GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump was on the shortlist as Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Today he lost to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The magazine's website notes that "TIME's Person of the Year is bestowed by the editors on the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year."
Trump wasn't the runner up either-- he came in third place in a field of eight. Perhaps this is a befitting position for him, given that many see him as a third-rate politician, who also may become a third party candidate.
Trump's loss means one less trophy magazine cover which he can frame and display in his office in Trump Tower-- what I call The Art of the Heel.
If he had won, I am confident that the bulk (and bunk) of Trump's acceptance speech would have been, "Me, me me, me, me, myself, myself, myself, myself, myself, I, I, I, I, I, my, my, my, my, my, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine . . ."
Trump is no gracious loser. Today he tweeted "I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite They picked person who is ruining Germany."
Does Trump understand that it's not always an honor? Past recipients have included the good, the bad, and the ugly-- ranging from Popes, presidents and heroes to heels, dictators and despots (including Hitler and Stalin).
At any rate, I nominate him for Poison of the Year. He is a toxic mix of egotism and pessimism. He appears to me to be one of the angriest and most divisive wealthy people in America. If I had his money, I would be grateful, not so livid. There is an old expression, "If you are so smart, why ain't you rich?" With Trump, I find myself asking, "If you are so rich, why ain't you smart?"
Here are a few examples of Trump's venomous remarks made just this year:
Trump's announcement that he was running for president: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Trump speaking of U.S. Senator and former POW, John McCain: "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."
Trump referring to Fox News' Megyn Kelly: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes; blood coming out of her wherever."
Trump on female GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?"
Trump on President Obama: "Our great African American President hasn't exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore!"
Trump's reference to alleged 9/11 celebrations in Jersey City, NJ: "Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering."
Trump on families of terrorists: "The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives, don't kid yourself. When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families."
Trump's statement on Muslims: "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
Here's Trump mocking disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski while Trump contorts and jerks around his arms and head, referencing an article ". . . written by a nice reporter, now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy -- ahh, I don't know what I said, ahh, I don't remember. He's going like, I don't remember. . . "
If elected, Trump intends to deport 11 to 12 million of undocumented Hispanics, as well as Syrian refugees-- while keeping others out. This will be self-fulfilling. If he is elected president, they not only won't want to come in, but a vast number of American citizens will want to leave. Let's hope other nations are willing to open their borders to receive us.
Trump does have a consolation prize-- yesterday he made the front cover of the Philadelphia Daily News.
