The Only Reason I Like Trump

The last time I did a long lunch was Friday, June 24. Brexit election day.

I was on my way back to Sydney when I stopped in to see a mate at Camden for a bite to eat. By the time I got back to the car it was 3pm and Brexit was a done deal. The media had whipped itself into a gale force frenzy and the markets had tanked.

To quell everyone’s fears, the following morning I wrote a Moowsletter comparing Brexit to Sesame Street. As expected, by Monday morning Ernie and Bert were best mates again and Brexit became a faint memory.

Wednesday went the same way. I had brunch with an old client of mine in Drummoyne and by the time I got back to the car, Trump had pulled off the unexpected and shocked us all.

To a man, I don’t particularly like Trump. I find him both offensive and derisive with an ego the size of Sydney Harbour. However, I also think he is a very smart guy and on Wednesday he absolutely brainsed it.

Why Trump is a Must
Putting aside all political persuasions for a minute, there is no denying Trump has emerged the ultimate disruptor.

His win is also ironic. As offensive as he is to most, he also won the hearts of those who had been offended the most, the ‘deplorables’. The ones who had been ignored for decades.

Trump tapped into a massive vein of discontent. Anyone could have done it, but only he did.

And this is why I think he is an absolute must. There should be a photo of Trump inside every boardroom at the top end of town of corporate Australia reminding them of what happens when you turn your back on the masses. Maybe we could start with Woolies, Telstra and the banks. And the oil companies. Plus the power suppliers. Bugger it. All of them.

Case in point: Fairfax Media.

Ten years ago the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) was a genuine broadsheet. It was so big that on Saturday mornings it had to be bought in two sections. Remember that. It was a monster and by far the best read in town. My favourite was The Good Weekend magazine.

But the section with the most pull was the classifieds section, and everyone knew it. The only problem was Fairfax underestimated their audience and so when this ‘internet thing’ came along, they thought it would go away just as quickly and we’d all go back to pigeons and postage stamps.

Enter the disruptors. Realestate.com, seek.com, carsales.com

Even those who couldn’t read, wanted their information disseminated online. It was more convenient. But Fairfax thought they knew better.

Not surprisingly, when each new disruptor emerged as an individual business, each one eventually became larger than the SMH itself. The parts became bigger than the whole because Fairfax ignored the masses.

And now the SMH is just a wafer thin tabloid, which very soon will only be sold on the weekends.

It reminds me of a quote by German Philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, ‘All great truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident”.

Maybe Fairfax should have swapped their Ivory Tower for Trump Tower. At least for a visit.

I don’t know what the future holds but I hope at the end of his first term there is more than one reason to like Trump. I am quietly confident there will be.

In the meantime, if the media starts frothing at the mouth about the markets again, turn down the volume and head out to lunch with a friend instead. It would be far more pleasant!

Have a great weekend!

Adam

P.s. thanks very much for all the feedback following the webinar two weeks ago. I was a bit taken aback by it all to be honest. I’m glad everyone liked the ‘Milk and Muscle Theory’. Got some funny comments about ‘Bruiser’ the bull too!