The Real Donald Trump

Here we go, again.

For the smartest businessman on earth, Donald Trump sure is indecisive. He can't seem to make up his mind about anything.

One day, he is going to run for the presidency; the next day, he's not. The next day, he knows he could win, but just doesn't want the job. Then, the next day, he's flirting with running again because, after all, the country needs him. One day, he's a Democrat and supporting John Kerry and Chuck Schumer; the next day, he's an ardent constitutionalist and a Christian capitalist. The next day, he's hinting about running as an independent presidential candidate.

Hey, does anyone know who the real Donald Trump is? Does anyone understand the game he is playing right now?

I think I have insight. Don't listen to a thing he says. He has no problem with Barack Obama. In fact, I believe with absolute conviction that he is doing Obama's bidding.

"But that's crazy," you might say. "Trump was all over Obama about that birth certificate thingie. Wasn't he giving Obama fits over that?"

Sometimes things are not the way they seem.

In fact, in politics, I find, things are often not what they seem.

Here's my theory: Trump is a very successful businessman for whom there's never enough money. I don't think he has any interest in politics beyond what it can do for his enterprises. I actually think he may have been involved in shaking Obama down for something he wanted with that birth certificate charade. Because he got cold feet when Obama released the phony birth certificate, now Obama is shaking him down.

To get whatever it is he wants from Obama and company, he may be asked to throw the 2012 election into chaos by running as an independent.

Evidently, the stakes are very high.

What are the possibilities?

Apparently, Trump wants to build the world's tallest building in Chicago. Getting things done in Chicago means payoffs. Those payoffs don't always come in the form of money.

But think about this: What would be the impact of a Donald Trump presidential bid as an independent?

Which candidate would be more adversely affected by Trump's entry into the race: Obama or the unnamed Republican who is already beating Obama by eight points?

That's right. The Republican would be hurt.

You see, Trump actually fooled a lot of Republicans during his flirtation with running as a Republican presidential candidate. You might remember he went to the head of the pack by playing the eligibility card.

But what if it was all a big show? What if he was just bluffing to get something out of Obama and his Chicago mob friends? And what if Obama answered with a desperate play of releasing a phony birth certificate? And what if Trump lost his nerve and didn't challenge it?

Is this my scenario?

Let me say it is plausible — maybe even more than plausible.

What does that make Trump in 2012?

Unless Americans, especially Republicans and conservatives, realize who he is and what he is, it makes him one of the most dangerous political wild cards in the country.

Do I think he's going to run as an independent candidate in 2012?

Personally, I think he will do it if Obama makes him an offer he can't refuse.

There's much more to this story that I can't say right now. But watch this melodrama through the prism of what you have just read, and decide for yourself whether it all begins to make sense to you.

I think Trump was playing Obama. And now I think Obama is playing his Trump card.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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