idiocracy

Donald Trump: Being Smart Is Dumb, Ignorance Is Good

On Sunday, Barack Obama delivered a stirring commencement speech to the graduating seniors of Rutgers University in which he condemned the toxic “anti-intellectualism” that has taken hold during the current presidential campaign. “Class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be: in politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue,” the outgoing president opined. “It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real or telling it like it is. That’s not challenging political correctness, that’s just not knowing what you’re talking about.”

Donald Trump, correctly interpreting these remarks to be about him, fired back at Obama the only way he knows how: by proudly taking the polar opposite position, in defense of stupidity.

Sure! With statements like “ignorance is not a virtue,” it’s no wonder the United States is such a mess. Place your faith in Donald Trump, a Wharton transfer student who, according to Donald Trump, is actually “like, a really smart person,” to put an end to all that. Trump, after all, loves “the poorly educated”! Time to Make America Less Smart Again.

This all brings to mind Stephen Colbert’s 2006 mockery of George W. Bush: “We’re not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We’re not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut, right sir? That’s where the truth lies, right down here in the gut.” It’s hard to see how Colbert could dream up a joke as thoroughly dystopian as Trump’s tweet.

Donald Trump’s Mansions and Saddam Hussein’s Palaces Are Basically the Same

The Grand Staircase

In comparing the palatial estates of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein, what better place to start than magnificent stairways. Every demagogue needs one; it’s part of the essential decor package, imperative for Making an Entrance, issuing grand pronouncements, or in the inevitable Hollywood biopic, raining indiscriminate hellfire down upon disloyal minions from a gold-plated AK-47, staving off a palace coup.

On the top: The “foyer” of the Donald’s former manse in Greenwich, Connecticut.

On the bottom: A “double-revolution staircase,” constructed of white marble with a mother-of-pearl overlay, in one of the three reception palaces at Saddam Hussein’s presidential compound in his hometown of Tikrit. (Note the third, uppermost staircase, which is the architectural equivalent of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel explaining that his guitar amplifiers are superior, because “these go to 11.”)

Photo: Top, courtesy of Vista; bottom, by Patrick Robert/Corbis.

The Gold and the Beige

It’s the perfect palate for a photo op, whether you’re entertaining a beauty queen, glowering at a diplomat, or feigning interest in a reporter. The wall sconces, candelabra, and chandeliers are the perfect lighting sources to set the mood to match your mood—from the soft glow of seduction to the white-hot glare of merciless intimidation.

On the top: A cozy seating area in the Donald’s Mar-a-Lago Club, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bottom: A sitting room in one of Saddam’s Baghdad palaces. During the U.S.-led occupation, the palace was converted into a hotel for visiting dignitaries.

A Grand Entranceway

On the top: The Donald strikes a pose in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, 1999. It is currently the site of most of Trump’s remote TV interviews.

On the bottom: The central rotunda of Saddam’s Al Faw palace (also known as the Water Palace), in Baghdad. The 62-room palace was built in the early 1990s to commemorate Hussein’s victory over the Iranians in the Al-Faw Peninsula, in 1988, and eventually became the headquarters for coalition forces in Iraq.

The Grand Staircase

In comparing the palatial estates of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein, what better place to start than magnificent stairways. Every demagogue needs one; it’s part of the essential decor package, imperative for Making an Entrance, issuing grand pronouncements, or in the inevitable Hollywood biopic, raining indiscriminate hellfire down upon disloyal minions from a gold-plated AK-47, staving off a palace coup.

On the top: The “foyer” of the Donald’s former manse in Greenwich, Connecticut.

On the bottom: A “double-revolution staircase,” constructed of white marble with a mother-of-pearl overlay, in one of the three reception palaces at Saddam Hussein’s presidential compound in his hometown of Tikrit. (Note the third, uppermost staircase, which is the architectural equivalent of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel explaining that his guitar amplifiers are superior, because “these go to 11.”)

Top, courtesy of Vista; bottom, by Patrick Robert/Corbis.

The Gold and the Beige

It’s the perfect palate for a photo op, whether you’re entertaining a beauty queen, glowering at a diplomat, or feigning interest in a reporter. The wall sconces, candelabra, and chandeliers are the perfect lighting sources to set the mood to match your mood—from the soft glow of seduction to the white-hot glare of merciless intimidation.

On the top: A cozy seating area in the Donald’s Mar-a-Lago Club, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bottom: A sitting room in one of Saddam’s Baghdad palaces. During the U.S.-led occupation, the palace was converted into a hotel for visiting dignitaries.

Top, by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage; bottom, by Max Becherer/Polaris.

Programmed to Receive

Every potentate needs a formal reception area to fill with supplicants, family retainers, and hordes of “yes” men. Right? Of course! Yes, sir! Let’s build a wall!

On the top: Reception hall at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, set for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to model Vanessa Haydon in November 2005.

On the bottom: The elaborate circular conference table at one of Saddam’s palaces in Tikrit.

A Grand Entranceway

On the top: The Donald strikes a pose in the atrium of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, 1999. It is currently the site of most of Trump’s remote TV interviews.

On the bottom: The central rotunda of Saddam’s Al Faw palace (also known as the Water Palace), in Baghdad. The 62-room palace was built in the early 1990s to commemorate Hussein’s victory over the Iranians in the Al-Faw Peninsula, in 1988, and eventually became the headquarters for coalition forces in Iraq.