The Ego That Ate Manhattan

Monday afternoon update: The Washington Post has an article that makes it sound like he's really running:

Donald J. Trump, the billionaire real-estate mogul, on Tuesday will release a summary of assets that total about $9 billion as part of his likely entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to people familiar with his plans.

...Trump’s longtime financial advisers and Donald F. McGahn, a partner at Jones Day, have finalized the report about his finances in recent weeks as Trump has moved closer to jumping into the 2016 contest. Three people briefed on those discussions Monday requested anonymity in order to talk about the process.

...Trump’s speech announcing his decision is likely to center on his career and fortune. He is expected to cast himself as an entrepreneur and outsider eager to tangle with the party establishment and U.S. economic rivals abroad, such as China.

...One goal of Trump’s camp is to make the cut for the Republican primary debates this summer and fall, which will require him to rank within the top 10 in national polls, among other factors. By divulging details about his finances, Trump believes he will be going above and beyond what will be necessary to win a place on stage, according to people familiar with his thinking.

...Many Republicans, especially in the upper ranks of the GOP, see him as a celebrity bomb-thrower and provocateur who has flirted with “birtherism” and made other remarks casting doubt on President Obama’s credentials and love of country. (Read the article here.) 

Original Post;
Issue dated December 7, 1987


Will Donald Trump really run for president? Common sense says no. Not only do non-politicians not get elected president, at least not since 1952, but being an official, declared presidential candidate comes with some very specific requirements and restrictions, including financial transparency. He would also have to quit doing The Apprentice, which is scheduled to begin filming season 8 in September.

Still, he's announcing something tomorrow and says "I think a lot of people are going to be really happy." If Trump declines to run, after all this fuss, will he be a laughingstock, any more than he already is? Perhaps the joke's on us, on anyone who even pretends to consider this snake oil salesman as a potential presidential candidate. Fool me once...

Anyway, while we wait for the enlightenment, check out this blast from the past: Trump's first People cover story, from December, 1987, a fun time capsule of how things used to be. The bankruptcy, the scandalous divorces and ever-younger wives, the TV show, are all in the future. The ego that ate Manhattan is there, but in those more innocent times, Trump at 41 comes across as charmingly self-confident, not bombastically obnoxious. In spite of the headline language, he hasn't started his "maybe I will, maybe I won't" presidential tease in earnest, and believe it or not, nowhere in the article is he referred to as The Donald. That comes later. (Read the article here.)

The big announcement comes tomorrow and for the record I really hope he runs. The Donald on a debate stage would be the most entertaining part of the whole election, by far. In the meantime, here are some of Trump's ups and downs, as seen through the lens of People covers.

Issue dated February 9, 1990


Issue dated July 9, 1990


Issue dated May 19, 1997


Issue dated June 9, 1997


Issue dated March 29, 2004


Issue dated February 7, 2005