Donald Trump jumped on the road to the White House today, telling an audience at Trump Tower in New York City, “I am officially running for president of the United States.”
But it’s a long time between now and Election Day 2016 and a long way between Fifth Avenue and the White House.
Let’s imagine for a second that The Donald, known for his signature coif, vast real estate holdings and jet-setting lifestyle, actually pulls off the unlikely -- some would say impossible -- and wins this thing. Here’s a sneak peek at what a Trump presidency might look like:
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Obama got Beyoncé to lip-sync the National Anthem at his 2013 ceremony. So who might the Donald want serenading him on his big day? Maybe Neil Young. Turns out Trump is a huge fan of the folk singer. "He's got something very special," Trump told Rolling Stone magazine. "I've listened to his music for years,” he said. At Trump’s presidential announcement event today, he walked out to Neil Young’s "Rockin' In The Free World."
White House or Trump Hotel?
A president isn’t required to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but in modern times, it is certainly the expectation. That said, there would seem to be an attractive alternative for Trump. Trump and his family set to work this year on a new luxury hotel, expected to open in 2016. If he decides to break with tradition and live there, he would not be far from the White House -- the new hotel will be located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, in the Old Post Office Building.
Air Force One or Trump One?
Who needs Air Force One when you already have your own custom Boeing 757 airplane?
And who needs Marine One when you’ve got your own private fleet of personalized Trump helicopters?
Camp David? Nah.
Forget about the presidential retreat at Camp David. Trump’s preferred vacation spot is his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Bought by Trump for $10 million in 1985, the estate has 126 rooms and covers 110,000 square feet. It would seem that in recent years, however, Trump’s solitude has been disturbed more than once --- he has twice sued Palm Beach County over aircraft noise.
How He Would Handle ISIS: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
In an interview with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren in May, Trump declined to reveal the particulars of his strategy for combating ISIS: “I don’t want the enemy to know what I’m doing. Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to tell at some point, but there is a method of defeating them quickly and effectively.”
He also told the Des Moines Register that if he revealed his “beautiful” solution to fighting ISIS, “Everyone else is going to say: ‘Wow, what a great idea.’ You're going to have 10 candidates going to use it and they're going to forget where it came from. Which is me.”
A President Who Doesn’t Shake Hands?
Trump isn’t a fan of handshakes. According to Time Magazine, Trump said, “I think the handshake is barbaric... Shaking hands, you catch the flu, you catch this, you catch all sorts of things.” He isn’t against an alternative, telling The Washington Post, “I wouldn't mind a little bow. In Japan, they bow. I love it. Only thing I love about Japan.”
Oh yeah, no gum chewing on foreign trips either:
Trumped Up Diplomacy
In a speech at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump laid out his basic stance on foreign policy: “Our leadership is so weak and so pathetic that they could get away with it, and believe me, they’re taking our jobs… and China’s not the only one. You look at other countries, they’re doing the same thing. They have no respect for our leader.”
On the decision to invade Iraq, Trump has said “I would have never been in Iraq,” yet also acknowledged that once the U.S. became involved in the conflict,“we probably should have stayed.” In addition, he tweeted last month:
On Ukraine: “You’d like to take a stand where the respect would be great enough that this wouldn’t have happened in the first place,” He has advocated for increased pressure on both European nations such as Germany and the United Kingdom and on Putin, himself. As far as Trump appears to be concerned, “Putin has eaten Obama’s lunch” on Ukraine.
The Great Wall Of Trump
For Trump, immigration policy is all about the fence. In an interview this year with Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, Trump declared: “Nobody can build a fence like me. I would build a wall like nobody can build a wall. And nobody comes in illegally anymore...I build great buildings all over the world. I would have Mexico pay for it. Believe me. They will pay for it because they have really ripped this country off.”
Trumpcare
In 2012, Trump argued for repealing Obamacare. According to Breitbart, he called Obamacare a “total catastrophe” and a “filthy lie” at the 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit, taking aim at the program’s cost. “Just look at Obamacare with a five billion dollar website,” he said. “I have many, many websites, all over the place. I got them for ten dollars.”
Trump has been wary of calls from GOP figures who argue for reducing or eliminating Medicare and Social Security. Trump said “It’s not unreasonable for people who paid into a system for decades to get their money’s worth -- that’s not an ‘entitlement,’ that’s honoring a deal.” He has said he wants to reform Social Security by increasing efficiency and rooting out fraud.
White House Guests
There would be no shortage of celebrities as President Trump’s White House guests. In the past, Trump has rubbed elbows with famous athletes, singers, actors, actresses and politicians.
Other guests might include beauty queens since Trump owns the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants.
How He’d Solve the Energy Crisis
In a 2011 interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump revealed part of his plan to solve the nation’s energy problems. Trump would authorize another Middle East invasion and take control of Iraq’s oil fields. Speaking to Stephanopoulos, Trump said, “We have spent thus far, $1.5 trillion. We could have rebuilt half of the United States. $1.5 trillion. And we’re going to leave. So, in the old days, you know when you had a war, to the victor belong the spoils. You go in. You win the war and you take it.” Upon being pressed by Stephanopoulos for clarification, Trump said “You’re not stealing anything. You’re taking - we’re reimbursing ourselves - at least, at a minimum… We’re taking back $1.5 trillion to reimburse ourselves.
Fore! Where Trump Would Golf
Many presidents like to spend their leisure time on the green, and Trump does too. He’s a huge name in golf - not for his skill but for the multiple golf courses he owns. While Obama likes to golf at Joint Base Andrews, Trump might favor his own golf courses along the Potomac River.