SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Is Trump living the smarmy plot of ‘The Producers’?

Jan 5, 2018, 12:20 PM

the producers...

A stack of "Fire and Fury" books by writer Michael Wolff. The book on President Donald Trump is drawn from what he said was regular access to the West Wing and more than 200 interviews. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a big fan of Broadway musicals. The thought of getting all dressed up to go watch a regional production of “Oklahoma” sends shivers down my spine. But there’s an exception to every rule, and for me that exception is “The Producers.”

RELATED: So this is what American elections have become?

You know the plot, two smarmy producers get together and figure out a way to win by losing. If they can just mount the biggest flop in history, they’ll be rich. Cue the signature number “Springtime For Hitler.”

Which brings us to the new book “Fire & Fury: Inside The Trump White House” by Michael Wolff. Among other fascinating story lines, Wolff claims that our current sitting president was actually running “The Producers” scheme on the entire United States.

Essentially, he planned to run for president, knowing the entire time that he would lose. But in the loss was buried a huge win. This man, obsessed with his own brand — and even more obsessed with the size of various things — thought that by losing to Hillary Clinton, everything “Trump” would win.

His Q-Rating would shoot through the roof. The membership of his clubs would go up. And his branding empire would skyrocket in value. He already had convenient scapegoats all set: The dark state and the fake news media.

Only one problem: Trump won. According to reported first-hand accounts in Wolff’s book, Donald was shell shocked and Meliana openly wept. Evidently her McDonald’s-loving hubby promised her that all this politics business would be over soon and she could go back to her luxurious semi-private life of 5th Avenue shopping sprees and Lower Manhattan lunches with the ladies.

I actually suspected this all along during the primaries, but there was no way to know for sure as he kept steamrolling the rest of the
folks on the red team.

RELATED: A white collar executive finally gets jail time

Are all the stories in this new book the gospel truth? Probably not. But if we’ve learned one thing this past year, when someone lands a punch too close to this man’s fragile ego, his knee-jerk reaction is typically threats of lawsuits. That’s exactly what has happened in this case. This tactic is the first page from Trump’s Jr. High playbook life philosophy.

I read a very long summary by the author in New York Magazine, and while there are quite a few jaw droppers in there, everything seems entirely plausible.

There will be good people on all sides, many good people, grabbing a few Big Macs and Filet ‘O Fish sandwiches to retire to bed at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy this book. Where’s my Twitter machine?

You can hear “What are we talking about here?” everyday at 4:45 p.m. on 97.3 FM.

More from Ron Upshaw

Associated Press

Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia ’s army announced Friday that it will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year after they had been suspended for almost a decade. The announcement on the Facebook page of the Royal Cambodian Army came after several recent meetings of the countries’ top defense and […]

3 minutes ago

David Mueller stands in his Kernza field Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at his farm in Halstead, Kan. (AP ...

Associated Press

Farmers turn to perennial grains as one solution to extreme weather

BELOIT, Kan. (AP) — Bryce Black kneels in a wheat field battered by intense drought. He holds two strands, remarking on how small the seed head is compared with what’s normal. After a late October rain last year, the fourth-generation farmer was optimistic about his 1,800 acres (728 hectares) of winter wheat. But a dry […]

46 minutes ago

Lindsay Clancy and attorney Kevin Reddington watch as Judge William Sullivan tells the jury to keep...

Associated Press

The Latest: Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial deliberations apparently stuck 11-1

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A deadlocked jury returns Friday for the seventh day of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial, a day after the jury’s foreperson told the judge a single juror won’t follow the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt. The extraordinary disclosure made Thursday in the form of a note delivered to the judge […]

1 hour ago

The Sunshine Residential Homes headquarters in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Pho...

Associated Press

Arizona group home provider at center of pay-to-play scandal escapes penalties for boy’s death

PHOENIX (AP) — The staff caring for Jakob Blodgett said he already had been sneaking candy and refused to take his insulin. An employee at the Arizona group home where the 9-year-old boy was being cared for texted a supervisor about the boy’s elevated blood-glucose reading. The response? Give him water. After two missed doses […]

2 hours ago

Labor Day weekend (1)...

Paul Holden

Washington State Fair, PAX West and Apple Cup headline a packed Labor Day weekend!

School is back in session, and the summer is winding down, but Labor Day weekend is ahead, and that means an extra day!

2 hours ago

2 seattle traffic labor day...

Ted Buehner

Seattle is the No. 1 Labor Day destination in the U.S. Here’s what travelers need to know

As the summer season wraps up, AAA reports well over 100 million people are expected to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

2 hours ago

Is Trump living the smarmy plot of ‘The Producers’?