According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “Trump” is defined as follows: (1.) Trump- A key resource to be used at an opportune moment. (2.) Trump- A suit in card games that out ranks all other suits for the duration of a hand.

Whether Donald J. Trump is a key resource for our nation to use in this particular time of peril or whether he is simply a suit who believes he outranks and is better than all other candidates for the Republican nomination, he is unquestionably an unorthodox choice. Are voters so disgusted with the status quo that they are willing to elect a vain, misogynistic, self-consumed blowhard as their commander in chief?

Natural born millionaire Donald Trump holds the superlative attitude that many silver spoon babies exhibit in their adulthood. That somehow, because of the random fact that they were born into wealth, they are better than their fellow citizens. Certainly, no one can argue that Donald turned his father Fred’s millions into billions. Yet, one must ask if that conversion is as daunting as starting and building a small business from scratch, or working while raising children as a single parent, or protecting lives as a social worker, or saving lives as an emergency room nurse.

For some illogical reason, Trump has been glorified by hard-working voters for his avarice. Strangely, his business success has been interpreted as a qualification to run the executive branch of the federal government, although the applicability of the skill sets that one accumulates while building a real estate fortune is so far afield from the knowledge one needs to be the chief executive.

Additionally, Trump portrays himself as a dedicated patriot, yet he avoided serving the country. He portends himself as having a record of flawless business success when he has used the bankruptcy laws to his benefit several times when certain projects have failed. Similarly, he chastises illegal immigrants for their flaunting of our laws, yet he has violated federal laws in his business practices in the past.

Also, defying logic is the fact that Trump is an extemporaneous exorcist of those he deems critical of himself or not attractive enough or not lively enough. Yet, his supporters forgive him these indiscretions and applaud him for his caustic candor.

Upon reflection however, Trump’s assertion on how he would conduct himself as the president defies how government actually works. Trump believes he can rule by dictum without a consideration of the three coequal branches of government sharing power. Not since our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, have we had a candidate who ran on a platform of circumvention of the very government he had sought to lead.

Despite Trump’s outlandish assertions on how he would comport himself as president, he is still leading nationally and at this point might well be the GOP nominee for president of the United States.

Perhaps never before have Americans been so disgusted by the stagnancy in the federal government. One can argue that the extreme right, known as the Tea Party Caucus (or Freedom Caucus), have put a stranglehold on most of the legislation being processed through the House of Representatives since 2011. One can also argue that the current administration has been mercurial and incompetent in our nation’s foreign policy and ineffective at addressing the nation’s growing debt in our domestic policy. So, the electorate is searching for something inordinate in a candidate for president.

Thus, those seeking the unorthodox have found their man in Donald J. Trump, or “The Donald.” The son of New York City real estate mogul Fred Trump, he attended the exclusive Kew Forest School, the New York Military Academy, Fordham University, and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he specialized in real estate acquisitions. Never wanting for anything, Trump started his working life in his mid-20s employed by his father.

During the years 1973 to 1975, Trump battled the Justice Department for not complying with federal housing requirements by not setting aside the required number of his rental apartments for low-income renters. Thus, he violated the Fair Housing Act. Also, he was criticized for his dealings concerning the sale of the Jacob Javits Center and eventually received a questionable finder’s fee, although his company failed to acquire the property. Furthermore, Trump has filed for bankruptcy protection four times to protect himself from creditors in four separate real estate deals. These examples are hardly a stainless record of business accomplishments.

Also, The Donald filed for and received four student deferments to avoid service to our nation during the Vietnam era.

Additionally, Trump had been a generous contributor to Democrat causes and was in fact a registered Democrat from August 2001 to September 2009. Trump’s former pro-abortion political position has changed, as well as his former position on amnesty for illegal immigrants, which he held during the Reagan era. In fact, one can safely say that Trump’s politics have radically changed for this presidential campaign, thus begging the question: What does he truly believe in regard to his political ideology? Are his wild assertions on the stump what he believes, or politically expedient rallying cries that further secure his place as the center of attention? More specifically, is this adventure merely a vanity exercise, or a true calling to right the ship of government? Most distressing to the party faithful, is Donald Trump a real Republican, or merely a political opportunist who picked a party as a pathway rather than someone who espouses to Republican ideals?

Added to these many concerns is Trump’s record of lashing out emotionally when he feels he has been slighted. Acting like a pugnacious child on a school playground or a self-possessed conceit, Trump has proven he lacks the temperament to be president.

For example, he has stated indelicately, “I have a great relationship with the blacks,” and, “The beauty of me is that I’m very rich.” Also, he has braggingly said, “Let me tell you, I’m a really smart guy.”

In regard to his competitor for the nomination, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, he stated: “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”

Trump also accused fellow candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, of being “low energy,” and he described other candidates who participated in the debate at the Reagan Library as being “sweaty” while he was dry.

Similarly distasteful was his depiction of U.S. Sen. John McCain: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”

Considering McCain’s five years in the “Hanoi Hilton” being tortured by our enemies and his reluctance to capitulate to our enemies to gain release, anyone reasonable person would think his actions were the very definition of a hero! Since Trump received deferments, this discounting of McCain’s service is beyond reprehensible.

Outlandish have also been his pipedream-like assertions on what he could immediately accomplish as president. For instance, he has said, “I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,” and, “When is the last time anybody saw us as beating China in a trade deal? I beat China all the time, all the time,” and, “I will change all the trade deals into better deals.” Huh?

Apparently Mr. Trump doesn’t realize that there are international trade organizations, the Congress, and domestic trade unions, all involved in modifying existing trade agreements. They cannot be altered unilaterally by a president.

Strangely, he has said he will force the nation of Mexico to pay for the building of a 2,000-mile wall to separate our two countries. How will he force them? He also has disclosed some base personal tidbits, stating: “My fingers are long and beautiful as it has been documented are various other parts of my body.” Are these the appropriate public statements of a potential president?

Understanding the electorate’s ongoing distress regarding the failure of our government, one can understand the desire for a leader who is out of the ordinary. However, in defining Trump, he is not the key resource that we should seek to lead us, nor is he the suit who is better than others suits. He is simply a self-possessed, overly confident, egocentric bag of wind. This quizzical candidate has an unquenchable thirst for constant recognition. We should not offer him a drink.