There is evidence coming out now in Forbes magazine (”Ayn Rand Ghost Does Not Haunt the Trump Administration”, Dec. 18, 2016) about whether Trump is a devotee of Ayn Rand. Trump, like all politicians, has spoken favorably of Rand and her books to win over potential voters. In an interview in USA Today, Kirsten Powers reports Trump as liking Rand’s book “The Fountainhead” and identifying with its central character Howard Roark. But that may mean that Trump read about as much of that book as he has the Bible, which he couldn’t name his favorite verse.
Also consider who the reporter is on this article. No balance.
Steven Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist in a speech presented to the Vatican in 2014, said there were two kinds of Capitalism he found disturbing: 1) state sponsored capitalism (e.g., Russia and China); and 2) “Ayn Rand or the Objectivist School of Libertarian Capitalism”, which aims to make people commodities (similar to Marxist thought). Bannon opts for what he calls “enlightened Capitalism”.
So while the Fountainhead imagery resonates with Trump the policy making is unlikely to do so. Trump is a real estate developer who has to deal with all powerful (and greedy) municipal governments who want to wheel and deal and shake down developers for all kinds of freebies (exactions, mitigations, conditions, user fees, campaign contributions) sometimes in return for tax abatements (redevelopment). Not hardly Ayn Randism.
“Trump read about as much of that book as he has the Bible, which he couldn’t name his favorite verse.”
No, he was simply smart enough not to give the enemy ammunition. Leftist morons and rightist Pharisees were salivating for him to name his favorite verse so they could attack. he laughed at your amateurish attempt and walked away.