Find Trump’s Achilles’ heel. Humiliate him. Brand him into submission.
He’s doing a pretty good job of that himself, but he’s in control of his own measured humiliation right now which is translating into martyrdom and hero worship by his base. Here’s a tip for all the 2020 Democratic (and Republican) hopefuls. Trump loves himself. He craves power, and ‘gold’. He thinks he’s hot. God’s gift to America, all women and the world over. His ego is his weak point. Attack it, beat it down and he’ll cave. He’s almost there now.
Everyone should start referring to him as ‘President Goldfinger’. The moniker fits perfectly. Trump is a dead ringer for the buffoonish 007 villain in looks, style, form and personality. If all candidates, opposition, pundits, news reporters and on-air hosts and hostesses, late night comics ...all school children, the general public at large, everyone, started referring to Trump as Goldfinger, it would eventually stick and that’s what you want. It’s advertising 101 and it’s what Trump does every day to others. It’s how he wins. When Trump’s world leader counterparts start calling him President Goldfinger and important people, all people, start pointing and laughing at him, he’s branded, humiliated. ‘President Goldfinger’, his legacy.
Trump has always loved calling other people names. His base loves it, and admittedly, it is funny. ‘Crooked Hillary’, ‘Pocahontas’ Elizabeth Warren, ‘Little Marco’ Rubio, ‘Lyin’ Ted Cruz’ ...“Rocket Man” Kim Jong-un, etc. You may think this tactic or personality trait is immature and sophomoric, but it works for him. Others have tried it against him, like Marco Rubio referring to Trump’s “little hands”, but Rubio shot himself in the foot and set himself up for Trump’s subtle below the belt comeback referencing Rubio’s small size ...below the belt.
No other candidate has stooped as low as Trump in his infantile name calling venue. Everyone is incensed and expresses various levels of outrage, but they hold the line on civility and don’t cross it, while Trump wallows in the muck and walks away with the headlines, and his base, every time.
Forget Elizabeth Warren. “Pocahontas” indeed. Trump will eat her alive. He already has. She’s her own worst enemy, full of couched rage, meaningless words about helping the “middle class”, and her worn out foolish moxie. Forget Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, and the guys with the great hair ...and take Mitt Romney, please!
Michelle Obama has made popular her husband’s political philosophy of, “When they go low, you go high”. This is a good and noble gesture, but I disagree regarding beating Trump in 2020 and here’s why. To beat Trump, and make no mistake about it, that is the most important, singular job, you have to go lower. It may go against every natural law of civility and maturity, but it’s the only way to dig him out. Fight fire with fire, get it over with at any cost no matter how unpleasant. Then go high. You can’t go high unless you win the White House first.
But who can do this? Who can carry that mantle of responsibility, endure the heat of battle, fight through with respectability and win in the end? It’s going to take a ‘special’ person. Our candidate must be willing to get down to Trump’s level, willing to humiliate himself along with Trump, leading him, baiting him like a vaccine to a virus. Our candidate must inject himself with a measure of the Trump virus in order to beat it.
I think Obama’s former VP Joe Biden is the only man who can do this. If he’s up to it. I think he can out gaff, out punch, out Trump Trump and come out on top. Biden is immune to humiliation and name calling. He’s the ‘gaff king’. He can fire back with purpose and impact and we’d love it. The media would love it. Biden can sink Trump, take him to the woodshed, or under the bleachers for an old fashioned asswoopin’ which he has already suggested he wants to do. I can’t think of a woman candidate who could do this other than someone like Phyllis Diller or Joan Rivers, both deceased ...or maybe Oprah, she’s still kickin’.
So, here’s the ‘art of the deal’, the strategy to beat Trump in 2020, if he doesn’t beat himself and get impeached first. It’s simply to brand him like he likes to brand others. Beat him at his own game. Beat him constantly over the head with it. Brand him as America’s ‘President Goldfinger’, and that will do the trick. Our collective voice can make important changes. Look at this as a complementary alternative, or a check on our democratic American voting system, a system that has become flawed.
Trump may think he’s making America great, but he’s dragging America down. He’s abusing his power, hurting more than helping, and proving to be an egomaniac with no conscience.
James Bond: “ [Goldfinger] You’ll kill 60,000 people uselessly.”
Auric Goldfinger: “Ha. American motorists kill that many every two years.”
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
