Andrew Shaffer
The Day of the Donald: Trump Trumps America!
First Edition: June 2016
Praise for Donald J. Trump
“I’m intelligent. Some people would say I’m very, very, very intelligent.”
– Donald J. Trump, in Fortune
“I love beautiful women, and beautiful women love me.”
– Donald J. Trump, speaking to Norwegian talk show host Fredrik Skavlan
“It is very hard for them to attack me on looks, because I am so good-looking.”
– Donald J. Trump, on NBC’s Meet the Press, August 7, 2015
“What a great honor it must be for you to honor me tonight.”
– Donald J. Trump, at his Comedy Central Roast
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? It’s, like, incredible.”
– Donald J. Trump, speaking at a rally in Sioux Center, January 23, 2016
“The show is ‘Trump.’ And it is sold-out performances everywhere.”
– Donald J. Trump, in Playboy, March 1990
“We want to see winning. We want to see win, win, win-constant winning. And you’ll say-if I’m president… ‘Please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much. We can’t stand it anymore. Can’t we have a loss?’ And I’ll say no, we’re going to keep winning, winning, winning.”
– Donald J. Trump, speaking at Liberty University, January 2016
“It’s like Mahatma Gandhi said: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win… and then you make them all kiss your ass.”
– President-Elect Trump in his acceptance speech, November 8, 2016
Prologue
January 20, 2017
The skies were overcast on a bitterly cold January day, but that didn’t stop the massive crowd from gathering at the US Capitol Building. The crowd was bundled up, pumped up, and in more than a few cases, liquored up. This was a day that would set the Guinness World Record for the most fistfights at one location in a single day.
But far away from the protests, up on the Capitol steps, a thin ray of sunshine broke through the clouds to illuminate what, from a distance, looked like a thick wisp of rust-flavored cotton candy. The strings blew about in the wind, eventually settling back down on top of the head of the man about to become the forty-fifth president of the United States-Donald J. Trump.
The billionaire businessman and WWE Hall of Famer stood tall and proud on the platform, joined by his five children. No first lady. The “October Surprise” of this election cycle had been his split from Melania-which did nothing to slow his momentum. If anything, polls indicated it may have helped.
As five Cessnas flew overhead in tight formation, Donald Trump stepped forward. He placed his hand on the Bible being held by Donald Trump Jr., which was in turn resting atop a copy of Trump: The Art of the Deal. He raised his right hand as Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath of office.
After being sworn in, Trump stepped to the microphone.
“My fellow Americans, we are about to do some really, really fantastic things! It’s gonna be terrific! It’s a new day. Last November, the American people made their voices heard loud and clear in nearly every state. California, Illinois, I don’t know what you were thinking-you got some big financial problems going on out there, and I’m a very good businessman. I could have helped out, I’m just saying.
“And now we’re going to Make! America! Great! Again! That’s right. If you don’t have a hat, by the way, they’re selling them at the merch booths near the exits. Twenty-five dollars for some really good workmanship. It’s quality, a great value.
“This is a terrific nation. Sure, it has some problems. But hey-I have a lot of experience inheriting extravagant commodities, and they almost always retain most of their value. I totally got this.
“Let’s stop to give a great round of applause to Obama. I was tough on him during the campaign, but he did a pretty nice job for a Hawaiian American.”
The viewers at home saw a shot of President Obama waving graciously to Trump and the crowd. And then, perhaps thinking the cameras had already cut away, Obama turned to Michelle and mouthed, “We can go.” The outgoing first couple were halfway out of their seats by the time the cameras returned to Trump.
“I want to say how humbled I am to have earned this sacred trust. I want to say that, but we all know I completely deserve this. I’m the most qualified guy to win the presidency since Eisenhower. So let me say to you: Good choice, America. You nailed this one.
“Let’s make America great again, from sea to shiny sea. It’s not just for rich-o’s, either. Look, folks, my car has windows. I know that there’re some run-down neighborhoods in America. We’re going to fix that. The poor people are going to be so happy. I promise tomorrow, day one, to end the program that gives tax breaks for making your home more energy efficient. We’re going to replace it with tax breaks for making your home more classy. I want a granite countertop in every kitchen and Bermuda grass on every lawn!
“So, America, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m going to be a first-rate, grade-A, big-league commander in chief. I’m going to deliver the goods. That’s what you gotta do, right? Deliver the goods. I’m great at delivering the goods. There’s nobody better. We’re going to turn a profit in every sense of the word. And we’re going to tell America’s enemies… you’re fired!”
There was a two-minute-long wait for the applause to subside. Half a mile away, a car was flipped over, set on fire, and then flipped over while on fire-all for still having a Bernie bumper sticker.
In Madison, Wisconsin, a frat boy passed out. He’d been playing a drinking game where he took a shot every time Trump said the word “great.” He would survive. The new president would even cover the cost to pump his stomach.
And in Manhattan, six late-night talk show hosts joined hands in a prayer circle and gave thanks for the bounty that they were about to receive.
“As the great Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Put up or shut up.’ And I am the best at putting up. I put up Trump Tower. I put up the Trump casino. I put up the other Trump Tower in Chicago, and have you seen how tall it is? Majestic. It is a building that Abraham Lincoln would have been thrilled by if he had lived to see it. He’d be amazed. It would have blown his mind.”
He paused as if he’d just realized his poor choice of words but continued on. Such was the Trump way.
“I’m a rising tide, America, and I’m going to lift all the boats. If you don’t have a boat, you’ll be able to afford one by the time I’m done.”
Trump paused for dramatic effect. He brushed away a tear, or maybe his eye just itched.
“We’re going to do more than make America great. America is going to be really, truly amazing. This is the finest, richest, most upscale nation in the world. I’m proud to have my name on it, I really am.
“God bless America, and let’s make some money.”
He waved to the cheering masses and headed inside, out of the cold.
The Trump era had begun.
Eighteen Months Later
Chapter One
The Even Greater Wall
Jimmie Bernwood didn’t know what was more suffocating: the darkness or the stale air. How far below the surface were they now? Forty, fifty feet? As long as the concrete-reinforced tunnel didn’t collapse, he supposed it didn’t much matter.
Jimmie heard a cough behind him. A deep, phlegmy cough. The old man. The moment he’d seen the man’s sunken face and withered body in the back of the Toyota, he’d pegged him as a goner. Unfit to army-crawl underneath a limbo stick, let alone the mile and a half of tunnel leading to the promised land. Yet here they were, nearly at the end of their journey, and the old man was still breathing. For how much longer, Jimmie couldn’t say.