It hasn’t gone unnoticed by portions of the American public that Mr. Donald Trump, a businessman with a long track record of doing deals, has seen almost none of his capitalist collaborators speak in defense of his body of work on cable news programs or in front of a capacity audience at a rally. Why might that be?
For months now, Mr. Trump’s business acumen, and billionaire status, has been called into question by pundits and those who oppose his candidacy, but only his campaign has been fighting back. Where are Mr. Trump’s friends, like billionaire sports-entertainment magnate Mr. Vince McMahon?
Chairman of WWE, a media, entertainment and intellectual property company, Mr. McMahon over the years has had a grand public friendship with Mr. Trump, one that dates back to 1988, when the real-estate mogul convinced the then World Wrestling Federation promoter to bring WrestleMania to Trump Plaza; not once, but twice, back-to-back.
Mr. Trump has been no stranger to Mr. McMahon’s marketing machine: in 2007, roughly two years after bragging to Mr. Billy Bush about committing sexual assault, the New York City scion appeared with WWE’s chief at WrestleMania in a billionaire versus billionaire match – it’s not known for a fact that Mr. Trump is a billionaire because he, though running for president, has refused to release his tax returns.
And in 2013, Mr. Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. If there was ever a character witness to have, Mr. McMahon seems like it, doesn’t he?
But beyond personality, Mr. McMahon could attempt to cast a good light on the Trump Foundation – which this year was fined by the IRS for violating campaign finance rules, and which received a cease-and-desist order from the New York City Attorney General for failing to register properly as a charity – given that he and his wife, Mrs. Linda McMahon, are its largest contributors, donating $5 million over the last ten years.
And on the topic of contributions, Mrs. McMahon, a two-time failed Republican Senatorial candidate, recently donated $6 million to a super PAC that supports Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, but neither Mr. McMahon nor his wife have uttered a word in favor of a Trump administration. Why might that be?
Not only have the McMahons stayed silent during the 2016 election for President of the United States of America, Mr. McMahon has reportedly imposed a company-wide gag order preventing past and current talent from speaking to the news media about the Republican presidential nominee who’s currently trailing Mrs. Hillary Clinton by 4 points.
All actions by the wealthy McMahons show they believe in Mr. Trump and his brand, so why not elaborate that confidence to the public who in less than two weeks will head to the ballot and elect Mr. Barack Obama’s successor? The refusal of the McMahons to speak in defense of Mr. Trump is in itself a statement, one that allows for great interpretation.
Never shy to be controversial, Mr. McMahon appears to be signaling to us that while Mr. Trump is good for business, he’s maybe not so ideal for democracy and leadership. I could be wrong, of course, but only the McMahons can set the record straight, and they won’t, for obvious reasons.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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