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Kevin Alloway
Port Matilda
Remember when Donald Trump was the star of The Apprentice, the hit reality TV show? It ran for 14 seasons, portraying him as a tough, brilliant businessman whose trademark line for underperforming contestants was "You're fired!"
But, like most reality TV, what we saw on screen didn't reflect reality. Trump claims to be a self-made man, but he inherited $400-$500 million from his father. He ran companies into the ground -- declaring bankruptcy six times. He cheated creditors, stiffed his employees and left a trail of financial wreckage. He overstated his net worth by more than $2 billion when it helped him borrow money and to create the illusion of success.
At the beginning of his first term, Trump inherited a strong economy from Barack Obama -- just as he inherited millions of dollars from his father. While he didn't destroy the economy, he also did little to help it. He passed huge tax cuts for the rich and large corporations, then imposed tariffs on imports, increasing prices on American consumers.
Now, Trump's economic plan is to impose even larger tariffs on importers of foreign goods. Experts predict this could cost families anywhere from $1,700 to $3,900 a year, stiffing American consumers the way Trump stiffed investors in his casinos. In addition, economists predict that Trump's policies will cost American jobs.
Throughout his career, Trump has been more like a blustery apprentice than a raging success. There are two words for such people -- "You're fired!"