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“The one consistent thing about Donald Trump is that he is a self-promoter, that the one thing of value to him is himself.”

I understand that you don’t trust him.

What I do trust is that he will do what he perceives to be in his self interest. Just like I trust you will do what you perceive to be in your self interest (even though I don’t know you).

So the issue is not so much trust as divining what a person perceives as his self interest.

Everybody (including you) looks after his interest first and foremost. We all have a variety of self interests and they are not all the same. Money is definitely one we all share to one degree or other. Fame is important for some, leaving a lasting legacy for others.

As I try to divine Trump’s self interests now, I see the following:

It makes no sense that he’d be doing this for money. He has all the money he needs, and if he wanted to get more he would keep doing what he’s doing. This run for the presidency has cost him money.

He does have a big ego and he needs to keep feeding it. Fame and power are definitely delicious ego food, after you’ve had money as an appetizer. So, at this stage of his life what better way to feed it than to leave himself a legacy of having been a great president, by, as he says, making America Great Again.

Of course you would want to know what his version of a “Great America” looks like. That’s something that each one of us has to figure out from what he says, what he’s done, what he believes in.

With Trump you’re not going to get a conservative ideologue, like for example Cruz (who by the way I like very much). With Trump you get Trump. He takes problems as they come and he solves them in accordance with his perceived interest (as any of us would do) using whatever resources he has on hand. He’s guided not so much by any particular theoretical philosophy (conservative or otherwise) as by how he was brought up, and his life experience. In other words his gut.

From what I’ve seen of him so far I think he’s a decent person who loves his country, and wants to see its traditional values (what made it great in the past) restored.

It’s truly as simple as that. Will he do stuff that will disappoint me sooner or later? No doubt, but who won’t. Will he compromise some of the values? No question, he’s a deal maker, but he will get the long end of the deal. (Remember what Reagan said, “Get the half a loaf today, and keep working on the rest tomorrow.”) But if he’s able to steer this ship of state back to the course it was on when Reagan left, I’d be quite happy, and I believe that is his intention.

And don’t overlook a very important trait of his that a lot of people deprecate. His salesmanship, his in-your-face style, his unPC way to get attention. That is worth gold in this environment of media censorship that we live in. He has proven that he can get the enemy press to cover the issues he cares about and not hide it from america’s consciousness. And he does it in a way that Joe Blow can relate to and that ignites his passion. As good as Ted Cruz is, this is one characteristic that he lacks and that has doomed him to single digit numbers. The two would make a great team - they definitely like each other.

Anyway, that’s my two cents. I’ll keep monitoring things and see if my gut feelings about this proves right or wrong, ...and adjust accordingly.

As far not doing it for the money: Trump will never have enough money. Never. Nor enough power or attention. That’s the way with megalomania.

And he’s not losing money on this. His “brand” will benefit and his ratings will too. It’s not a money loser for him. Trump is bigger for this.

And I don’t think his skillset translates to a good president. I don’t trust his judgement. E.g., he thought Obama picked a good team, and Hillary would be a good choice to negotiate with Iran.

Lacking in integrity, not a conservative, incompetent as a president.

Yeppers, not my guy.

Thanks very much for your courteous and thoughtful posts. I really appreciate your discussion.