The Donald: The Democrat’s Secret Weapon.

American politics is littered with the most wonderful first names: Grover (as in Cleveland), John Quincey (as in Adams), Ulysses (as in Grant) and so on but there has not been one Donald in the White House. In recent years, the only political Donald of memory is Rumsfeld, the man who famously said, “stuff happens,” when commenting on the War on Terrorism. I venture to suggest that the best known “Donald” in American culture is Disney’s beloved cartoon character, Donald Duck.

In recent weeks, a Donald has burst onto the American political scene. Donald Trump, or ‘The Donald’, as he is called by his close advisers, is seeking the presidential nomination of the Republican Party in the 2016 election. I assume that The Donald’s polling stats have told him there is no point in his cosying up to the Latino community. His pollsters may have told him to solidify his redneck vote by attacking the Latinos. This is odd because the Republican Party has been on a charm offensive to woo Latino voters.

But look at what Trump has been saying. In his campaign announcement speech, Trump said of the Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing in drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Trump has repeated these comments, although he has since said, “I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people.” But like many who don’t know how to make a proper apology, he continued his attack: “But you have people coming over the border and they’re bad.” CNN’s State of the Union television programme also recorded Trump saying, “You have people coming in…that are killers and rapists and they’re coming into this country.” The Donald subscribes to the theory that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

True, Trump is not alone on this immigrant-hatred platform. Ted Cruz, the US Senator from Texas, praised Trump as “terrific, a man who speaks the truth.” Congressman Steve King of Iowa said he applauded Trump’s “scrappiness.”

However, many Republicans have sought to distance themselves and the Party from Trump. RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus, told reporters that Trump’s comments were “not helpful” but that the RNC did not pick and choose who ran. Governor Chris Christie, another Republican contender, did not mince his words. He condemned Trump’s Mexican-bashing comments as “wholly inappropriate.”

Democratic strategists see benefit in Trump’s tirade. Whilst anti-immigrant remarks may play well in limited areas of America, most American families are of immigrant stock and will not be impressed. Nor will anyone of more moderate views. Furthermore, Trump has shown himself to believe that he is always right until he is not and then he was never wrong. You were. Hence those corporations who have severed their business relationships with Trump in the past two weeks have been told by The Donald that he rejected them first.

I don’t live in America, so it is difficult to understand how Trump has got traction so quickly. Perhaps it is because there is no clear front runner among the Republicans. In Iowa, Trump is tied second behind Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. In Florida, he is polling second behind Jeb Bush. In a poll last week by CNN-ORC, Trump was placed second behind Bush.

So, what should the Democratic strategy be? Democratic contenders feel it irresistible to pan The Donald and his disgraceful remarks. Hillary Clinton does not mention him by name but she said: “Recently a Republican candidate for president described immigrants as drug dealers, rapists and criminals. Maybe he’s never met them. Maybe he’s never stopped to ask the millions of people who love this country, work hard and want nothing more than a chance to build a better life for themselves and their children what their lives are like.”

However, if the Democrats want to reinforce the worst voter perceptions of the Republican Party’s agenda, they should keep quiet and let Trump supercharge his racist message. It will be like Mitt Romney in 2012 when audience members in one of the debates booed a gay soldier and when Romney himself insulted the 47%. The longer The Donald stays in the race, the more the Democratic win will be assured.

The Donald is a buffoon. He has no realistic political platform, no proper policies for the country and no idea how to lead the American people. How does a person so poorly qualified get to this position? As the boxing promoter, Don King, would say: “only in America.”