Wild bunch lays siege to the White House

Donald Trump, the man with the edifice complex, wants to become the President of the United States of America. Unlikely, certainly, but not impossible.

At a party in Manhattan last Thursday, the property tycoon confirmed that next year's race for the White House will be the strangest yet. Accompanied by his latest squeeze, Melania Knauss, and the wild-man governor of Minnesota - the former wrestler Jesse 'The Body' Ventura - Trump opened formalities leading the way to his candidacy.

It is hard to imagine Trump wanting to add a four-year lease of the White House (and what his supporters call 'the Oral Office') to a property empire that already includes some of New York's most famously ugly buildings.

But, says Trump: 'To be blunt, people would vote for me. Maybe because I'm so good looking.' He says he would do better with working-class voters than with 'my own people'.

Thursday saw the establishment of an exploratory committee capable of official fund-raising. Only rarely does anyone convene such a committee and then withdraw. Trump has even got a book coming out, his third, called The America We Deserve , with a publicity tour that coincides with the presidential campaign.

Trump is bidding for the Reform Party's ticket, and his interest confirms the party's position as the semi-serious jester at the court of US politics. Serious, because it has become an assembly point for America's anti-political politicians, mostly multi-millionaires. But only semi-serious, since its candidates know they have no chance of winning. These are the stark polling facts of a Trump candidacy: according to Newsweek only 2 per cent of voters are 'very likely' to vote for him; 73 per cent are 'not at all likely'. Even his own brother has donated $2,000 to George W Bush's campaign.

Apart from his property empire, Trump is best known for the celebrated bust-up with his first wife Ivana, who departed the marriage with a cool $25 million.

Born in Queens in 1946 - son of Fred Trump, a property developer - Trump sauntered across the East River in the mid-Seventies, a time when New York was staring bankruptcy in the face and land was cheap.

He mastered the art of zoning and tax abatement and knocked down a few stately landmarks - notably a lovely building on Fifth Avenue where Trump Tower now stands. By the end of the Eighties he had transformed the world's most famous skyline.

He had an odd relationship with politics, contributing to Aids charities and the New York Vietnam Veterans' memorial. A passionate believer in nuclear disarmament, he visited the USSR to preach the free market gospel over the folly of Cold War.

Then there was his behaviour during Gerry Adams's visit in 1995. Trump held a fund-raising lunch for Sinn Fein under the chandeliers of the Essex Hotel - before the IRA truce. Adams, surrounded by fawning celebrities, said in the middle of his address: 'Here comes my trump card' - and in walked the Don.

Trump was always at loggerheads with the cultural establishment of New York - and of Palm Beach, where he has a 118-room estate called Mar-a-Lago. He was desperate to join the exclusive Palm Beach Bath and Tennis Club. He flew down 40 of its New York members for a weekend of feasting and dancing. But there was no invitation to join the club, nor even to a reciprocal lunch.

'In my opinion,' Trump wrote in his book Surviving At the Top , 'the social scene - in New York, Palm Beach or anywhere else for that matter - is full of phonies and unattractive people who have done nothing smarter than inherit somebody else's wealth.'

In 1990 the start of the worldwide recession put Trump's own wealth in jeopardy. Over the next two years he faced bankruptcy four times but was bailed out by Wall Street banks. He rebounded stronger than ever.

An American who closely studies the US political culture is Todd Gitlin, a professor at New York University. He has an explanation for the emergence of 'wild bunch' candidates such as Trump.

'The degree of interest in adult politics is so slight that the only way to make a significant impact is with a brand name - whether it's a pre-established name like Trump, or some newer star quality brand like Ventura,' he says.

'It's the only way to attract attention, which is the name of the game.'

The outsiders

1 Donald Trump
The 53-year-old tycoon wants to add the White House to his property empire by standing for the Reform Party next year.

2 Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Though not a presidential candidate, he has become a focal point of the mavericks. Knows how to balance budgets... and referee wrestling bouts.

3 Pat Buchanan
In the polls, Buchanan leads the Wild Bunch. Has been in the news over a book arguing the US should have concluded a separate peace with Hitler.

4 Ross Perot
The 'Grand Old Man' of the Reform Party and king of the balanced budget doesn't hide his autocratic, nasty nature. Indeed he is proud of it.

5 Warren Beatty
Supporters of the Hollywood maverick have cast him as a defender of liberalism. One major problem: he doesn't want the nomination.

6 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Beatty's counterpart on the Right - equally recognisable, equally high-profile - wants to flex his muscles in defence of low taxes and fiscal hawkery.

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