So what do you Brits make of Trump ?

[flabbybody]

Have London books made odds on Donald Trump winning the Republican nomination?
I saw a poll today out of Iowa that has him tied with Dr. Ben Carson in the first January primary. It's pretty wild because those are the last two people anyone would have guessed were even running a few months ago.

[rodinuk]

William Hill has him at 3-1 second favourite to Jeb Bush at 13-8 to win the nomination.

He's 5-1 to be the next president behind Bush at 4-1 and Clinton at 11/10.


The view here is that he's a complete asshat

[Stavros]

At this stage of the Presidential campaign it seems there is always a 'maverick' candidate who wins a lot of polls; Sarah Palin was the woman of the hour however many years and hours (and there were a lot of them) ago that was. I think the more Trump is exposed to cross-examination on policy the more his lack of experience in political office will get tangled up with his sound-bite politics. Because of the way that elections are 'packaged and sold' one may argue that sound-bites can make or break a campaign, but note that where Trump is against this, against that, opposed to them and opposed to that, Obama made the cunning decision to always be positive: Yes, we can is a simple message, but is positive and has no complications. It hits the spot. Change, hope, we are better than this -they appeal to voters who want something to vote for, rather than something -or someone- to vote against. The GOP lost its hold over California because of Proposition 187, and it did so by alienating Hispanic voters in a state where they are not just important, but consider themselves to be as important as every other American. Trump, by isolating people for comment in the manner that he has is taking a huge risk and it begs the question can elections be won on negative campaigning? He is a protest candidate like Bernie Sanders, but I don't think he will win the nomination -he may even drop out of the race in the next 6 months, so I don't think he will win the nomination.

If there is one interesting difference between Trump and the other current Republican candidates, it is his weakness on God and the Bible, for while he has made a point of claiming to be a Presbyterian, his grasp of the Bible doesn't seem secure and has generated some hilarious tweets a couple of which are below if you haven't seen them.

Some funny tweets:

[trish]

Jesus is huge. I know Jesus. He absolutely loves me! Classy dude. Really classy.

[Hemi Royd]

Donald Trump,all he is a distraction,Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton will be the runner up for their party,,period,,,,,,,Whatever Donald is spewing,is someone that doesn't want to be recognized,,every word he says,does not affect me,really,We been told more than he has said,,,,,life goes on,,,,,

[Laphroaig]

Donald Trump and Alex Salmond, two gasbags with enough hot air between them to power the entire country let alone a single windfarm...

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1...gal_challenge/

It remains the only fight in which I really wanted both sides to take a beating. Salmond may have won the battle this time but if Trump comes back to Scotland to wage war as US President, I'm emigrating...

I imagine his victory stance might look something like this...

[flabbybody]

Stavros makes a valid point about Trump's shaky bible background but it might not be a liability at all. Americans like to talk about God but at the end of the day we don't really give a rat's ass about our religions.
The defining moment of John Kennedy's campaign versus Richard Nixon in 1960 came when JFK gave a speech at Rice University essentially renouncing his Catholicism and assuring the public he was a secular individual. Obama did much the same thing when he dissociated himself from his long time pastor who had made some dubious comments about America's responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.
For me personally, I'd be very leery of voting for a truly religious person for president

[broncofan]

It would be amusing if a country that gave rise to the greatest playwright ever and whose people tend to use language in a careful and understated way were in love with a crass vulgarian like Trump. I can't think of a bigger stylistic clash than Donald Trump and the British public.

I think the way one speaks and handles criticism can provide insights into how they would deal with crises and how diplomatic they will be.

[Laphroaig]

The view here is that he's a complete asswig

Corrected that for you...

[Stavros]

Jesus is huge. I know Jesus. He absolutely loves me! Classy dude. Really classy.

I once had a taxi driver in Los Angeles called Jesus, he ripped me off. Is that the guy?