Trump is not the GOP, he is a self serving billionaire. Two days ago his daughter, who oversees the Trump organization, is invited to a meeting with the Japanese PM. Today he is cutting deals with Indian businessmen who say they are more interested now that he is president.

Trump's chances:

- appointed as Vice President a guy who wants to electrocute gay kids to turn them straight

- appointed as his senior strategist a literal-not-figurative white supremacist and anti-Semite who thinks Darth Vader is a role model (ain't making that up, either)

- nominating as Attorney General a guy so profoundly tied to his white hoods that he couldn't get confirmed as a justice

- claiming that he'll extend libel laws because his feelings are hurt

That's four--and if you want to throw in the whole "bragging about sexual assault" thing, five through about thirty or so!--more than he'd deserved. Why should he continue to be spotted more?

> who thinks Darth Vader is a role model (ain't making that up, either)

Although you forgot to mention the other two role models of his are Satan and fucking Dick Cheney (source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-bannon-trump-tow...)

I did give him a chance. He used it all up with his cabinet picks and the people on his transition team. I see nothing to suggest that his administration will be friendly towards labor, organized or not.

If Trump goes up against Walmart and actually makes life better for those blue-collar whites, I'll literally buy a hat and eat it.

I doubt Trump will want a second term - he's made it now, and thumbed his nose at everyone. He'll find out that he can't just do what he wants as president and his days are ridiculously packed, and won't go for a second term.

> He'll find out that he can't just do what he wants as president and his days are ridiculously packed, and won't go for a second term.

Or he'll find out that he can leverage the position into making money and let his VP and cronies do the ruling work.

The former is how things seem to be shaping up, and the latter is how Kasich reported the VP pitch he got (also matches Trump's desire to keep doing big rallies, not move in the White House and keep going on twitter tiffs).

This is the playbook of virtually every Eastern European nation. Achieve power through demagoguery, enrich self and loyalists once in power. Rinse and repeat.

> This is the playbook of virtually every Eastern European nation.

Or pretty much every "business strongman"[0] third-world regime really, Trevor Noah had a bit comparing Trump to South Africa's Jacob Zuma, it was less funny and more uncanny to see the parallels.

And then things get dreadful when you realise a "graft and cronyism" Trump presidency is starting to look like a best-case scenario given his campaign statements and cabinet appointments.

[0] as opposed to "military strongman"

Looks like you're on the money, and it's already underway. I found an article going into a little depth as to how managing his business empire and managing the presidency is going to make him a lot of money, and confuse the issue for others

http://www.theage.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/how-p...

He'll just blame someone else for his failures.