Rhymes with rump

The Republican field for 2016 is now complete. Speaking today from beneath his remarkable visor of hair, Donald Trump made it official: He’s running for president. Again. He’s in it to win it. It goes without saying that he will be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created,” but he put it out there anyway to woo the undecideds.

How many presidential candidates does this make now? Eight? Twelve? Fifteen? No matter, because Trump is the one to rule them all. Who else has penned so many books about getting rich? Who else has created so many jobs for third-tier celebrities? Who else has that kind of name recognition and $100 million he doesn’t mind blowing? Nobody! So really, Trump’s 70 percent disapproval rating shouldn’t hurt his chances at all.

Seriously, only one of these GOP candidates has a remote chance of being president, and it’s sure as hell not Donald Trump. He doesn’t care. That’s not why he’s running. As with everything in the man’s life, it’s about his “brand” and his personal aggrandizement: going on talk shows and touring the country and yelling outrageous promises to throngs of cheering ignoramuses. For a guy who loves having his name on everything in sight, a presidential campaign — even a stupidly quixotic one — is about as good as it gets.

Good for Trump, that is; not so good for the GOP. All these fringe players and dark horses shouting each other down during the primary debates — that can’t help the Republican brand. Too bad. After the last few years, it’s a brand that definitely needs some work.