Merkel had to teach Trump how EU trade works 11 times

[Badger]

Well, he atleast seems to be interested in a trade deal with Europe, so I suppose that's positive.

When he's completely ignorant about the very fundamental basics of EU trade, that shows he doesn't have a clue in hell about the important details.

With that in mind, how good of a deal can we expect Trump to negotiate?

[Badger]

He's never had to learn or work hard at anything before because his entire life has just been handed to him. I imagine (hope) that as he learns more about the actual world around him (and that it doesn't revolve around him) that he'll focus a little more on bettering it and not just go for another round of golf like he's on a four year vacation from life.

I mostly agree with this post (although Trump should get at least a little bit of credit for his management of his business). Hopefully he will learn on the job, and avoid any serious missteps in the meantime.

"Management of his business"?? The man was given hundreds of millions of dollars from his father via inheritance or other plush jobs where he earned megabucks for "helping" daddy's business. Putting that into an index fund would've made one a billionaire. This is a guy who has declared bankruptcy how many times? Remember the United States Football League?

The only "business" he's been an unqualified success at, financially and otherwise, is self-promotion. We could've just as easily elected one of the Kardashians on the same basis.

[Badger]

He's never had to learn or work hard at anything before because his entire life has just been handed to him. I imagine (hope) that as he learns more about the actual world around him (and that it doesn't revolve around him) that he'll focus a little more on bettering it and not just go for another round of golf like he's on a four year vacation from life.

I mostly agree with this post (although Trump should get at least a little bit of credit for his management of his business). Hopefully he will learn on the job, and avoid any serious missteps in the meantime.

"Management of his business"?? The man was given hundreds of millions of dollars from his father via inheritance or other plush jobs where he earned megabucks for "helping" daddy's business. Putting that into an index fund would've made one a billionaire. This is a guy who has declared bankruptcy how many times? Remember the United States Football League?

The only "business" he's been an unqualified success at, financially and otherwise, is self-promotion. We could've just as easily elected one of the Kardashians on the same basis.

https://www.quora.com/Did-Donald-Trump-inherit-a-lot-of-money-and-then-increase-his-net-worth-at-an-unremarkable-rate

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[5]

Trump does deserve credit for a number of things. First, many heirs squander their fortune or spend recklessly. Trump by all accounts worked hard to invest his money well. Second, Trump made well-timed investments in Manhattan and he chose to stay invested in Manhattan. He’s made a number of excellent business decisions, and nearly everyone in business has made decisions they regret.

However, it’s also clear that if he didn’t have inheritance and financial support from his father, he couldn’t have gotten started in the way that he did. It’s also clear that he has benefitted from normal compounding, as any investor would.

The long and short of that is that Trump is just as terrible at managing his businesses as he is at everything else he does.
[/quote]

Excellent find on a very good article summarizing the issue. The only caveat I'd add is, again, he's socked it away in his media empire of books, TV, "universities", etc. Thus my (apt, IMHO) comparison with the Kardashians.

He's not a financial "success"; he was born amazingly wealthy and simply stayed that way. The fact he hides his tax returns should be a red flag to anyone remotely impartial.