It was bound to come to this. At the intersection of sound bite politics and celebrities who are famous for being famous, comes Donald Trump, comb-over and mouthpiece extraordinaire.

There are so many amusing angles from which to criticize Mr. Trump, it is difficult to know where to begin. I start with The Donald’s business record, upon which he stakes his claim to Presidential competence. It would not be unfair to summarize Mr. Trump’s platform as: “I am a billionaire, I’m a great businessman, therefore I will be a great President.”

The record is less convincing.

Donald Trump has allowed companies bearing his name to be driven into bankruptcy five times (Trump Taj Mahal in 1991, Trump Plaza in 1992, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts in 2004, and Trump Entertainment in 2009 and 2014). These were not minor oversights; these were major insolvencies stiffing creditors and harming ordinary workers. Mr. Trump has repeatedly boasted in his books of how he has outsmarted his lenders: “I figured it was the bank’s problem, not mine. What the hell did I care? I actually told one bank, ‘I told you you shouldn’t have loaned me that money. I told you the goddamn deal was no good.’ ”(As requoted New York Times, Dec. 4, 2008). Perhaps, he will similarly forewarn the American electorate. Perhaps, he already has.

Of course, I may have misunderstood The Donald’s claim to Presidential competence. Perhaps, it is based on his proven ability to negotiate debt relief with his lenders. Beijing and other US creditors you’ve been warned.

Then there is the amusing and elusive question of just how rich is Donald Trump. An issue Mr. Trump has put into play by consistently overstating his wealth and allegedly petitioning Forbes magazine to raise its estimates of his net worth. I find it amusing because every sane wealthy person I know works equally hard so as NOT to be included on the variety of published “Rich Lists.” Numerous publications in addition to Forbes have attempted to come up with an accurate estimate of Mr. Trump’s net worth (see, e.g., Bloomberg Politics, Jul. 28, 2015;, Vox, September 2, 2015: “Donald Trump isn’t rich because he’s a great investor. He’s rich because his dad was rich”). None has placed his wealth within 50% of The Donald’s claims.

Since I readily agree that amassing wealth should not be a job qualification for serving as Commander-in-Chief, perhaps The Donald’s more subtle argument for Presidential competence consists of his ability never to let the facts get in the way of a good story when negotiating with adversaries or the media.

Given their repugnance, I should at least register my disgust with Mr. Trump’s comments about Mexicans, women and war heroes like John McCain. As Republican Party leaders have come to realize, these are not fringe groups to cede to the Democrats in national elections.

Given the historic importance of immigration to the United States, a further word on immigration policy is warranted. Over the relatively short history of the Untied States, our country has benefited greatly from successive waves of immigration. This has added to the social diversity of our nation, the strength of our economy and the quality of the sciences, arts and culture. Over the long run it is difficult for economic growth to significantly outpace population growth as Japan and Europe now attest. Finally, openness to immigration is deeply bound into the story of our nation, from its creation narrative of founding founders seeking freedom to millions of productive citizens who have been drawn to that beacon which stands in New York Harbor and proclaims ““Give me your tired and your poor,..”, etc.

So, looking beyond the hair and the bombast, what are we to think of The Donald? There is only one answer. Like The Real Housewives of New York, The Jersey Shore or the Kardashians, Donald Trump is a brand. Everything he says and does, including repeatedly running for President, is an exercise in brand building. Whatever wealth he has amassed comes not so much from actually building real things, as from inheritance and licensing his name to real builders who want a short-hand way to publicize that their apartments feature gold-plated bathroom fixtures.

As for The Donald’s chances to advance past the silly season of American Presidential politics, no one has better described the situation than Obama adviser, David Axelrod: “In a parlance Trump would appreciate: We’re still in the swimsuit competition. It gets harder in the talent rounds.”

I for one, would rather see any member of the Kardashian family, the former Bruce Jenner included, in a swimsuit.