Is Donald Trump's run to be Presidential candidate part of his business strategy?

[Dien Rice]

I read a fascinating article from The Economist magazine...

(As an aside, my father, who was an economist, used to often subscribe to The Economist magazine... So I grew up reading it...)

They argue that Donald Trump is angling to get whoever is the eventual Republican presidential nominee to be in his back pocket...

The thought process is something like this.

If the Republicans don't treat Trump "nicely" - he could run as an independent. If he does that, he'll effectively ruin the chances of a Republican winning the presidency, handing the presidency over to Hillary (or whoever the Democrat nominee is).

So - the Republicans have to "treat him nicely." But what does that mean?

Trump is mostly in the real estate business... apartments, hotels, casinos. When you're at the scale he's at, government is extremely important. You may need government permits to build what you want. You may need an area rezoned. You could negotiate on property taxes you owe. It always helps to have the government on your side, willing to help you do what you want to do...

If a Republican president wins, and they "owe" Trump (for not running against him as an independent, for example)... It could help Trump get favorable government treatment for his businesses in the future...

So - whatever you think of him, from a business point of view... He may not be such a "fool" after all...

Here's the article...

Donald Trump's brazen genius
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democ...nd-deal-making

If you have trouble reading it, go to the Google search then click on the link there...

http://www.google.com/search?q=Donal...+brazen+genius

There's often another angle which is a little bit below the surface...

Best wishes,

Dien