Donald Trump: An Exercise in Exaggeration?

            Many political pundits and others who seem offended by recent questionable comments by Donald Trump, a candidate for the 2016 U. S. Republican presidential nomination, could be falling right into what might be Trump’s trap.

Those who are offended by some of Trump’s recent perceived negative comments about Muslims and about Hillary Clinton, the perceived front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, seem to believe he means what he says.

Yet, Trump might not really believe what he said or implied. He could be saying controversial things in an exaggerated way to ensure the media and others don’t take his candidacy for granted, and don’t forget about him.

All the Campaign’s a Stage

First, Trump claimed or suggested all Muslims should be barred from entering the United States, at least in the immediate future, in light of recent terrorist acts in the United States and elsewhere. In fairness, Trump did clarify he was not referring to Muslims who are residents of the United States; only non-U. S. resident Muslims seeking to enter the United States.

Then Trump made perceived distasteful remarks about an apparent lengthy bathroom break Clinton took during a recent debate. He also used a perceived derogatory sexual innuendo—saying she got “schlonged” in 2008--to remind people she lost the Democratic presidential nomination in that contest to Barack Obama.

Trump has since explained his comment about Clinton’s defeat in 2008 was not vulgar, and is merely a Yiddish term meaning she got badly beaten in that nomination contest.

Exaggeration for Attention?

Trump clearly knows how to use language effectively and could be exaggerating his actual thoughts and feelings, mainly to make a point, or to get attention. A key aspect of running for political office is acting and performing for audiences. Some candidates sometimes say things that should not necessarily be taken seriously. Some candidates say things that seem controversial to get attention for the candidate, or to draw attention to a specific cause or situation.

While Trump’s comments about Muslims and Clinton are disconcerting to many people, he could have carefully planned his questionable comments and exaggerated for various reasons: 1) to make a point about the quality of border security in the United States; 2) to get attention for himself so people don’t forget about him; or 3) to make a point that candidates in national political debates should be better-prepared—personally and professionally.

Possible Insecurity

Notwithstanding Trump’s brashness and confidence, he also might make seemingly outlandish comments about others because sometimes he might feel somewhat inadequate running for president in the company of experienced politicians. If so, he might sometimes feel the need to ‘stir the pot’ with outrageous comments to remind people about his campaign.

In this context, Trump might sometimes feel the need to pull the rug out from under his competitors, or to wildly exaggerate some claims—such as his perceived derogatory claims about Muslims and Hillary Clinton--to make a point; to remind everyone he is still in the picture.

With these kinds of possibilities in mind, the kerfuffle over Trump’s recent remarks about Muslims and Clinton might be much ado about nothing

No Shrinking Violet

Clearly, Donald Trump is not shy. He seems intelligent. He is a showman who seems to thrive on attention. He knows he needs to act and perform on the campaign trail. He knows he has to sometimes say controversial things to get attention for himself; or to draw attention to situations some others might avoid because they might fear ‘bad press’ or ‘negative voter feedback.’

As a businessman and would-be politician, Trump also knows he has to be more-interesting to the media and to the public than his fellow candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. He knows he has to intentionally set himself apart from other contenders in his party--and from Hillary Clinton, the perceived frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

Intentional Exaggeration?

What better ways for Trump to achieve these goals than by presenting himself in a highly-exaggerated way as a racist and a misogynist—perhaps to make a point--when he might not be either one?

Yet, Trump seems so secure and comfortable with himself, no doubt because of confidence derived in part from his apparent vast personal wealth, that he seems unafraid to make himself a target of disrepute to get attention.