WS Chronicle

New York City and the real estate building trades is probably one of the toughest businesses one can imagine. To be a successful builder in New York City, one has to be able to deal successfully with the different factions that control the building trades. You must be tough, confident, persuasive, and fearless.

Racism, vulgarity, sexism, violence and bullying are the hallmarks of the real estate development business.

Donald Trump, candidate for president of the United States, honed his skills in the real estate industry during his rise to fame and fortune in the decades of the 70s and 80s. Much has been written about his early career, but many details have been obscured by the passage of time and over-shadowed by Trump’s success and celebrity. However, he has been a major player in the cutthroat world of business and finance.

Early in 1971, Trump began cultivating the rich and powerful. He made regular donations to members of the city’s Democratic machine. Mayors, borough presidents and other elected officials often were blunt in their requests for campaign cash and “loans,” according to the commission on government integrity.

Donald Trump later said that the richer he became, the more money he gave.

As he fed the political machine, he also had to work with unions and companies known to be controlled by New York’s ruling mafia families, which had infiltrated the construction industry, according to court records, federal task force reports, and newspaper accounts. No serious presidential candidate has ever had Trump’s depth of documented business relation-ships with mob-controlled entities.

At the first Republican debate in August, Trump alluded to his history of political giving, bragging that he gave money with the confidence that he would get something in return. “I was a business-man. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them. They are there for me,” he said. He made reference to Hillary Clinton as a recipient of his generosity who was obligated to attend his wedding.

Over the years Trump became a powerful and fearless developer. He cut his deals his way. He dictated the terms of his deals with his wealth. He tolerated no opposition; it was his way or no way!

Trump’s stump speech sounds much like a closed session with shady characters where tough talk, promises and big money will get the job done. “I’m going to make America great again.” “I’m going to build a wall on our southern border and Mexico is going to pay for it.” “We don’t win any-more; when I’m president, we’re going to win so much you will be begging me to stop winning.” “We’re going to build up the military. We’re going to defeat ISIS.” “We’re going to deport illegal immigrants.” “We’re going to bar Muslims from coming to America.” and “Black Lives Matter should try to take my mic from me!” “I’m going to bring our jobs back from Mexico and China.” “The Mexicans are going to vote for me, the blacks are going to vote for me. Why?Because I’m going to give them jobs; I’m going to bring back the jobs from China and Mexico.” “We’re losing all over the world.” “ISIS is cutting off heads, drown-ing people in cages and we are complain-ing about waterboarding. I’ll go further than that. I’ll bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.” “Hillary Clinton, I have not started on her yet.”

For sure, when he finishes with Hillary Clinton, only women with no self-respect will vote for him.

Trump never has any substance to impart to his thousands of supporters. What he fails to mention on the stump is that his clothing line is made in China and Mexico. He can initiate the process of bringing jobs back from China and Mexico by having his clothing line made in America.

In the absence of substance, Trump, true to his celebrity status, is an excellent entertainer. He berates his opponents in the worse way, called George Bush a liar and criticized John McCain for getting captured during the war. “He’s not a war hero,” Trump said. Then he got sarcastic and added: “He’s a war hero because he was captured? I like people that weren’t captured.”

When asked what he would do about the protests and the issue of racially motivated violence, Trump simply stated: “There’s no such thing as racism any more. We’ve had a black president, so it’s not a question any more. Are they saying black lives should matter more than white lives or Asian lives? If black lives matter, then go back to Africa. We’ll see how much they matter there.”

A 1973 suit against Trump and the Trump organization claimed that superintendents at Trump properties would mark African-Americans’ applications with racial codes. When an African-American showed up to rent an apartment owned by Donald Trump and his family, the building superintendent did what he claimed he’d been told to do. He allegedly attached a separate sheet of paper to the application, marked with the letter “C” for “Colored.” This insured the application would be rejected.

Donald Trump operated his business with secret racist codes then and will take that concept to the Oval Office if elected.

All he has for his supporters is his “Bad Boy, Tough Guy” image and “We are going to make America great again.” When asked how he plans to get things done, he claims he is going to bring in people who can get things done. He brags about the great company he has built and assures his supporters that he will do the same thing for America. Yet whenever he tries to promote his rhetorical plans, they are shot down by the experts. In assessing the state of the United States, it has the worse leadership imaginable. According to Trump, Obama has divided the country. Yet he has expressed his disdain for every non-white ethnic group in the world. At his rallies, he does not hesitate to point out African-American protesters and link them with our African-American president. He has absolutely nothing good to say about anyone except himself and a few of his cronies.

America is still the great melting pot as it was when his grandparents came here from Germany in 1885 and his mother from the Scottish island of Lewis. Grandpa Fred listed his ethnicity as Swedish to avoid alienating his Jewish tenants, as he was one of New York City’s premiere real estate developers.

Donald Trump needs to read Article II, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which states the powers of the Executive branch of the U.S. Government. If for some ungodly reason he happens to occupy the Oval Office in 2016, “I” and “We” will not consist solely of him and his handpicked cabinet. It will be the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democrats, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and International law who will have to give their consent to his shallow, racist, dictatorial ambitions.

Walter Smith is publisher of the New York Beacon.