What Kind Of Apprentice Contestant Would Trump Be?

One thing that shocked me last summer about Donald Trump supporters was that many when asked about their support, said they loved him on The Apprentice. I find it ironic now that the man who galvanized his celebrity by claiming to have mastered the interview process would be struggling with it.

It would appear Trump hasnt realized hes in an interview process with the election. In a recent New York Times piece, when asked about The Apprentice in light of the election, heres what he said.

When I did The Apprentice, I didnt think there would be anything bigger. This is times 200. Maybe a thousand. I wasnt doing the firing, Mr. Trump added, alluding to his vanquishing of his Republican rivals. But in a certain way, I was. If you think about it.

Trump has referred to The Apprentice as the ultimate interview process, however in an Apprentice and election analogy, hes the job candidate. The presidential campaign is actually the ultimate interview process. Hes not firing anyone. Hes going to win or be fired by the American people. To win he needs to apply the very skills he so smugly judged and berated his Apprentice contestants for failing to demonstrate. So what would a good interview candidate do?

First, understand the job at hand.

The presidents job is detailed in Article II of the Constitution , and it comes with the oath of office. I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Knowing the Constitution is central to the job, which brings me to Khizr Khans question to Trump at the DNC .

Have you even read the United States Constitution? Asked Khan, when sharing the story of his sons death as a soldier in Iraq.

At this point its clear that Trump literally hasnt read the Constitution, or doesnt understand it, or does understand it, but doesnt care what it says. None of which will help him convince others that he understands the job at hand. Though Trump is offended by Khans question, he shouldnt be. Hes being asked a question by someone he can either choose to win over, fail to wow, or alienate. I think we all know which option he chose.

Trumps Constitution gaps arent new. Hes made a number of un-Constitutional assertionsreferencing Article XII , waterboarding, killing terrorists families, Muslim ban, religious test, and the list goes on. None would fly in The Apprentice boardroom.

Second, know who the decision makers are. Spoilerwe all are!

Just like any job interview Trump needs to appeal to at least most to win. I raise Khan as an example here again, a voter who asked a few fair questions. Trump couldve responded a number of different ways. By choosing to ignore basic decency in addressing the Khans he served to alienate many more voters who empathized with them.

Trump tweeted that Khan had viciously attacked him, supported by his son, Eric, on CBS News warranting an attack. For the record, a dissenting opinion is not an attack. A legitimate question of ones credentials is not an attack. Vetting and fact checking fantastical claims are not attacks. These are all part of the interview process to assess a candidates qualifications and veracity.

There have been scores of people from high-ranking republicans to The Pope who have received a Trump counterpunch. This level of oversensitive reactivity on a global scalewith the powers of the presidency on handis absolutely terrifying and should give anyone in this interview process great pause.

Third, show that youre really hungry and truly want the job.

In May, then Trump Campaign Manager, Paul Manafort, spoke to the Huffington Post and shared Trumps thinking on VP prospects.

He needs an experienced person to do the parts of the job he doesnt want to do. He sees himself more as the chairman of the board, than even the CEO, let alone the COO.

This lack of enthusiasm for the job itself was reinforced when The New York Times reported that Ohio Governor, John Kasich, was offered the VP spot by Trump, promising oversight of both domestic and foreign policy. Trump denies it ever happened, but then maybe he was just being sarcastic.

There are a number of other similar observationsrecent self-immolations aside. If sharing taxes is a necessary disclosure for the job, whats the problem? There are many delicious theories around this: little worth, like little hands, no philanthropy, cavorting with Oligarchs, and the list goes on. But my favorite is much simpler. The Hill summed it up nicely. He never thought hed win and hasnt seen any upside to sharing themonly downside to his day job. He might be hiding something too, but this theory makes the most sense.

Trump shows no interest in learning about global affairs. He has many opinions about the world, but often uninformed, which terrify those who hear them. Even when Trump learned about Brexitjust weeks beforewhen interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter , he still didnt appear to fully consider it. He continued the planned launch of his sons Scottish Turnberry hotel for Brexit day. If hes running on his great business sense, this is a questionable decision. Sometimes even business people need to follow major world events. And then theres The Ukraine , and the list goes on.

Lastly, be accountable.

Trump doesnt seem to own his assertions. He peddles in conspiracy theories, promotes false statements, then claims sarcasm, and constantly contradicts himselffrom his position on the Iraq War to his latest flip on immigration (which will likely change before the day is out). Hes no stranger to hypocrisy. In fact, I think he eats it for breakfastfortifies his stomach lining, to face the day shameless and ready for more. These qualities might be great in an entertainer on The Apprentice, but do they really have a place in this interview process? Isnt it time we all tell Trump, Youre fired?