This past weekend I took my son to a political rally. Though he just turned 12 years of age, he is a bit of a political veteran. By the nature of my job he has been exposed to a number of high profile politicians, entertainment stars and athletes. In 2011 at the age of eight he conducted an interview of Herman Cain. In 2012 I took him to see and meet the GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney was extremely kind and gracious and the memory is forever etched in the mind of my son.
This year my son determined Donald Trump was his candidate. He liked Mr. Trump’s no-nonsense approach and hung on The Donald’s self-proclaimed success story. He argued for Mr. Trump in his circle of friends and was quite enthusiastic when I asked if he’d like to go see Mr. Trump speak, and maybe, just maybe, meet him.
While we had no formal meeting scheduled with Mr. Trump, I was able to maneuver us to a location where the candidate had to pass on his way to the stage, all but ensuring an encounter for my boy. As we waited, my son grew more excited. He wore a Trump button, clutched a Trump campaign sign and had a pen at the ready for an autograph.
As the moment of Mr. Trump’s arrival drew closer, Michael’s surety that Donald Trump was the right man for president had never been more pronounced.
Then came Mr. Trump. He walked the narrow path to the stage with a small line of admirers to his right. He high-fived and touched hands. Then he came upon the 12-year-old boy with stars in his eyes. My son handed him the sign and pen. Mr. Trump took the pen, wrong side up, with the point of the pen facing him rather than facing the sign. He tried to scribble a signature but the wrong end of the pen didn’t allow it. What happened next changed my son’s perception of Donald Trump forever.
Frustrated that the pen wasn’t working, Mr. Trump thrust the sign back to my boy, literally threw the pen at him and hollered “Where’s the pen?” And I do mean hollered.
He hollered at a 12-year-old boy. In that instant the young, avid Trump fan became quite the opposite. He was hurt, he was disappointed and he was stunned, all thanks to Donald Trump. My boy turned to me with anguish in his eyes. With a shaky voice and watery eyes he looked up at me and said “He threw the pen at me! Why Dad? Why? Why did he do that?” As I offered comfort to my wonderful little guy, he made an amazing observation.
“He doesn’t care,” my son said of Trump. “He doesn’t care. He is just going through the motions.” My boy’s tears were in full bloom now. “All he cares about is himself”
In a matter of seconds Donald Trump had taken someone who admired him and thought he was the best candidate on the planet and twisted those feelings 180 degrees. Through his own actions, Mr. Trump had lifted the veil of all the braggadocio and money and shown this little boy something far more important. “All he cares about is himself”
Losing the support of a 12-year-old boy won’t cost Donald Trump the nomination. But the brash, narcissistic attitude will. Much the way the veil was lifted for this young kid, the veil will be lifted for the American public.
There are those who like his abrupt manner. They like the attacks on the mainstream media and political correctness. But Mr. Trump’s attacks on Carly Fiorina’s looks and on Ben Carson’s religion aren’t something to be admired and making a boy cry was inexcusable.
As that same veil lifts for all of America and they see what became obvious to my 12-year-old son, that Mr. Trump cares primarily about Mr. Trump, look for their turnaround in support to be every bit as swift and final as Michael’s. As the nation recognizes the narcissist, his poll numbers will plummet. I saw the end of Donald Trump’s candidacy this past weekend. It’s coming soon.
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