Greetings. It's been a while since I've posted here. Frustrated by the current, sad state of this nation, and the poor, divisive, destructive leadership of our current President Donald Trump, I've thrown myself into quickly writing a book about his life and style of leadership. A sequel to my earlier "Scams from the Great Beyond" books, this one will be called "Scams from the Great Beyond --The Presidential Edition." Please stick around. Follow the project. I expect to be giving away the e-book for free. And whatever else you do, show your love for this nation, by voting this creep out in November.
“Perhaps
the most important thing I learned at Wharton was not to be overly impressed by
academic credentials. It didn’t take me long to realize that there was nothing
particularly awesome or exceptional about my classmates, and I could compete
with them just fine. The other important thing I got from Wharton was a Wharton
degree. In my opinion, that degree doesn’t prove very much, but a lot of people
I do business with take it very seriously, and it’s considered very
prestigious. So all things considered, I am very glad I went to Wharton.”[1]
Trump
has mentioned his education many times. According to a 2018 article in The
Daily Pennsylvanian, the University of Pennsylvania university newspaper: “From
June 16, 2015 to Jan. 11, 2018 where he mentioned Wharton in his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump has said
“Wharton” 52 times. Over the same time period, he has noted that he went to an
Ivy League school 12 times, and referred to himself as a “good student” (or
some variant like “great” or “excellent”) 27 times. “[2]
(Interestingly, according to the same article, while on the campaign trail and
during the same time period, Trump spoke of his education frequently on the
east coast and much less so in western or mid-western states.) [3]
However,
there are many questions about Trump’s grades and academic achievements while
at Wharton. Former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, according to Michael Wolf,
author of controversial and at times not always accurate books on Trump, has
allegedly gone so far as to joke that Putin is using Trump’s college
transcripts to blackmail and control him.[4]
Wharton has never invited Trump to give
a commencement speech and is close lipped about this famous alumni of their
school. Time and time again, attempts to speak to his classmates about their
memories of Trump during his time there, reveal that few remember him. Michael
Cohen, his attorney of many years (who like many Trump associates has since
been charged with crimes in connection with Trump, convicted, and disavowed the
President) sent a threatening legal letter to Wharton, along with other schools
Trump has attended, advising them not to release his grades and to be careful
of what they say about him or face legal reprisals. Furthermore, while Trump
has bragged about being first in his class, and in a now retracted article long
before his entry into politics, The New York Times reported this claim as true,
records from the school showing the names of top graduates reveal this to be
entirely untrue. Some have commented on Trump’s twin obsessions of hiding his
own grades while trying to expose those of President Barack Obama. It’s also been noted
that Trump’s obsession with his college grades, both hiding and exaggerating
them, is particularly troubling as few can deny that whatever else he may be,
Donald Trump, first person to become President of the United States without
government or public service experience, is undoubtedly an over-achiever. [5]
And while some would argue that grades are not nearly as important as learning, there are indicators that Trump did not actually learn much at Wharton. Aside from his own statements in the ghost-written book, “Art of the Deal,” that he got little from his time there except a degree that impressed people, David Cay Johnston in his well-researched book, “The Making of Donald Trump,” gives examples of surprising gaps in Trump’s understanding and knowledge of basic business principles. He reports how Trump was called to testify at a lawsuit that he, Trump, filed against Timothy L. O’Brien, a journalist who Trump asserted had understated Trump’s wealth. O’Brien’s lawyer questioned Trump on basic business principles, as it became increasingly obvious that Trump had given widely varying numbers for his own wealth over the years. One question concerned Trump’s understanding of “Net Present Value,” a basic concept used to determine the desirability of an investment.[6] This is something any business student would be expected to know. Trump’s answer was nonsensical gibberish that showed a lack of understanding of the concept.[7] When asked about Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP, another basic business principle, another extremely fundamental concept in business or investment,[8] Trump responded that he was not an accountant. In fact, the concept should be known by anyone who is having accountants handle their money. [9]
In
this context, one has to ask what Trump learned in business school.
Finally, my books . . .
Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.[1] Page
77. Trump, Donald and Schwartz, Tony. “The Art of the Deal.” (1987, Time Warner
Books, New York.)
“How many times has Trump mentioned his Wharton
education? We crunched the numbers,” by By Alex Graves, The Daily
Pennsylvanian, January 17, 2018.
[4]
“Fact-Checking All of the Mysteries Surrounding Donald Trump and Penn,” by
JONATHAN VALANIA in City Life· September
14, 2019.
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/09/14/donald-trump-at-wharton-university-of-pennsylvania/
[5] “Fact-Checking
All of the Mysteries Surrounding Donald Trump and Penn,” by JONATHAN VALANIA in
City Life· September 14, 2019.
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/09/14/donald-trump-at-wharton-university-of-pennsylvania/
Here's Why Donald Trump
Doesn't Want Anyone To Know His Grades Or SAT Scores,” by Christopher Rim, February
28, 2019. Forbes.
“Trump Overstated
Academic Record, Report Says,” by Andrew Kreighbaum. July 9, 2019. Inside
Higher Ed.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/07/09/trump-overstated-academic-record-report-says
Pages 78-79. Johnston, David Cay. “The Making of Donald Trump.” (2016, 2017. Melville House, Brooklyn)
“A Refresher on Net Present Value,” by Amy Gallo.
November 19, 2014. Harvard Business Review.
[7] If
you would like to read his attempt at a definition, you may read it in Johnston’s
excellent book or in several news and magazine articles. One place where you
can find it without a pay-wall is
“What Trump Doesn’t Know About Money, You’ll Pay for
His Tariffs-for-the-Wall Scheme,” by David Cay Johnston.
August 22, 2020.
DCReport.org
https://www.dcreport.org/2017/01/31/what-trump-doesnt-know-about-money/
“Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)” By
Alicia Tuovila, Reviewed By David Kindness,
Updated Apr 20,
2020. Investopedia.
Pages 18-19. Johnston, David Cay. “The Making of
Donald Trump.” (2016, 2017. Melville House, Brooklyn)
