of course that becomes a recipe for disaster when the narcissist controls the most powerful military on the planet, as with Napoleon, Hitler and possibly now Trump. Narcissists are quick to take credit for others' achievements and blame colleagues and subordinates for their own failures. When Trump has to retract a tweet, it was invariably sent by an "intern," but every success is his alone. According to Joseph Burgo, psychotherapist and author of The Narcissist You Know: "You don't need a doctorate in psychology to wonder whether a man who feels the need to forever trumpet his superiority might feel an entirely different way underneath. The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks."

Donald Trump is a fascist like Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, et al.

Abe Foxman, former National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, says Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump urged supporters at a Florida rally Saturday to raise their arms in a Nazi salute to him. "As a Jew who survived the Holocaust, to see an audience of thousands of people raising their hands in what looks like the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute is about as offensive, obnoxious and disgusting as anything I thought I would ever witness in the United States of America," Foxman told The Times of Israel.

Men like Donald Trump who speak so cavalierly of abusing and murdering completely innocent women and children are sick, in the way that fascists of the past were sick: Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, et al. If one supports Trump, it's like supporting Hitler because their beliefs, "values" and worldviews are the same. Hitler was "superior" because he was Hitler and the lives of Jewish children mattered not a whit. Trump is "superior" because he is Trump, and the lives of Hispanic and Syrian children matter not in the least. 

When fascists of a feather flock together, they ignore "minor" complications such as the dead and mutilated children they leave in their warmongering wakes. Mr. Putin has spoken glowingly of Trump and his "talents," which seem to be very much like Mr. Putin's "talent" for trampling any human obstacles on his path to personal and national "glory." I think we can expect to see them riding stallions bare-chested together in the future, blowing big game animals to bits for "sport" while plotting the invasions of weaker nations, because—after all—that is what alpha male fascists do. Mr. Putin will no doubt agree to look the other way while Trump uses the US military to track down and murder the widows and orphans of dead terrorists. In return, Trump will agree to look the other way when Russia ignores the human rights of Crimean and Ukrainian women and children. Such heroes, these alpha males who love war and the trappings of war, and feel no compassion for the innocents who get caught in the crossfire! As long as they can "win," who the hell cares about collateral damage? Only bleeding heart liberals, weak-willed women and sissies worry about such "minor" complications! (Christians may want to consider the fact that Jesus Christ, the apostles and Hebrew prophets were such bleeding hearts.) When reporters asked Trump for clarifications about his murderous plans, he didn't even pause to reflect on the fact that he was talking about causing innocents to suffer and die. He brushed off the objections as if they made no sense ... the way it would have made no sense to Hitler to worry about the lives of Jewish women and children, however innocent.

"Would I approve waterboarding? You bet your ass I would—in a heartbeat," Trump said to loud cheers during a recent rally. "And I would approve more than that. Don't kid yourself, folks. It works, okay? It works. Only a stupid person would say it doesn't work." One can hear the glee in The Donald's voice as he contemplates using even darker methods than waterboarding: the ominous "more than that." Anyone who disagrees with the Trump of Doom is automatically "stupid," an "idiot," etc. But of course experts have pointed out that torture doesn't work because the person being tortured will say anything to get the torture to stop. But even if the torture doesn't work, Trump would do it anyway: "It works," Trump said over and over again. "Believe me, it works. And you know what? If it doesn't work, they deserve it anyway, for what they're doing. It works." But there are a number of problems with this evil, irrational "plan" of Trump's. The most evil thing, by far, is his ghoulish plan to punish the widows and orphans of dead terrorists who are beyond punishment because they are no longer alive. The other problems are obvious: (1) our intelligence is not perfect so the person being tortured may not be guilty; (2) the person being tortured may not have the information desired or may have been given misinformation by his/her handlers; (3) the US signed the Geneva Conventions and would be breaking international law by resorting to torture, as well as setting a terrible example for the rest of the world; (4) when American soldiers are captured there would be a tit-for-tat reason for them to be tortured; and (5) even during the dark days of WWII, when the danger was much greater, it was not "okay" for Americans to torture enemy soldiers even when American POWs were being tortured.

But in any case one has to wonder about the evident glee Trump feels when he "trumpets" the facts that he is "the most militaristic person on the planet," that he is ready and willing to turn American soldiers into serial killers of widows and orphans, and that he intends to use the US military to steal oil to fund his wars (the Dick Cheney plan that was tried and failed miserably, sending the price of oil skyrocketing and triggering a global recession that cost millions of people their jobs). Who brags about such things on national TV, except a lunatic? Even the Nazis had the sense not to advertise the horrors they intended for their most innocent victims.

Ben Carson is a world-famous neurosurgeon and he recently pointed out a symptom of fascism: fascists must have their way with other people. Carson calls this a "mental disorder" and he's an expert: "Republicans have this mental disorder sometimes that says, "A person doesn't agree with me 100%, I'm not with them, I'm going to go and sit down!" (Of course they sometimes do more than just "sit down.") Dr. Carson continued: "You know, I believe that was a disease that was implanted by the Democrats." But here Dr. Carson may be displaying a classic symptom of the mental disorder himself: denial and scapegoating. German Nazis saw themselves as both "supermen" and "victims." They were in deep denial about the real problem, which lay within themselves. Nazis claimed that all their problems were the fault of other people who had no real power over them: Jews, Gypsies, et al. Today American fascists claim to be intrinsically "better" than other people and they also claim to be their "victims." They claim to be the victims of immigrants, refugees, homosexuals, feminists, liberals, union workers, teachers, et al. The "real problem" always lies elsewhere, never with the bigots and their desire to be treated as the chosen and favored few.

Sieg Heil, Herr Hitler! Or should it be "Hair" Hitler, as some of the cartoonists now have it? Herr Führer Trump continues to sound more and more like Adolph Hitler. And like "singers" on American Idol who are tone deaf to their musical incompetence, our Hair Hitler seems to be tone deaf to his shrill, strident bigotry. Trump continues to insist that he loves "the blacks," "the Hispanics" and "the Jews" even as he insults them at every turn. And he continues to insist that they "love" him in return, even though the polls say otherwise. Herr Hitler lived in a world of delusions where the dark, dirty, dangerous Jews were responsible for all the problems of white Germans. Now, according to Hair Hitler, white Christians are the cat's meow, while people with darker skin are the "problem." Like Adolph, Herr Führer Trump insists that the "solution" is to separate the races and banish the "bad" people without due process. Like Adolph, he uses fear, lies and racist propaganda, while ignoring any facts he finds inconvenient. How wonderfully well did things work out for Nazi Germany? Not so well, because Adolph Hitler was a high-energy hysteric, not a deep thinker. Hair Hitler is also a high-energy hysteric with zany "ideas." Caveat emptor! (Buyer, beware!)

As Roger Cohen recently pointed out: "The Weimar Republic ended with a clown's ascent to power, a high-energy buffoon who shouted loudest, a bully from the beer halls, a racist and a bigot. He was an outsider given to theatrics and pageantry." Back then no one dreamed that a funny-looking high-energy buffoon like Adolph Hitler would start a war destined to leave much of the world in ruins and kill 70 million people. No one foresaw the horrors of the Holocaust. Now it seems possible that it can happen again, unless the American people exercise much better judgement.

Donald Trump is unstable.

It's ironic that Donald Trump, a casino magnate, has become the political equivalent of the gambler on a hot streak who keeps upping the ante, betting over and over against all odds than he can continue to win. But of course the House always wins in the end. In this cause the House is the American public, which will undoubtedly "trump" The Donald as it becomes unmistakably clear that he is a man who cannot control his actions, or even his tongue. In the end, Americans will have to decide who they can trust with the nuclear codes, the awesome power of the American military, and our soldiers' lives. That is a very serious decision, and many people who sympathized with Trump's unhappiness will conclude that they can't trust him with so much power, because he appears to have flipped his lid many times over. We all know what happened when another flighty, "high energy" hysteric was handed the keys to power by Germany. Will Americans elected Herr Trump, who sounds increasingly deranged, like Herr Hitler? No, Americans will not choose Hitler's ghastly "solutions" and another Holocaust. Rather, in another irony, they will resort to Trump's favorite solution, and tell him: "You're fired!" And he'll probably face more bankruptcies―yet another irony―as consumers around the world refuse to do business with a bigot.

While Donald Trump often looks and sounds like a cartoon character, I think we have to take him at his word. He sounds dead serious to me when he talks about forcing American soldiers to become hunters, trackers and serial murderers of the widows and orphans of dead terrorists. "We have to take out their families!" he said three times in one interview. Why? His "logic" seems to be that because dead terrorists are beyond our reach, American soldiers must take what Trump calls "retribution" by forcing their widows and orphans to "suffer" or die. Such talk is truly chilling to those of us with human hearts, and especially to those who know about the Holocaust and Hitler's ghastly "final solution." Trump fancies himself a "military expert" and brags about being "the most militaristic person on the planet" as if that is something to be proud of. But the same things can be said about Adolph Hitler: he was the most militaristic person of his day; he loved war and the trappings of war; he had no regard for the lives of noncombatant women and children; and, like Trump, Hitler considered himself to be a genius and a military expert. But Hitler made all sorts of idiotic blunders that led to the destruction of Germany and much of the rest of the world. Approximately 70 million people died during WWII, and Hitler's super-inflated ego was one of the primary causes. Now nearly every day we hear The Donald telling us how rich, "handsome" and "smart" he is. Of course people who are truly confident don't brag constantly, so Trump seems to be deeply insecure. But I think we have to take Trump seriously, no matter how crazy he sounds, because we know what happened in the not-so-distant past. Hitler looked funny, acted funny and talked funny. In the early days of his campaigns, few people thought that he would ever rule Germany and be able to act out his insane fantasies. But enough gullible people had their passions inflamed by Hitler's irrational speeches that he did rise to power. Now Trump is saying very similar irrational things in his speeches and millions of Americans are applauding. If you don't know what happened, for the sake of yourself and your loved ones, please take the time to study the history of how Hitler and the Nazis rose to power. If you do know what happened, please consider the most famous of the Holocaust poems, which begins in one version with the lines: "First they came for the Jews / but I was not a Jew / so I did not speak out." The poem was written by a German pastor who supported Trump, only to end up in a concentration camp himself. He came to rue the day that he ever supported Hitler. If enough Germans had opposed Hitler by voting for sane candidates, the world could have avoided WWII. What happens next to us? In a democracy must depends on our votes. I will vote against Trump and his ilk in every election, and I hope you will too. — Michael R. Burch, an editor and publisher of Holocaust poetry

Donald Trump is a High-Energy Hysteric, Like Adolph Hitler

Donald Trump reminds me of another high-energy hysteric: Adolph Hitler. Like Hitler, the Trump of Doom instills irrational fears in his followers while presenting himself as the only "leader" strong enough and smart enough to "save" them from "certain destruction." But Hitler was mad and it was he who made destruction certain, with Germans paying an unthinkable price for buying into his madness. Now Trump is more than obviously playing according to the Nazi playbook for winning elections. That means ignoring facts and reality, wildly exaggerating dangers, blatant lying, dismissing and ridiculing all voices of reason, having protestors silenced and physically removed from rallies, blaming all problems on stereotyped and scapegoated minorities, and presenting war and brute force as the "only solutions" to highly complex problems. Of course none of this worked in the real world for Germans, and it won't work for Americans either. What can sane Americans do? Well, when one candidate is Hitler, you automatically vote for the other candidate. Hillary Clinton is not my favorite politician, but she is worlds better than Herr Hitler, Herr Trump and Herr Cruz (who is saying the same insane things, only more calmly and carefully). And really, what other choice do we have at this point, in a two-party system?

Comments by Mark Bowden, Who Met Trump While Writing an Article for Playboy

"Trump struck me as adolescent, hilariously ostentatious, arbitrary, unkind, profane, dishonest, loudly opinionated, and consistently wrong. He remains the most vain man I have ever met. And he was trying to make a good impression!"
"He has no coherent political philosophy ... He just reacts. Trump lives in a fantasy of perfection, with himself as its animating force."
"I was prepared to like him ... But no. With Trump, what you see is what you get. His behavior was cringe-worthy. It was hard to watch the way he treated those around him."
"What was clear was how fast and far one could fall from favor. The trip from 'genius' to 'idiot' was a flash. The pilots who flew his plane were geniuses, until they made one too many bumpy landings and became 'fucking idiots.'"

When Bowden observed Trump having a fit on a tennis court, Trump tried to bribe him not to mention the fit by offering to let Bowden write a book about him! And today? "As I've watched his improbable political rise, it is clear that he hasn't changed. The very things that made him so unappealing apparently now translate into wide popular support. Apart from the comical ego, the errors, and the self-serving bluster, what you get from Trump are commonplace ideas pronounced as received wisdom. Begin registering all Muslims in America? Round up the families of suspected terrorists? Ban all Muslims from entering the country? Carpet-bomb ISIS-held territories in Iraq (killing the 98-plus percent of civilians who are, in effect, being held hostage there by the terror group and turning a war against a tiny fraction of the world's Muslims into a global religious crusade)? Using nuclear weapons? The ideas that pop into his head are the same ones that occur to any teenager angry about terror attacks. They appeal to anyone who can't be bothered to think them through—can't be bothered to ask not just the moral questions but the all-important practical one: Will doing this makes things better or worse? When you believe in your own genius, you don't question your own flashes of inspiration."

Donald Trump has no experience in governance, no knowledge of geopolitics, and he is unable or unwilling to listen to people who are better informed.

Button! Button!

"Button! Button! Who's got the button?"―Ted Cruz recently suggested that wild men like Donald Trump and Ben Carson cannot be trusted with the nuclear button and codes.
"Maniac! Maniac! Who's the little maniac?"―Donald Trump of Doom quickly countered that Mr. Cruz Missile is the real maniac.

But what if they're both right, and all three Republican frontrunners for president are insane? Let's examine the evidence. First, Herr Führer Trump said that it is "absolutely necessary" to round up and deport 11 million suspected illegal immigrants without due process, creating a new Holocaust with enormous interment/concentration camps. Otherwise we "don't have a country" (even though we have always had illegal immigrants). Thus, The Donald would "trump" the Constitution, Bill of Rights and common decency. Later, Trump said that "security must rule" and that it is now necessary to do "unthinkable" things such as discard freedom of religion (ban all Muslims) and freedom of speech (get Bill Gates to "close that Internet up"). Then the hyperactive and hysterical Trump of Doom proclaimed that the U.S. military should hunt down the widows and orphans of dead terrorists to either "take them out" or make them "suffer" in "retribution." So we should also throw out the Geneva Conventions and turn our soldiers into serial killers and abusers of women and children. Ben Carson trumped The Donald by saying the U.S. military should use weaponized drones to bomb caves where suspected illegal immigrants hide, killing women and children with no link to terrorism. Carson also said that if a Russian plane flew into a no-fly zone, he would have it shot down to "see what happens." Welcome to WWIII, care of Crazy Ben Carson! But Mr. Cruz Control trumped both Carson and Trump by saying that as president he would "carpet bomb" the Middle East with nukes to see if the sands will glow at night. Yes, I think Trump and Cruz are undeniably correct: all three Republican frontrunners for president are mad as hatters! But what about the "more moderate" Republican candidates? Well, the bad joke's still on American voters because Jeb Bush has security advisers who include hawkish neo-cons like John Hannah, Stephen Hadley, Porter Goss and Paul Wolfowitz, the latter "a major architect of President Bush's Iraq policy and ... its most hawkish advocate." Just what we don't need: another dumbed-down Bush with the same war-mad advisers who thought it would be a great idea to invade Iraq on completely false premises, lying to the American public at every turn. Jeb Bush labors under the delusion that his brother was a "great president" who kept Americans "safe." The facts suggest otherwise, and two-thirds of Americans believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. But what about Marco Rubio, isn't he more moderate? Hardly. Rubio is a climate change denier, opposes gay marriage, voted against the Violence Against Women Act even being debated, and is anti-choice even in cases of rape, incest and a pregnant woman's life being endangered (he says a fertilized egg's "right to life" trumps all other rights, apparently even when the egg will die anyway because a pregnant female will die without an abortion). There is nothing "moderate" about a politician willing to become a serial killer of pregnant girls and women because he values microscopic eggs that are unable to think or feel, over fully-developed human beings who certainly can, and should have a say in what happens to their bodies and lives. But really all the Republican candidates seem to have the same medieval alpha male beliefs―Trump is wildly uninhibited, Carson a bit more dignified in his befuddled way, Cruz and Rubio more demure (or are they just sneakier?) But the lunacy oozes from their pores; it is part of who and what they are, like one of those toads that secretes poison through its warty skin. They are "pro-life" only up to the moment of birth. As soon as a baby is born they become Darwinists, believing in the survival of the fittest. Black babies born in the projects should fend for themselves, who cares if their mothers are drug-addicted teenagers? They claim to be "Christians" but they are nothing like Jesus Christ, who told a rich young Republican of his day that before he became a disciple he should give everything he had to help the poor and needy. And Jesus evidently walked the walk because according to the Bible he died with only the clothes on his back, which the Roman centurions threw lots for. Jesus's family were refugees who were told there was "no room" for them. Can anyone possibly believe that Jesus would turn his back on Syrian widows and orphans? But this is what all the Republican presidential candidates would have us believe―the richest, most powerful nation on earth, and the one that claims to be the most "Christian," is too poor and too cowardly to take in widows and orphans. Are these men as "tough" as they want us to believe, or are they hypocrites? And who was it that Jesus Christ criticized the most strongly and sternly? Oh yes, it was the hypocrites.

How Do We Explain Donald Trump's "Success"?

Donald Trump may be viral bigotry personified, but perhaps he serves a purpose by inoculating Americans against fascism. Better the embarrassing pustules of cowpox today than the raging, deadly disease of smallpox tomorrow. — Michael R. Burch

How can we explain Donald Trump being the Republican frontrunner for president? Perhaps the metaphor of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster will suffice. The GOP and Faux News kept zapping the American public with one energizing lie after another: President Obama was not really an American, he was a socialist, a communist, a totalitarian, didn't share American values, etc. Islam was "incompatible with democracy," and was trying to "take over the world" in order to "institute Sharia law," which was just around the corner in Europe and the US. Evolution is an "unproven" theory and climate change is a "liberal myth." Gay marriage and abortion will incur the wrath of God Almighty. There have been so many outlandish lies that it was almost guaranteed that sooner or later some gullible politician would emerge who believed the lies and was just as scared as the voters. Trump is that gullible, fearful politician. He really believes the conspiracy theories, as does Ben Carson, and perhaps Ted Cruz as well. They have no idea why 9-11 really happened. They have no understanding of mainstream Islam or global politics. They have bought into the GOP's lies and thus have become blind, lumbering monsters full of fear and loathing, threatening to destroy everything in their path. Trump wants to throw out the Constitution in the name of "security" and hunt down and murder the widows and orphans of dead terrorists. Carson talked calmly about taking out suspected illegal immigrants with weaponized drones by bombing the caves where they hide: even if the men are dangerous (which seems unlikely) what about the women, children, toddlers, babies? Cruz wants to carpet bomb the Middle East with nukes until the sands glow at night: again, what about all the dead and mutilated innocents? Only monsters, demagogues and incredibly frightened, hysterical men suggest such extreme measures, none of which would help create a better, safer world. Now the GOP seems to be clueless and helpless: what can it do about politicians so gullible that they believe every bizarre lie the party has told voters in recent years? Now there seem to be only two alternatives for voters: either elect a hysterical fascist (the Republican nominee) or someone sane (the Democratic nominee). 

Donald Trump may be the only person able to unite Hillary Clinton and Don Cheney on the subject of human rights. They both clearly agree that Trump "goes against everything we [Americans] stand for and believe in," as Cheney put it. When a hardcore fascist like Cheney calls you to the carpet on human rights, you have a very serious problem. But then even Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu are more tolerant than Herr Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu immediately denounced Trump's wholesale ban on Muslims. Mr. Putin recently attended a service at Moscow's largest mosque and spoke very favorably of Russia's Muslim community and its many positive contributions to Russian society. Only Herr Hitler and men of his ilk damn every man, woman and child on the base of their race or religion.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects Donald Trump's recent remarks about Muslims," according to a statement issued by the Israeli prime minister's office, which continued, "The State of Israel respects all religions and strictly guarantees the rights of all its citizens. At the same time, Israel is fighting against militant Islam that targets Muslims, Christians and Jews alike and threatens the entire world." Rather than meeting with Mr. Netanyahu as previously planned, Trump immediately canceled the trip. He seems to prefer being surrounded by yes men. But all around Israel columnists were pointing out that their nation has never taken the extreme steps that Trump now stridently insists are an "absolute necessity."

"Russia's Muslim community dates back centuries and has made an enormous contribution to Russian history," Mr Putin said. "Its humanist values, like those of other religions, teach justice, mercy and caring for one's loved ones."

Clarissa Ward, CNN senior international correspondent, when asked what is being said elsewhere in the world, reported: "We're hearing a lot, I think, about Donald Trump, and particularly about these comments [about banning all Muslims] ... they've been dismissed I think as arrogant and ignorant and absurd by most Europeans and Middle Eastern people ... But what I found really interesting when I was doing a cross-section and chatting with people from different backgrounds and different walks of different life in different countries, was the one group that really seemed to embrace Donald Trump's comments are ISIS! 

Trump's ego, petulance and disdain for women was once again apparent after TIME named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its person of the year. Trump tweeted: "I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite They picked person [sic] who is ruining Germany." Why is Merkel "ruining" Germany? Because she had compassion for Syrian refugees and didn't turn a cold shoulder to completely innocent women and children, the way Herr Trumps insists Americans "absolutely must" do.

Herr Trump claims that the majority of Syrian refugees are "young, strong" men and suggests dark reasons for this anomaly. But in reality, as one would expect if one were rational, the majority of Syrian refugees are women and children, according to the official UN refugee statistics. And even if Trump is correct that Americans must become abject cowards and not allow any adult Syrian men to cross our shores, still there is no sane reason to deny asylum to widows and orphans. Trump seems to lack courage, compassion, wisdom, common sense and any concept of boundaries, like another high-energy hysteric, Adolph Hitler. Sieg Heil, Herr Trump!

"What we're finding is that no group is safe from his ignorance and rhetoric," said Michael Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia, who later called Trump an "asshole." Leading members of his own party have called Trump "unhinged," "ridiculous" "outlandish," "offensive," "outrageous," "absurd," "bombastic," "foolish," "impulsive," reckless," "race-baiting," "xenophobic," "downright dangerous" and what he so obviously is: a bigot and fascist. Trump was called a "fascist demagogue" by former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, "reprehensible, prejudiced, divisive and shameless" by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and a "demagogue" by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

But Trump refuses to surrender to logic or admit his mistakes. "Paris is no longer the same city it was," he claimed without citing any evidence: "They have sections in Paris that are radicalized where the police refuse to go there [sic]. They're petrified. The police refuse to go in there. We have places in London and other places that are so radicalized that the police are afraid for their own lives." But as usual, Herr Trump's allegations have no basis in fact. There are no Paris districts where the police are "afraid" to go. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said that Mr. Trump's claim about his city was "complete and utter nonsense." Pointing out that crime was falling in London and New York, he added: "The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump!"

Ted Cruz quickly trumped The Donald's insanity, by threatening to "utterly destroy" ISIS via "carpet bombing" that would leave the desert sands aglow (presumably nukes would irradiate the sands, killing god-knows-how-many women and children in the process). Not one to settle for second-best in a battle of lunatics, Trump threatened to have the US military hunt down the widows and orphans of dead terrorists, to either "take them out" or make them "suffer" in "retribution." This, one assumes, will persuade the dead terrorists not to reincarnate and attack again!

Donald Trump is a Fascist

Features of Fascism

Fervent, jingoistic nationalism (at Donald Trump's campaign events, one can hear people chanting "USA! USA! USA!" in the background).
"A sense of overwhelming crisis beyond the reach of traditional solutions." (Trump's ascendancy is due largely to his Chicken Little cries that the sky is falling in every conceivable direction.)
"The superiority of the leader's instincts over abstract and universal reason." (Trump claims to "know" things by magic and to always be right about everything he "knows.")
"The belief of one group that it is the victim, justifying any action." (Ethnic Germans were the "victims" of the Jews they persecuted; white Americas are the "victims" of blacks, Hispanics and Muslims.)
The idea that security is more important than individual human rights and freedoms (Trump recently said that "security must rule" and "unthinkable" things must be done to ensure security).
Scapegoating of minorities (Jews and Gypsies in Nazi Germany; blacks, Hispanics and Muslims in present-day America).
"The need for authority by natural leaders (always male) culminating in a national chief who alone is capable of incarnating the group's destiny." (Hitler then, Trump now.)
A love of military power, displays of military power, and even glamorization of war itself for the sake of national "honor" and "glory" (have you been to an American football stadium recently?).
A militaristic and highly aggressive foreign policy (the US has been at war almost constantly for more than 100 years).
Rampant chauvinism: the alpha male heterosexual is glorified, while feminism and homosexuality are denigrated and suppressed (the GOP is fiercely anti-feminist and anti-gay).
The mass media is either controlled by the government or sympathizes with it (why are there no acts of Christian terrorism, only acts of Islamic terrorism?).
A "sophisticated apparatus for systematically propagandizing the population" into accepting fascist values and ideas (Fox News, or, more correctly, Faux News). 
Fear is used to motivate and control the public (the GOP's main political strategy for eight years has been to frighten Americans into believing that Barack Obama is a socialist, not American, not Christian, etc.).
The most common religion is favored by the government and used to manipulate public opinion (all the Republican presidential candidates pander to Christians on abortion, homosexuality, Israel, etc.).
Corporate power is protected, because corporate donations help politicians get elected (Super-PACs are dominating American politics).
Labor unions are either eliminated or suppressed (Republican presidential candidates have bragged about bullying unions, even teachers' unions).
Disdain for intellectuals and the arts (American conservatives frequently oppose government aid for the arts).
Obsession with crime and punishment (Trump recently insisted that the US military should hunt down the wives and children of dead terrorists and "take them out" or make them "suffer" for purposes of "retribution").
A demand for everyone to conform to the same narrow image (white Christians are good; everyone else is suspect and dangerous).
Intolerance for diversity (Christianity is good; different beliefs and cultures are suspect and dangerous).
Social and economic Darwinism: the idea that the rich and powerful have the "right" to take advantage of the poor and weak; in other words, the law of the jungle (conservatives have equated Obamacare with slavery and communism). 
Rampant cronyism and corruption (the war with Iraq is a recent American example).
Fascists often seek to rig elections (recently in the US, there have been many attempts by Republicans to keep minorities from voting).
Robert Paxton mentioned fascism's "obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood" and "compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity" (Trump speaks constantly of decline and energy).
Kevin Passmore defined fascism as a movement of the extreme, radical right (Trump, Cruz, Carson, Romney, Ryan, Santorum, George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Palin, Bachmann, McCain ... need I say more?)

Does any of this sound familiar? Are these not the organizing principles of the Republican party and its presidential candidates, especially Donald Trump? The Republican party has swung so far to the extreme, radical right that Ronald Reagan's family has pointed out that he couldn't run as a Republican today and win an election.

Trump Wall of Shame.

The joke is on anyone who thinks Trump cares about the truth. For instance, he recently sent out a tweet claiming that 81% of white American homicide victims were murdered by blacks, while 97% of black homicide victims were murdered by blacks. The obvious racist inference of "statistics" which originated with a Neo-Nazi organization is that nearly everyone murdered in the United States is killed by a black person. But an FBI report says that in 2014 the percentage of blacks murdered by blacks (89.9%) was similar to the percentage of whites murdered by whites (82.3%). So according to the FBI, Trump is full of s**t. And Trump is not the only Republican presidential candidate who plays fast and loose with the truth. Ben Carson just makes up s**t and presents it as "fact." Carly Fiorina (aka CarLIE FIBorina) lied through her teeth about the video she cited being of an abortion and organ harvesting; it was a clip of a stillborn baby that doctors had been trying to save. Planned Parenthood was not involved. Alexis Fretz, the mother, took the photo in 2013 and posted it on the Internet to memorialize the son she named Walter.

Did Carly Fiorina's incendiary lies lead to the subsequent murders at a Planned Parenthood clinic? Ted Cruz has told blatant lies about the Iran peace pact, risking another unwinnable war to be fought on the same false premises as the war with Iraq. Why do Republican presidential candidates tell such dangerous lies? Because they know that most of their dumbed-down base isn't going to fact-check, doesn't really care about the truth, and can be driven by fear, resentment and anger. Who cares how many doctors and patients get murdered at Planned Parenthood clinics, as long as Fiorina can prop up her sagging campaign? Who cares how many blacks, Hispanics and Muslims get beaten up by Trump's followers, as long as he can "build his brand" and make a run at the presidency? Who cares how many American soldiers (our own children!) may die fighting an unnecessary war with Iran, as long as Ted Cruz can appear to be a "tough hombre" to his misinformed fans? Fox News has convinced millions of conservative viewers to believe whatever they want to believe, and in the process Faux News has created a modern-day Frankenstein's Monster

The joke is also on anyone who thinks Trump favors free speech. At his first campaign event in Ohio, Trump extolled the virtues of torture (waterboarding) and insisted that the American government needs to keep "lists" of Muslim refugees. Two people in the audience exercised their First Amendment rights by booing. Trump deemed this "unbelievable" and "so sad," flashed a thumb signal to have them removed, then finally said: "Go ahead and get them the hell out." The audience applauded Trump's decision to toss out the Bill of Rights along with the protestors. What will happen to us when we disagree with Trump, if he becomes the world's most powerful human being?

Retired Air Force Col. Tom Moe, a former Vietnam POW, warned about the danger Trump's candidacy poses by paraphrasing the famous anti-Nazi remarks by German pastor Martin Niemöller: "You might not care if Donald Trump says Muslims should register with their government, because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says he's going to round up all the Hispanic immigrants, because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says it's okay to rough up black protesters, because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump wants to suppress journalists, because you're not one. But think about this: If he keeps going, and he actually becomes president, he might just get around to you. And you better hope there's someone left to help you." Before Moe's warning, I had written the poem below ...

First Herr Trump came for the anchor babies,
but I was not Hispanic, so I did not speak out.
Next Herr Trump came for the child refugees,
but I was not a Muslim, so I did not speak out.
Then Herr Trump came for the women who are not tens,
but I am not a woman, so I did not speak out.
Finally, Herr Trump came for everyone who is not like him,
and there was no one left to defend me.
—Michael R. Burch

Like Hitler, Trump appeals to angry and embittered white supremacists who see themselves as "supermen" compared to people of color and other religions. Never mind that these "supermen" are easily deceived sheep in wolves' clothing. Never mind that they are unwise enough to put their faith in high-energy hysterics like Hitler and Trump. Never mind that they have been brainwashed with racist propaganda. None of this matters to herd animals who mindlessly mill about, bellowing with fear and rage, always willing to follow the asses ahead of them in times of panic. The hope for America is that they do not constitute the majority of voters in the 2016 election. The danger is that the Democratic candidate will make some terrible mistake that makes someone like Trump, Carson or Cruz seem like "the lesser of two evils."

Trump's grotesque Hitlerian plan to deport millions of Hispanics without due process would produce multitudes of young Anne Franks hiding in American attics and cellars from a modern-day Holocaust. Is that what American voters want, really? Even conservatives like John Kasich, Jim Gilmore, Steve Deace, Max Boot, Matt Lewis, Tom Moe, John Noonan and Jeffery A. Tucker have called Herr Trump a fascist. Other Americans have agreed, or have at least raised the question of Trump's racism and fascism, including Andrew Anglin, W. J. Astore, Jamelle Bouie, Joe Conason, Ryan Cooper, Timothy Egan, Prof. Ronald Feinman, Justin Lane, Eric Levitz, David Neiwert, Martin O'Malley, Nick O'Malley, Heather Digby Parton, Robert Paxton, Steven Ross, Bernie Sanders, Michael Tomasky, Albert Torre, Tim Walker and Josh Zepps. I think Ryan Cooper probably got it right when he called Trump a "fascist idiot savant" with a "good instinct" for what the bigoted herd wants to hear. Trump would take great offense at being compared to Hitler, I'm sure, but Hitler was another "high energy" type who rose to power by telling the unwashed masses what they wanted to hear: that they were "supermen" and all their problems were the fault of inferior people who were dangerous because they were different. The Holocaust began with white supremacist demands that "undesirable" people be first monitored, then deported en masse to internment camps, then finally exterminated. Trump is already at stage two of Hitler's ghastly "final solution" to the "problem" of dealing with "undesirables."

Trump is quite a jokester, in his mocking, bullying way. His favorite targets are minorities and women who are not "tens" according to his ultra-high standards. For instance, he once remarked "sadly" that Heidi Klum is not longer a ten and asked how Carly Fiorina could possibly be elected president with "that face." Recently Trump came under fire for mocking a disabled New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from arthrogryposis (a congenital condition that affects joint movement). During a speech to his supporters Trump said: "Now, the poor guy ... you've got to see this guy, 'Ah, I don't know what I said! I don't remember!'" as he did a crude impersonation that seemed to equate a joint disease with mental retardation. While Trump claimed later not to know the reporter in question, Kovaleski says they have been on a first-name basis for years. (Trump claims to have one of the "all-time great memories" but he seems to selectively forget his lies, exaggerations, insults and bullying). A former reporter, Suzy Parker, recalled a 1989 news conference at which Trump and Kovaleski greeted each other: "It was clear they knew each other. Everything was on a first name basis," she told CNN. "It was so chummy I thought they may even have known each other socially." She said Kovaleski also introduced her to Ivana Trump, who was married to Donald Trump at the time. She said the two men shook hands. "It was hello, how you doing, how are things. It was a friendly greeting." A 1989 issue of the New York Daily News included a Kovaleski-bylined story in which the reporter spent the day with The Donald during the inauguration of the ill-fated Trump Shuttle.

Carly Fiorina criticized Trump for mocking a handicapped person, saying the real estate mogul "only feels big when he's trying to make everyone else look small. This is the pattern, isn't it? The pattern is — he says something insulting, offensive and outrageous; the media pays attention; then he claims we all misunderstood him. This is the pattern, perhaps, of an entertainer. It's certainly not the pattern of a leader." But actually it's the pattern of someone we all know: the playground bully who makes himself look "big" by making other people look and feel small. Trump is the Peter Pan of bullies because he never grew up.

But in any case, it was Trump, not Kovaleski, who claimed that "thousands and thousands" of New Jersey Muslims cheered as the twin towers burned and fell. In his article, Kovaleski did not mention large numbers of people celebrating, only an investigation into six men with no indication that any of them actually did anything wrong. After mocking and berating Kovaleski for not backing up things that he didn't say, Trump half-heartedly admitted that his "all-time great" memory was wrong, but did he mock himself the way he had mocked Kovaleski? Of course not. Later Trump recanted, saying he was "100% correct" that he and many other people saw American Muslims "dancing in the streets" on 9-11. However, the police, other authorities and media do not support Trump's allegations. Would the governor of New Jersey not be informed if huge numbers of Muslims were celebrating the destruction of the Twin Towers? Here is what New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said: "If that had happened, I would have recalled it, and I don't." Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, tweeted: "Either @realDonaldTrump has memory issues or willfully distorts the truth, either of which should be concerning for the Republican Party." Fulop also said that Trump was "shamefully politicizing an emotionally charged issue." He added: "No one in Jersey City cheered on Sept. 11. We were actually among the first to provide responders to help in lower Manhattan." George Pataki, the governor of New York at the time, tweeted this response to Trump's remarks on ABC: "Not sure what luxury spider-hole @realDonaldTrump was hiding in on Sept11 but I saw Americans come together that day." Jerry Speziale, the police commissioner of Paterson, NJ, which has the second-largest Muslim population in the U.S., said: "That is totally false. That is patently false. That never happened. There were no flags burning, no one was dancing. That is [barnyard epithet]." Speziale said of New Jersey Muslims: "They've been very helpful and law-abiding."

In any case, so far there is not a shred of actual video that shows "thousands and thousands" (or even hundreds, or tens) of American Muslims celebrating in streets or on rooftops. If there were any celebrations at all, they were small enough to escape detection by the police, FBI, reporters and neighbors. As former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, "Let him show the evidence of it. If "thousands of people" were demonstrating and he saw it on television, then there must be some tape of it somewhere. If it shows up it will corroborate him. If it doesn't show up it's going to make him look really bad." But Trump refuses to admit the obvious truth, saying "We're looking for clips. And I wouldn't be surprised if we found them ... but for some reason, they're not that easy to come by." Why are the video clips so hard to find? Because they don't exist. But Trump is delusional. He also thinks he "saw" people leaping from the Twin Towers, from four miles away, through a thick curtain of smoke. Do we need a president who cannot separate fact from fiction, delusion from reality?

Ben Carson typically flip-flopped in his muddled, uniformed way, initially agreeing with Trump by saying that he "remembered" seeing the TV footage; but later in the day Carson's campaign corrected the statement, claiming that he had confused New Jersey with the Middle East! That is some major geopolitical confusion, but Carson seems to know as little about the Middle East as he does about flying spaceships to the moon. He really should stick to his area of expertise, medicine.

Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio said categorically that Trump's "memories" were untrue. Rubio told a pretty good joke for a politician: "As I said early in this campaign if all I did all day was respond to everything Donald Trump says that isn't true, I wouldn't be able to run my campaign."

If there are news clips that Trump actually saw, why can't he produce them? Is it possible that there is not a single honest policeman, FBI agent, firefighter, government official or reporter willing to step forward and tell the truth about what really happened on 9-11? As usual, Trump employs wild exaggerations and outright lies as he preaches to his racist, white supremacist choir. Even staunch conservative Bill O'Reilly called Trump to the carpet for his wild exaggerations, saying: "There's nobody on tape [talking] about thousands of people celebrating. It doesn't exist ... So you were wrong by saying thousands."

The only area policeman who has discussed anyone celebrating on 9-11, to my knowledge, is Scott DeCarlo. DeCarlo was a member of a police squad that was warned to look out for a white van with five men of Middle Eastern origin who had been filming the twin towers while acting strangely by dancing and high-fiving each other. But when DeCarlo and his team pulled the white van over, it turned out that the five men were Israeli citizens associated with a company called Urban Movers, which turned out to be a Mossad front. The Israeli men were arrested at gunpoint, held for 71 days by the FBI, and according to an ABC News 20/20 Special Report, some of them failed lie detectors tests. The ABC report names the five Israeli men suspected of being Mossad agents: Sivan Kurzberg (the driver), Paul Kurzberg (his brother), Yaron Shmuel, Oded Ellner and Omer Marmari. They were eventually deported, and the "moving company" quickly folded. The Owner of Urban Moving Systems, an Israeli citizen named Dominick Suter, left the United States after the arrests, abandoning the business entirely. Why would Mossad agents celebrate such a vicious attack against Americans? Because they knew the attack would cause the United States to attack enemies of Israel, which of course is exactly what happened.

Why would Trump continue to insist that his obviously faulty "memories" must be correct? I think the answer lies in another of his bad jokes: "Why wouldn't it have taken place?" This is a blatantly bigoted rhetorical question. Trump knows that large numbers of Muslims live in New Jersey. He sees these darker-skinned people the way Hitler saw the Jews: they are all dark, dirty and dangerous. So where there are large numbers of Muslims, there must be dancing in the streets, because that is what most Muslims do when they see a terrorist attack. Of course that is a myth created by bigots, and Trump appears to be the leader of the pack.

According to Politifact, The Washington Post, The New York Times and FactCheck.org, there is no evidence that Trump's "remembered" celebrations took place. The only aired footage of post-9/11 celebrations was a video of a small group of Palestinian teens seen celebrating in East Jerusalem. Why would Palestinian teens celebrate a terrorist attack on the United States? Well, perhaps because the United States has provided Israel with billions of dollars in cash and weapons which have been used to rob Palestinians of their land, water, human rights and dignity. Even so, most Palestinians did not celebrate and the Palestinian National Authority denounced the attacks.

What was the real reaction of most Muslims around the world? Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat offered his sympathy to Americans and said he was horrified by the attacks. Renowned Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attacks and the unprovoked killings of thousands of American civilians as a "heinous crime" and urged Muslims to donate blood to the victims. He did, however, criticize the United States' "biased policy towards Israel." Hezbollah spiritual mentor Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah condemned the attacks. Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, harshly condemned and denounced the attacks and also stated that he was not interested in exporting such attacks to the United States; however he criticized the "unfair American position." Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called the attacks "horrible and unimaginable." Afghanistan's Taliban rulers condemned the attacks, but rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden, who had been given asylum in Afghanistan, could be behind them. Huge crowds attended candlelit vigils in Iran, and 60,000 spectators observed a minute's silence at Tehran's soccer stadium. The Sahrawi national liberation movement Polisario Front condemned the "criminal attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the USA and, particularly, against defenseless innocent civilians." Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir expressed sadness, but urged the U.S. government not to seek revenge, saying: "Retaliation will lead to the deaths of many people and will be followed by more counter-strikes."

A 2008 Gallup study found that only 7% of the Muslims polled believed the 9/11 attacks were "completely" justified. And that small percentage would likely explain the "justification" by pointing out American and Israeli injustices against Muslims, particularly Palestinians who have been robbed of their land, water, property, dignity and human rights. Why is systematic terrorism against millions of Muslims ignored by most Americans? Why do Americans demand expressions of sympathy for the 9-11 attacks, when they demonstrate no sympathy for beleaguered and discriminated-against Palestinians?

Trump's other amusing "defense" of his nonsense is that other people also "remember" seeing "thousands" of American Muslims "dancing in the streets." But many Americans claim to have seen Sasquatches, and yet there has never been a single Sasquatch bone produced as physical evidence. We have the bones of dinosaurs that became extinct millions of years ago, so what is the chance that there are nine-foot-tall creatures roaming North America, and yet we have never found a single bone? The chances are nil, which means that Big Foot only exists in the endlessly fertile human imagination along with mermaids, unicorns, fairies and dragons. If thousands of American Muslims had been dancing in the streets, celebrating the 9-11 attacks, we most certainly would have video footage and reports by police departments and the news media. So quite obviously, such large-scale celebrations did not take place anywhere in the United States.

"Why wouldn't it have taken place?" To a bigot like Donald Trump, all Muslims or the vast majority of them rejoice when they see acts of terrorism. But this is no more true than Hitler's bigoted opinion that all Jews were dangerous, or the KKK's opinion that all non-whites are inferior to whites. Trump is a creep who "knows" that he is "better" than blacks, Hispanics and Muslims "just because." That is the very definition of bigotry.

Ben Carson chimed in, telling reporters that he "saw" the celebrations too: "I think that was an inappropriate response. I don't know if on the basis of that you could say all Muslims are bad people — I really think that would be a stretch." His implication, of course, is that we may be able to say that all Muslims are bad people if some of them danced in the streets after terrorist attacks. But of course we would never impugn all Christians even if millions of them were engaged in witch burnings, heretic burnings, inquisitions, holy wars, the ethnic cleansing of entire continents, and slavery! Again, this is the very definition of bigotry.

Trump and Carson truly are an odd couple. Trump claims to paternalistically love "the blacks" and claims they love him in return. Oh really? The polls say otherwise, and with good cause. For instance, Trump recently said that a Black Lives Matter protester who was punched and kicked by his supporters at a campaign event probably deserved it. He has dismissed the Black Lives Matter movement as "looking for trouble" and has described efforts by Democratic candidates to engage them as "disgraceful." Trump was asked to comment on his supporters' actions on Fox & Friends. "Maybe he should have been roughed up," Trump said. "It was disgusting what he was doing." But all the protester was "doing" was exercising his First Amendment rights by chanting "Black lives matter." Trump gave a similar "winking nod of approval" when two of his supporters said that they ambushed and brutally beat a homeless Latino man because they were "inspired" by Trump. The Donald later explained that his supporters "are very passionate" and "love this country" and just want to follow his lead and make it "great again." There have been multiple reports of Trump supporters launching violent attacks against people with darker skin. One rally took a dark turn when attendees shoved and spat on immigration advocates. Other Trump supporters were filmed dragging and kicking an immigration activist while bystanders yelled "U-S-A! U-S-A!" After a slew of such incidents, rather than rebuking the attackers, Trump's campaign began corralling media, trying to prevent reporters from mingling with the crowds at rallies.

Trump later made a valiant but vain attempt to gain endorsements from black pastors. A press release confidently predicted that "a coalition of 100 African American Evangelical pastors and religious leaders" would "endorse the GOP frontrunner after a private meeting at Trump Tower." Trump claimed there was "great love" in the room, yet failed to gain the promised endorsements. Some of the pastors were outraged. Rev. Al Sharpton wondered why black religious leaders would seek to bask "in the glow of a billionaire" while "offending their congregants and offending their cloth." From the pulpit of his National Action Network, he preached: "Let us not forget that Jesus was a refugee, and they are meeting with someone who has taken a mean stance against refugees. I don't know how you preach Jesus, a refugee, on Sunday and then deal with a refugee-basher on Monday without raising the question." Corletta J. Vaughn of Detroit said "You've got to be kidding me!" about the idea of endorsing Trump. Later Vaughn posted on her Facebook page: "Trump is an insult and embarrassment ... ZERO experience ... Flaunting a ticket of unbridled bigotry, sexism, racism and everything that is wrong with America." Bishop Paul S. Morton of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship tweeted that "I refused because until he learns how to respect people you can't represent me thru my endorsement." After the meeting only Darrell Scott, the Cleveland-area minister who helped organize the session and was obviously already on board, publicly endorsed The Donald. So Trump's "great love" seems to be yet another bad joke.

Later, in a scathing Ebony op-ed piece, more than 100 African-American academic and faith leaders urged colleagues not to endorse "anti-Black" Trump, saying: "Mr. Trump routinely uses overtly divisive and racist language on the campaign trail. Most recently, he admitted his supporters were justified for punching and kicking a Black protester who had attended a Trump rally with the intent to remind the crowd that 'Black Lives Matter.' Trump followed this action by tweeting inaccurate statistics about crime prevalence rates in Black communities—insinuating that Black people are more violent than other groups."

After all his bluster and bragging about how "tough" he is, Trump quickly become a quivering bundle of fear after the Paris terrorist attacks. Trump now insists that the world's most powerful nation must close mosques, saying: "There's absolutely no choice" and that we have to do things that were "frankly unthinkable" a short time ago. He soon added torture (waterboarding) to the list of "unthinkable" things that will "absolutely" be required. Later, he encouraged Americans to spy on their neighbors: "You're pretty smart, right? We know if there's something going on, report them. Most likely you'll be wrong, but that's OK." His "recommendation" is obvious to his followers who think as he does: There is no need to spy on white Christians, who can always be trusted, but anyone with darker skin and/or who is not an orthodox Christian is suspect. This is how Hitler thought, talked and operated. Trump's descent into fear and fascism is a bad joke on Americans, as he parrots the Nazi claim that "security must rule." Trump insists that surrendering to irrational fears is "leadership" and that anyone more rational is "weak" and "low energy." (Hitler was very high energy, but his surrender to irrational fears led to WWII and the Holocaust.) How irrational is Trump? Well, he has dreamed up a "military coup" that no real military expert has even remotely suggested, claiming: "This could be one of the great military coups of all time if they send them to our country: young, strong people and they turn out to be ISIS." But how on earth are a few thousand homeless refugees going to defeat the most powerful military on the planet and take over a nation of 300 million people? The idea is ludicrous. People who live in fear of things that cannot possibly happen are insane. Thus Trump, by his own admission, is insane. Yes, there is the danger of terrorism whether we allow Syrian refugees to enter the U.S., or not. But the chance of a "military coup" created by refugees is absolutely nil, zip, nada. If Trump does not understand this, he is not intelligent enough or wise enough to be president. If he does understand it, and yet chooses to whip the American public into a fearful frenzy in order to garner votes, he is a treasonous demagogue. In either case, he should never become commander-in-chief of the most powerful military on earth.

Should Americans vote for a quivering bundle of irrational fears? If we do, the joke is on us as a nation. As one critic pointed out, Trump has gone "full Nazi" with his calls for previously "unthinkable" measures under his plan to let security "rule," rather than reason and common sense. Here is Trump sounding like the second coming of Herr Hitler: "We're going to have to do things that we never did before. And some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule. And certain things will be done that we never thought would happen in this country ... and so we're going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago."

When asked four times how his "security" plans for Muslims were any different from Hitler's "security" plans for Jews during the Holocaust, Trump's only answer was "You tell me." That response suggests that Trump is ignorant of the history of the Holocaust and the lessons it should have taught us, or that he does understand the immense dangers, yet still favors "security" based on racial profiling databases and surveillance of synagogues and mosques. The next time a Jew commits a crime, will all synagogues require advanced surveillance? If a Hispanic person commits a crime, will all Hispanics require special scrutiny? If a black gang has a shootout, will all black Americans go into a gigantic database? However, we can be certain that crimes committed by white Christians will not result in extraordinary security measures. After all, according to racists like Trump all crimes committed by white Christians are committed by individuals, while everyone with darker skin can be grouped together and stereotyped as dark, dirty and dangerous ... the way the Nazis once stereotyped Jews and Gypsies.

Trump the jokester is such a chauvinist that he once tweeted: "If Hillary can't satisfy her husband, how can she satisfy America?" Egad, what a cad!

Yet another sick joke is Trump's pandering to the so-called "religious right," which lives in the fairytale belief that everything about Christianity is good and everything about Islam is "evil." Other Republican presidential candidates are almost as bad, wanting to accept Christian refugees but not Muslims, on the absurd theory that Christians never commit crimes. Have they forgotten Christian terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, Eric Rudolph, Hitler, Henry VIII, Pope Urban II, Pope Innocent III, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld? But Trump wants to single out Muslims, create a database or "watch list" and monitor them the way Nazi Germany once monitored Jews during the Holocaust. Is that Christian? What would Jesus Christ do, one wonders? Perhaps his most famous parable is the one about the Good Samaritan (i.e., a Palestinian) who showed compassion to a Jew. The moral of the parable is obvious: human beings should put aside religious differences to help each other, and a religion that does not practice compassion for people of other religions is misguided and immoral. Furthermore, applying religious tests is un-American and unconstitutional. The American founding fathers made it very clear that one religion or sect was not to be favored over another, and that religion should have absolutely no influence over government (Jefferson's famous "wall of separation"). In return, Americans are free to believe whatever they prefer to believe (or not believe), without government interference, as long as they obey the laws of the land. As President Obama correctly pointed out about religious tests: "That's not American, it's not who we are. We don't have religious tests to our compassion." Nor did Jesus Christ.

Sarah Palin told an amusing joke recently when she claimed that "Jesus would fight for our Second Amendment." She seems to have missed the fact that according to the Bible, Jesus never "carried" a sword himself and never "fought" anyone even when his own life was at stake. When Peter used a sword to defend him, Jesus told him to put it away. Palin seems to have confused Jesus with Rambo.

The best Ben Carson joke so far is that he has been "much more strenuously vetted" than President Obama ever was. Why does Carson appear to be constantly misinformed? Probably because he gets his "facts" from Faux News.

Carson has joined Trump in stereotyping Muslim refugees, comparing them to a "rabid dog" in the neighborhood. According to Carson we should engage our intellects when we see a rabid dog. But if I see a rabid dog, should I jump to the conclusion that all dogs have rabies? That seems to be the "intellectual" process that takes place when right-wing wackos see Muslims. They don't want to be bothered by the fact that if one in a million dogs has rabies, there is no need to deport or quarantine all dogs. Rather, we should watch for aberrant behavior in individual dogs and single them out for special attention.

A common joke that Trump and Carson share is the bitterness of their complaints when the media quotes what they have said publicly. Trump accused Megyn Kelly of "unfairness" for quoting his public insults of women. Carson claims that he is being treated far less fairly than President Obama when for the most part the media is just quoting what he said himself. How is that "unfair" considering the intense public scrutiny of Democrats like Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and President Obama? It seems the pot is calling the kettle black, since Republicans have been at the forefront of the investigations of Democrats. I am reminded of the bully who whines and sniffles when he gets his nose bloodied by someone willing to trade blows with him.

Another endlessly amusing Ben Carson joke is the one about him being ready to become president of the United States. He obviously subscribes to zany conspiracy theories and is woefully weak on foreign policy. The latter was recently confirmed by one of his advisers: "Nobody has been able to sit down with him and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East," Duane R. Clarridge, an adviser to Carson on terrorism and national security, said in an interview. He also said that Carson requires weekly briefings on foreign policy so "we can make him smart." But how can anyone help a man so gullible that he believes the pyramids of Egypt were grain silos, that Obamacare is the "worst thing" to happen to America since slavery (what about the Civil War, World War I, World War II, 9-11, etc.?), that Planned Parenthood was created to eliminate black Americans, and that Jews could have prevented the Holocaust if only they had the right to bear arms (can massively outnumbered civilians armed with revolvers and rifles withstand panzers and fighter planes, when the militaries of powerful nations like France could not?).

Ben Carson is such a crackpot that he would shoot down down a Russian plane if it accidentally violated a U.S.-led no-fly zone over Syria, risking an unnecessary war: "If they violate it, we will, in fact, enforce it. We'll see what happens. For us to always be backing down because we're afraid of a conflict, that's not how we became a great nation." Should our foreign policy be to shoot down planes to "see what happens," really? According to Crazy Ben Carson, the U.S. became a great nation by having a hair trigger and rushing into avoidable wars. Trump and Carson seem to be in a competition to become the biggest, brashest bully on the international block.

Shortly after Carson said that he would shoot down Russian planes to see what happens, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter. Does anyone really think anything good will come of that? But even Mr. Putin recognized the futility of going to war over a mistake in judgment. Rather than attacking Turkey with Russia's powerful military, he banned Russian tourists from entering Turkey, an action that will cost Turkey a lot of money. Putin is wiser than Carson because he recognizes that military actions can cause more problems than they correct.

Trump recently called himself the "most militaristic person on the [debate] stage, despite the presence of Lindsey Graham who wants to put American boots on the ground to fight four wars simultaneously in the Middle East (in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria), leaving troops there "for as long as it takes." Jeb Bush is so militaristic that he has hired some of the same neo-con security advisers who recommended that his brother's administration invade Iraq. Ted Cruz has threatened to introduce Iran's supreme leader to the 72 virgins (i.e., to assassinate a head of state). Trump claims to be more militaristic than a screeching bevy of war hawks and also said, "I love the fact that Putin is bombing the hell out of somebody."

And just how "tough" are the Republican presidential candidates, really, if they are terrified of allowing refugee women and children to enter the United States? Chris Christie is intimidated by toddlers: "I don't think orphans under five are being, you know, should be admitted into the United States at this point." But Trump, Carson and Cruz are even more cowardly, as they would ban ALL Syrian refugees, including women, toddlers and babies. How can politicians leap from claiming to be able to stare down Putin, to quivering in abject fear of babies? The bad joke is on us, if we elect them to our nation's highest office.

Another unfunny Trump joke is the one about people being safer if an entire stadium is armed and civilian Rambos start shooting when terrorists attack. Suppose everyone in the Paris stadium had been armed: how many of them would have shot each other in the chaos, having no idea which people firing weapons were terrorists? It would be very dangerous for trained professionals to fire weapons in a crowded stadium, much less civilians. If hundreds or thousands of untrained civilians started shooting, the death count of innocents would surely go up, not down.

Another bad joke is the one in which Trump insists that everyone else must be "nice" to him, while he gets personal and insults anyone he pleases: calling Marco Rubio "weak as a baby" and ridiculing him for sweating during debates, comparing Ben Carson to a child molester, calling Megyn Kelly a "bimbo," and acting as if women should be judged by Trump's estimation of their looks rather than their character and accomplishments. Hell, he even insults entire nations and races, using insensitive terms like "the blacks." He is tone deaf to his lack of sensitivity and defends indefensible insults by saying he's not a slave to "political correctness." But it is not "politically incorrect" to suggest that Rubio is "weak as a baby" or that Carly Fiorina should not be president because of "that face." Such comments are indecent. If a student said such things during class, a good teacher would force him to apologize, then make him sit in the corner until he was ready to act decently. Now it's time for voters to put Trump in permanent "time out" for his indecency. Why permanent? Because his disease is pathological, and as Trump pointed out himself, pathological diseases cannot be cured.

Another amusing joke that Trump tells about himself is the one that his ludicrous pie-in-the-sky is "tough talk" but "common sense talk." Is it "common sense" to arm entire stadiums so that wanna-be Rambos can kill shoot each other in vain attempts to identify and take out terrorists? Is it "common sense" to deport 11 million people, including American citizens, without due process? How about insulting women for not being tens by the Trump gauge, when more than half  the American electorate is female?

Trump is also clearly joking about his ability to predict terrorist attacks. He recently said, "In my book I predicted terrorism because I can feel it. I can feel it like I feel a good location." But this is obviously a bad joke, because Trump never predicted the location of the terrorist attacks on 9-11. He's a very rich man. If he had any inkling that terrorists were about to attack the Twin Towers, he could have hired people to spread the word. But of course he didn't. Therefore, he clearly had no clue about the location of the attacks. 

But surely the biggest Trump-supplied joke is his promise that "We will have so much winning if I get elected, that you may get bored with winning." His campaign anthem should be Heart's "Magic Man." His mascot should be a magician's white rabbit.

One Trump critic has an interesting idea. Rather than trying to mass deport 11 million Hispanics, why not initiate an Operation Trumpback and deport Trump to his family's country of origin, Germany? After all, Germany is currently accepting refugees, and that would be poetic justice (not to mention ridding America of a major nuisance).

Dump
Trump
like a malignant lump!
— Michael R. Burch

If we don't dump
Trump
the chump'll
hump
us in the rump!
— Michael R. Burch

If the Whos had elected the Grinch
to "protect" them in a pinch,
that'd be be like American grumps
voting for Donald Trump's
bizarre "security" plan
to level Syria and Iran.
And as for stealing the oil—how zany!
It's already been tried, by Dick Cheney.
— Michael R. Burch

Donald Trump
shrieked from the stump
his not-so-impressive
fascist message:
"Surrender to hate!
Make American grate!"
— Michael R. Burch

Top Ten Jokes from Donald Trump's Appearance on Saturday Night Live

(10) "Many of the greats have hosted this show, like me in 2004." — Donald Trump, opening monologue, Saturday Night Live, November 7, 2016
(9) "He's gonna make America grapes again!" — SNL's Drunk Uncle (perhaps a pun on "sour grapes" and the "grapes of wrath" of the Civil War, which was fought over racism)
      "Finally, Colin…someone is saying the things that I have been thinking. As well as, saying. It's like I'm running for President!" — SNL's Drunk Uncle, played by Bobby Moynihan 
      "He's got money, women, TV shows, plaza, Miss America, orange hair. He's perfect. He's like a big, old, beautiful Monopoly Man." — SNL's Drunk Uncle
(8) "It's hard to be president because the White House is the smallest place Donald and I have ever lived, you know, but we made it work." — President Trump's wife Melania, played by Cecily Strong
(7) The Secretary of the Interior reports White House renovations and dipping the Washington Monument in gold mirrored glass. The work is "ahead of schedule" and "under budget." — Trump's daughter Ivanka as herself
(6) "After your face-to-face meeting, Putin has withdrawn from Ukraine. Believe me, he does not want to be called a loser again. He cried for hours." — Trump's Secretary of State (The Apprentice's Omarosa Manigault)
(5) Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto presents Trump with a check, then says: "As history shows us, nothing brings two countries together like a wall." — SNL's Beck Bennett as President Nieto
      Trump hugs Nieto and thanks him for making Telemundo an "all English" channel.
(4) "As a businessman, I can fully respect that." — Trump's response when told that Larry David, playing Bernie Sanders, had heckled him for money (a $5,000 bounty for interrupting the show)
(3) "She said some things about me that were hurtful and untrue. I said some things about her that were mean but completely accurate." — Trump about his nasty remarks about Rosie O'Donnell
(2) Trump shows his "moves" (or lack of them) by "dancing" to Drake's Hotline Bling.
(1) "A lot of people are saying Donald, you're the most amazing guy. You're brilliant, you're handsome, you're rich, you have everything going. The world is waiting for you to be president. So why are you hosting Saturday Night Live? And the answer is, I have really nothing better to do." — Donald Trump

Honorable Mentions from the "White House 2018" segment:

"Prosperity is at an all-time high."
"Everyone loves the new laws you tweeted."
A general reports that ISIS has been completely eliminated, Syria is at peace, the refugees have all returned, and Syrians are "very happy" to have jobs as blackjack dealers at the Trump casino in Damascus.
The American economy is "amazing" and "it's huge!"
"After your tough negotiations with China, we are killing them on trade. They are now borrowing money from us!"
The American people are unhappy. Why? "They're just sick of winning!" a staffer explained. "They're winning so much! It's just too great, sir!"

Perhaps the most honest part of Trump's appearance on SNL comes when he "explains" his astounding "success" as president:

"Well, you know what, I don't have to get specific. With me, it just works, you know, it's magic."

Perhaps his new campaign anthem should be Heart's "Magic Man."

Other Honorable Mentions:

"Like what years are you talking about specifically dude? Whenever rich, old, white guys start bringing up the good old days, my negro senses start tingling. I mean, after all those years of progress, Trump's going to really go with, No, I think we had it right the first time." — Michael Che, on Donald Trump's promise to "make America great again"

Top Ten Donald Trump Tweets from his SNL Appearance

An extremely credible source just told me that Kenan Thompson's birth certificate is a fraud. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
Sorry folks, but add a 'y' to 'Kenan' and you get 'Kenyan.' — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
Cecily Strong is not funny. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
Kate McKinnon was born stupid. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
This sketch is not funny. @TaranKillam is a dumb loser. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
Who would marry @TaranKillam? He's an over-rated clown. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
@VanessaBayer is an average talent and a total loser. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
@VanessaBayer is a lazy performer and should be deported. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
I love SNL. SNL loves me. But everyone in this sketch is a total loser who can bite my dust. — Donald Trump "angry tweet"
I love the blacks. — Donald Trump "fake love tweet"

Did SNL, Lorne Michaels and NBC put ratings, money and a few laughs above common decency and the best interests of the nation? Would SNL give a platform to the KKK, Nazis, skinheads or anti-semites? Protesters gathered around 30 Rock and the Rockefeller Center in New York City on the Saturday before Trump's episode began, while the president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Alex Nogales, released a statement on the situation: "Saturday Night Live is not a news program, it is a cultural touchstone. Providing such a platform for somebody who so clearly holds false and disparaging opinions of so many segments of this country is a dangerous proposition that legitimizes Trump's hateful views and rewards his hate speech." Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, agreed: "There's nothing funny about racism. This gentleman has said some very negative, racist things about the Latino community. We believe he's a bigot. He's racist… There's no place for somebody like that on Saturday Night Live." But NBC, despite having promised to end its business relationship with Trump because of his racist remarks about Mexican immigrants, was in no mood to keep its promises if that meant turning down a ratings magnet.

More Donald Trump Puns

According to Mel Brooks, Donald Trump is too big too fail ... too important according to needy late-night comedians, that is.
Toupée or not toupée for professional government: that is the hair-raising question created by Donald Trump's candidacy. — Michael R. Burch
Trump appeals to right-wingnuts because when the going gets tough, they wig out. — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump has taken the Peter Principle to unprecedented heights. Or depths. — Michael R. Burch

The Peter Principle says that managers rise to the level of their incompetence.

Crazy Ben Carson Jokes

"He clearly has no idea what he's talking about," said one South Carolina Republican.
"Ben Carson's complete ineptitude makes you long for the days of 'Uz-beki-beki-stan-stan,"" said an Iowa Republican, referring to a disastrous Herman Cain interview four years ago.
"Carson is so clueless," said an Iowa GOP insider, "he thinks the Kurds are a special kind of Wisconsin cheese."
"First we say, you can't come into this country until I see you eat bacon while singing a Christmas carol!" ― SNL's parody of Carson after he said that only Christian refugees should be allowed to enter the US.
Ben Carson stated that homosexuality is a choice, but "unfortunately for him, so are elections." ― SNL's Michael Che

Top Ten Republican Ideas to "Make America Great Again"

Allow suspected terrorists to buy assault weapons.
Reject the Iran peace deal in order to attack Iran on the same false premises employed against Iraq: WMDs that do not exist and couldn't be used if they did.
Pretend that the solution to the ISIL problem is to "bomb the s**t" out of them, when that's what the US military and its allies are already doing.
Support Israel's brutal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, while claiming to believe in democracy, equality and justice for all human beings.
Deny women the right to choose, returning them to Dark Ages.
Let women die delivering unviable babies, so that two lives are lost when one could have been saved.
Force teenage rape victims to bear their rapists' progeny, on the premise that the rape was "God's will" rather than a criminal's free will.
Force teenage victims of incest to become mothers against their will.
Deny gays the right to marry "because the Bible says so," even though the Bible commands slavery, sex slavery, the stoning of children for misdemeanors, and other similar horrors.
Deny the evidence of global warming, evolution, sexual preference being biological rather than a "choice," etc., because primitive beliefs always trump facts and science.

Top Ten Donald Trump Campaign Slogans

Make America hate again. 
Make America grate again.
Make America second rate again, at dispensing justice.
Make America wait again, for true equality.
Make America late again, to treat everyone fairly.
Make America checkmate justice again. 
Make America bait the traps for minorities again.
Make America tempt fate again, with more violence-producing racial injustices.
Make America prate again, about how "superior" white Christians are to everyone else.
Make America denigrate people with darker skin again. 

Sarah Palin got in on the fun recently, putting out a "feeler" during a Saturday Night Live skit with Jerry Seinfeld about launching a bid for president in 2016 with Trump as her running mate. Seinfeld called Palin "Tina," perhaps suggesting that she should stick to comedy and avoid actual politics like the plague.

An Iranian Instagram user suggested that the GOP presidential candidates should can the inflammatory war talk, "keep calm and drink some Persian tea." Another Iranian called Trump "officially crazy."

For a larger selection of Donald Trump puns, please click here: The Best Donald Trump Puns

Well Hell, Let's Make it the Top Fifty Donald Trump Jokes, with a Few to Spare

If you're suffering from irritable bowels, quick-acting Trump Dump provides "elite constipation relief." ― galleryoftheabsurd.com 
Donald Trump said that he was running for president as a Republican. That's funny, because I thought he was running as a joke. ― Seth Meyers
Donald Trump is like what a hobo imagines a rich man to be. When he makes a decision, he must think to himself: "What would a cartoon rich person do? ... Run for president!" ― John Mulaney
Why is Donald Trump orange from head to toe? Well, space cadets do drink lots of Tang ... — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump gave a big speech in Dallas last night, and began by pointing out that he wasn't using a teleprompter. Then he yelled at Gary Busey to hold the cue cards higher. ― Jimmy Fallon
If Dr. Carson was ever going to hit anybody with a hammer, it'd be Donald Trump after all the things he said. — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham
#DonaldTrump wants to deport 11 million people and have immigrants in future only arrive for legal reasons, like marrying rich older men. — Janice Hough
Jimmy Kimmel's Lie Witness News accused Donald Trump of adjusting his toupée during the third debate, before the debate started. Is this art imitating life, or just comedians imitating Trump?
Mike Tyson has endorsed Trump, another reason for American women to swoon over The Donald, in addition to his money, power, looks and patriarchal attitude. — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump said he would replace Obamacare with something called Donaldcare. He claims it would save billions by denying coverage to preexisting Hispanics. ― Conan O'Brien
New national poll numbers show Dr. Ben Carson has pulled within four points of frontrunner Donald Trump. And I'm sure it's not the first time Trump has been closely pursued by a brain surgeon. — Seth Meyers
The entire first debate was basically a two-hour circus sideshow with an old piece of luggage covered in Cheez Whiz as its center. ― John Oliver
Donald Trump will bring to the presidency what the early leaders of America did: fake hair. — @SarahRkein
Trump says he doesn't understand why he's sinking in the polls with evangelicals. Could it be that they believe Jesus Christ is God, while Trump believes He is God? — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump announces this morning that he will run for president. His hair will announce on Friday. — Albert Brooks
Donald Trump just gave away the fact that he thinks he running for kingship, when he talked about the Bush "reign." — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump accused Huma Abedin of sharing state secrets with her husband. I think Trump clearly lacks a sense of Huma. — Michael R. Burch
Trump Entertainment Resorts declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Or as Donald Trump describes Chapter 11, "Back-to-back number ones!" ― Conan O'Brien
Donald Trump warned the press to lay off that thing on his head, or he will sic it at 'em. — Michael R. Burch
Today Donald Trump reaffirmed his stance against gay marriage. Trump said marriage is between a rich guy and his much younger third wife. ― Conan O'Brien
Experience? Republicans avoid that stuff like a gay son! — Bill Maher, explaining the lack of experience of the GOP frontrunners for president
Did evangelical Christians mistake Donald Trump's hairpiece for a halo, while ignoring the obvious signs that he worships Mammon? — Michael R. Burch
Jimmy Kimmel described The Donald as "a president and an amusement park all rolled into one."
According to Larry Wilmore, Trump is a "gift" of the Comedy Gods to late night comedians. (He is, it seems, the gift that keeps giving.)
It's simply not true that Donald Trump has no experience in foreign affairs. Hell, two of his foreign affairs resulted in marriages! — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump insists that he is going to run for president. I guess he figures if he can pull off that hairstyle, he can do anything. ― Jimmy Kimmel
Yesterday in New York City, Donald Trump officially changed his political affiliation from Republican to Independent. And Donald's hair has switched from pelt to carpet sample. ― Jay Leno
The truth can finally be told: Donald Trump's autism was caused by a vaccination that went terribly wrong; this explains why he can't relate to other people. — Michael R. Burch
Donald Trump often appears on Fox News, which is ironic because a fox often appears on his head. — Seth Meyers
What is Donald Trump telling Barack Obama supporters? Orange Is The New Black. — Unknown
Some lovers wear their hearts on their sleeves; Donald Trump is a comedian who wears his best joke on his scalp. — Michael R. Burch
Why shouldn't Donald Trump rag on illegal immigrants, when an undocumented alien has been occupying his head for the past two decades! — Unknown
People are mad a Donald Trump for allegedly making a joke about Megyn Kelly having her period. Trump said, 'Trust me, I know what goes on down there, because I'm a huge douche.' ― Conan O'Brien
Donald Trump not only wants to mass deport 11 million Hispanics, he also wants to deport the Taco Bell chihuahua. — Michael R. Burch
What Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un lack in humility, they make up for in hair style. — blissgrunteled1 
It's hard to forget that Donald Trump is rich, successful, handsome and "intelligent" because he keeps reminding us every day. But is that intelligent? — Michael R. Burch
Stupid presidents, smart presidents, white presidents, black presidents—doesn't work! What this country needs is a crazy Third World dictator. And Donald Trump has what it takes to be that. He's already got a plane with his name on it, solid gold buildings, a harem. … This is what I've been waiting for my whole life: a president who's not afraid to tell the truth about being a lying asshole. — Lewis Black 
I don't even have anything to say to him. He's said everything he wants to say. He has no internal monologue, so it's not like you're going to find the secret nugget he's been holding back. He's an open book—and that book doesn't have many interesting words in it. ― John Oliver

"Donald Trump is the most uninformed person I've ever met running for president when it comes to foreign policy. He has no clue of what he's talking about. Don't replace President Obama with Donald Trump; it will get worse, not better. Mr. Trump's view of the world is really pretty delusional when you look at it. He has no idea what he's talking about. And over time that will take a toll, I hope. If it doesn't, here's what he's doing: He's building a third term for the Democratic Party in the White House. He's building a wall between the Republican Party and Hispanics. His immigration position is mean, is cruel, is impractical. What he's saying is going to hurt us for generations to come with Hispanics, who should be our voters. And his foreign policy is even more than naive than Barack Obama. Other than that, he's a good candidate for president." — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham

According to Conan O'Brien, it's hard to make up jokes about Donald Trump because he's broken through a "crazy barrier" than no one has ever penetrated before. (Well, perhaps Hitler and company.) For instance, Trump recently appeared at an anti-peace-with-Iran rally with Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz. It is difficult to find anything amusing to say about three warmongers who want to destroy another Middle Eastern country over weapons it does not have, in order to "protect" the United States and Israel, which do have nukes and thus are in no real danger of being "destroyed" themselves. Nazi Germany claimed that it was "threatened" by Poland in order to justify its invasion of Poland. But of course Poland posed no real threat to Germany. American and Israeli fascists have used similar fictional "threats" to justify the invasion of Iraq and the pending war with Iran. If there is another war waged on false premises, it will be very difficult to tell jokes about the people who started it. Trump, Palin and Cruz are jokes in that they lack sense. But their cries for an attack on Iran are far from funny.

However, if you want to update your collection, there are more Donald Trump jokes at the bottom of this page.

After Trump canceled a scheduled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host joked: "At least we didn't have to build a wall around Guillermo [his Mexican sidekick and security guard.]" 

Meanwhile, Trump continued to defame Hispanics, saying that if Ford builds a factory in Mexico, "Illegals are going drive those cars right over the border ... and they'll probably end up stealing the cars." So according to Trump, even if Mexicans have good-paying jobs, they will steal because that's their nature. They don't cross the border and break laws because they're poor, but because they're born lazy and shiftless. Trump reminds me of Nazis who portrayed Jews and Gypsies as being dirty and dangerous by birth and nature.

Hispanic comedians are fighting fire with fire. "Los Hijos de Trump"—"Sons of Trump"— premiered in Mexico City recently, to the delight of locals who want to even the score with the New York tycoon who's made anti-immigrant sentiments a pillar of his campaign. Throughout the show, the comedians take easy shots at the conservative frontrunner. For instance, at an Indian meditation retreat, Trump is naked except for a towel, black socks and shiny shoes. The audience explodes with laughter as a monk ducks under the towel, clutching a magnifying glass to locate Trump's manhood.

Meanwhile, Trump has been attacking Ben Carson since he became the Republican frontrunner for president in some polls. Trump went a step further when he diagnosed Dr. Ben Carson's malady, telling Bill O'Reilly: "When you suffer from pathological disease, you're not really getting better unless you start taking lots of pills and things." This was on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor, which claims to be a "spin-free zone." Trump later tweeted that "The Carson story is either a total fabrication or, if true, even worse―trying to hit mother over the head with a hammer or stabbing friend!"

Trump, who claims to be "the most militaristic person on the planet" also told O'Reilly that Russia bombing targets in Syria is "terrific" even though there are reports that Russia is not attacking ISIS, but other anti-Assad forces.

President Obama got in on the fun at a 2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C. At the time Trump was at the height of his birther fantasies, and just days before the state of Hawaii had, at the President's request, released Obama's long-form birth certificate in order to end, or try to end, the nonsense. Having referred to that act, Obama joshed: "I know that he's taken some flack lately—no one is prouder to put this birth-certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to the issues that matter, like: Did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And—where are Biggie and Tupac?" The President went on, "We all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example—no, seriously—just recently, in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice"—there was laughter at the mention of the program's name. Obama explained that, when a team did not impress, Trump "didn't blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf—you fired Gary Busey. And these are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night."

John Macks, a seven-time Emmy winner who wrote jokes for Jay Leno for 22 years, has called Donald Trump a "gift" to comedy writers. Here are some of his zingers ...

As a longtime late-night writer, let me make confirm this: even if the far far right abandons Trump over time, he can count on the support of late-night writers until the polls close in November 2016.
Trump will say anything without thinking and without being hampered by the facts. The man said he will defeat ISIS! How can he beat ISIS when he just got the crap kicked out of him by 51 Miss USA contestants?
Trump is truly a politician in the truest meaning of the word. As Jay Leno once said in his monologue: politics, comes from the Greek word poly, which means many, and tics, which means bloodsucking insects.
We [comedy writers] need a good old-fashioned crazy candidate. And by crazy, I mean crazy like a Fox ... News.

"I'm just like you, a regular Joe, but better."  — SNL's Taran Killam, playing Donald Trump and proving that imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery

Q: What's the difference between Donald Trump and a professional criminal?
A:  Professional criminals don't come up with lame excuses for things they claim never happened.

Trump tried to explain his father's arrest at a KKK rally by first claiming that his father was never at the rally, and then―in the same sentence―claiming that the arrest didn't matter because no charges were filed. First, Trump denied that his father had ever lived on the street listed in the newspaper report, then he denied that his father was arrested. "There were zero charges against him. So assuming it was him — I don't even think it was him, I never even heard about it. So it's really not fair to mention. It never happened." Trump's response was so surreal that the Times interviewer was prompted to refer to it as "pasta against the wall."

Here's the deal, Mr. Art of the Deal. If it is a wig, sue the wigmaker. If it isn't a wig, get one pronto. And in the meantime, stop insulting other people's looks. — Michael R. Burch

A new study found that Donald Trump supporters have the worst grammar on Facebook. Now angry Trump fans are saying: "Not true, my grammar is/was a great person, and so is my grampa." — Left Coast Sports Babe

Congrats to the Toronto Blue Jays for winning AL East. Stand by for #Trump to complain about immigrants taking more from Americans. — Left Coast Sports Babe

Donald Trump has been playing Aerosmith's power ballad "Dream On" at campaign events, despite the protests of Steven Tyler. But does Trump realize that the song concludes with the refrain, "Maybe tomorrow the Good Lord will take you away"?

Trump continued to hammer Jeb Bush: "Bush has no money, he's meeting today with mommy and daddy [in Texas], and they're working on his campaign. He's a guy wants to run our country and he can't even run his own campaign."

Trump mocked Marco Rubio for sweating and drinking water: "Have you ever seen a guy sweat like Rubio?" Trump asked.

Trump also derided Ben Carson as being "super low on energy."  "He's even lower-energy than Bush," Trump said. Trump also took a shot at Carson for his religion. "I'm Presbyterian. That's down the middle of road," he said. "I mean, Seventh-day Adventist I don't know about." Carson is a Seventh-day Adventist, a Protestant denomination that believes in a literal reading of the Bible.

Donald Trump Limericks

There once was a candidate, Trump,
who elected to take to the stump:
"Vote for me, whee!,
because I am ME,
and everyone else is a chump!"
— Michael R. Burch

Things that go bump in the night
fill Trump with irrational fright;
his brain hits the skids;
he cries, "Ban the kids!"
Is cowardice Trump's kryptonite?
— Michael R. Burch

There once was a brash billionaire
who couldn't afford decent hair.
The voters agreed,
"We're nation in need!"
But toupée the price, do we dare?
— Michael R. Burch

Top Ten Donald Trump Blatant Lies

Trump claims that he personally saw people jumping from the Twin Towers on 9-11, from four miles away through a thick curtain of smoke!
Trump claims that he personally saw "thousands and thousands" of New Jersey Muslims celebrating on 9-11, a claim that has been debunked by the police and media. If Trump saw this on TV, where are the film clips?
Trump claims that 81% of white homicide victims are killed by blacks; PolitiFact gave this lie a "pants on fire" rating. It is racist BS. The actual FBI figure is 15%.
Trump claims that the Mexican government deliberately "sends the bad ones over" to get rid of them; PolitiFact gave this lie a "pants on fire" rating. It is more racist BS.
Trump claims that there are 30 to 34 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.; PolitiFact gave this lie a "pants on fire" rating. More racist BS. The actual figure is closer to 10 million.
Trump is a birther who claims that none of Barack Obama's classmates remember him, but in reality many do. PolitiFact gave this lie a "pants on fire" rating. More racist BS.
Trump claims the U.S. unemployment is as high as 42%; PolitiFact gave this lie a "pants on fire" rating, saying Trump's figure is "way off the charts."
The New York Times called Trump a serial liar: "In the Republican field, Mr. Trump has distinguished himself as fastest to dive to the bottom. If it's a lie too vile to utter aloud, count on Mr. Trump to say it, often."
The Washington Post said: "We are at the point in Donald Trump's campaign when it's difficult to decide whether to focus on his unconstitutional policy proposals or his blatant lies."
According to PolitiFact, nearly every "fact" Trump cites is a half-truth or an outright lie. He is only "mostly" true around 5% of the time, and lying in one form or another 95% of the time.

The Washington Post's conclusion: "Trump has lied so many times about so many things during the past week that it's difficult to keep track of all of them. But it doesn't matter whether one focuses on Trump's attitudes about crime or American Muslims or trade policy. He lies about all of these issues. And he will continue to lie as long as it works for him."

Top Ten Signs that Donald Trump is Heading a Fascist Movement

(10) The "white victim complex" in which the "good white Christians" become the victims of dark, dirty, dangerous Jews, Muslims, Hispanics, et al.
(9) Fervent nationalism, in which "superior" nations like Germany, Italy and the U.S. can do nothing wrong and have the "right" to bully "inferior" nations.
(8) An obsession with national purity and cleansing purges of "undesirable" people like Jews, Muslims and Hispanics who are stereotyped as being shiftless, lazy and evil by nature.
(7) The cult of personality: Hitler, Mussolini, Trump.
(6) Suppression of free speech and the right of dissent; anyone who contradicts Herr Hitler or Herr Trump can be silenced or thrown out.
(5) Organized violence, including people being beaten up by Herr Trump's followers when he speaks.
(4) Support for wars of aggression, such as Herr Trump's loose talk about invading Syria and using the U.S. military to steal oil to pay the war costs.
(3) Closure of suspect places of worship: synagogues, mosques, etc.
(2) Databases of "undesirable" people such as Jews, Muslims and Hispanics.
(1) Spreading false information about "undesirable" people in order to inflame the public against them.

Top Ten Descriptions and Characterizations of Donald Trump

"I am the most fabulous whiner. I do whine, because I want to win." — Donald Trump describing himself on CNN's "New Day" to host Chris Cuomo
Trump is "the GOP's unhinged front-runner." — Robert Schlesinger, managing editor for opinion at U.S. News & World Report
Forced federal registration of US citizens, based on religious identity, is fascism. Period. Nothing else to call it." — John Noonan, a conservative national security adviser
Trump "has moved from rabble-rousing to demagoguery, or something even uglier." — U.S. News & World Report, quoting a John Cassidy article in The New Yorker
Trump is a "peripatetic political showman." — The Fiscal Times
Trump is an "immigrant-bashing carnival barker." — TIME Magazine, quoting presidential candidate Martin O'Malley
"Donald Trump is the world's greatest troll." — FiveThirtyEight Politics
"Trumpism exemplifies much that is problematic about American populism." — Weekly Standard
Trump has absorbed "every conceivable resentment (race, class, sex, religion, economic) ... promising a new order of things under his mighty hand." — Jeffrey Tucker, quoted in Salon
"Trump is the 'hero' of SNL's Drunk Uncle, David Duke, the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, skinheads, secessionists, and seemingly every disaffected American who has lost the ability to think rationally." — Michael R. Burch

Jim Sherota attended Trump's rally in Mobile, Alabama, and told The New York Times before Trump's arrival that he hoped Trump would announce a plan to issue licenses for hunting undocumented immigrants and offer $50 for "every confirmed kill." Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric has inspired brutal violence against immigrants. Scott and Steve Leader, brothers accused of severely beating a homeless Latino man in Boston, told the state troopers who arrested them: "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported." Trump's condemnation of the attack was at best half-hearted. He called it a "shame," but then attributed the brutal assault to "passion," "love of country" and patriots wanting to follow his lead in "making this country great again." He seems to be tone-deaf to his own racism and insensitivity, and not much worried about the violence his words spawn.

Related pages: The Best Donald Trump Puns, The Best Donald Trump Insults, 2016 Republican First Presidential Debate: Winners, Losers and Impressions, Is there a Republican War on Women?, The Donald Trump Bible or The Gospel According to Trump, The Best Ted Cruz Jokes, Conservatives Who Support Gay Marriage, Donald Trump Nicknames, Donald Trump's "Muslim Friends"

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