Can a leopard change its spots?

          Can a tiger change its stripes?

          Can Donald J. Trump be someone other than Donald J. Trump?

          He has tried to portray himself as a man of the people over the last 12 plus months. Lord knows, he has tried. And to a significant degree, he has succeeded, at least to the extent that he is perceived by his faithful as being one of them. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to square the perception with the reality.

          One of several examples is his fiery rhetoric about bringing the jobs back to America.  If I were a middle-aged guy (or woman) whose decent-paying factory job got shipped overseas, not by the government, nor by the Chinese, but by corporations looking to chase cheaper labor costs, or escape some of those government “overreaching” regulations, such as clean air or clean water, heck, I’d probably be waving my Trump placard around as well.

          But famously, or infamously, bringing the jobs back doesn’t apply to The Donald. His Trump-branded ties and suits are imported from the Far East. His Trump-branded glassware comes from Eastern Europe. When challenged on the apparent inconsistency, the response is that, unfortunately, it would cost too much to produce these items domestically. This is true. It is hard to compete with a seamstress in Vietnam making pennies on the hour – especially when the dress, or whatever, ends up on a rack at the local Walmart much cheaper than anything produced domestically. Chances are the guy or gal wearing the Make America Great Again chapeau, thinking about his or her own budget, will probably buy the cheaper item. Which is why while candidate Trump talks a good game, businessman Trump has no intention of putting his wallet where his mouth is.

          A few days ago, The Donald was in Pennsylvania bemoaning the sad state of the American steel industry. Once again, it was the darn Chinese. While there is evidence to support charges of foreign steel being dumped into the U.S. market, that is not the only reason for the industry’s current problems.

          When Trump was building his iconic Trump Tower 20 some years ago, the decision was made to use reinforced concrete as the primary building material rather than structural steel. The decision was based on the fact concrete was cheaper. In the end, the bill for the concrete was $22 million. The bill for steel used in the project was only $300 thousand, mostly for steel reinforcing rods to add strength to the concrete. Decisions such as this, justifiable on a build-it-as-cheaply- as-possible rationale, didn’t help the American steel industry, and contributed to its present state of malaise.

          Then there is Scotland. The Donald waxed eloquent about his newly reopened Turnberry golf resort and issued a general “y’all come” invitation made even more doable due to the precipitous drop in the value of the British pound.

          If you are a Trump fan thinking about taking The Donald up on his invitation, be aware that, assuming $1.32 to the British pound, an overnight room starts at $436.38. If you chase the little white ball, the aforementioned price doesn’t get you on any of the golf courses. Additional green fees start at $277.90 for guests, and $363.92 for non-guests.

          And that suite in the lighthouse? If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it, but according to one review of the resort, it goes for $3,307.75 a night. (The suite rate doesn’t seem to be available on the Trump Turnberry site.)

          The point is, while he markets himself to the electorate as a populist “man of the people,” he has as much in common with the common man as leopards and tigers have with chameleons.

          The feelings of discontent into which The Donald and Bernie Sanders have tapped are real. The denizens within the Beltway are guilty of malfeasance for not addressing those feelings years ago, but is The Donald the answer, or is he simply using the discontent to further his own narcissist ends?

          Can a leopard change its spots?      

          Can a tiger change its stripes?

          Can Donald J. Trump be someone other than Donald J. Trump?