Trump and Amazon

The man has never walked alone down Madison Avenue, Lexington Avenue, anywhere in New York. He probably has never bought a newspaper by himself or a slice of pizza on the streets of the City. He has lived a protected life – and the world has passed him by. Commerce in New York and all other large and small cities has changed and changed dramatically since he grew up in the 1950s. America and the world have changed. Donald Trump’s mind has not.

And, so he rants against Amazon, a 21^st Century company of and for the people of the 21^st Century. It is Donald Trump who is out of synch. Out of synch with a company that is and continues to redefine commerce, access to the marketplace, and the flow of goods to consumers.

Yes, Amazon may be putting out lots of small retail businesses, but that would be inevitable under any circumstance in this new Century where information and commerce flow and will continue to flow very differently from mid-Twentieth Century.

The President is trying to turn back time, respond to his real estate buddies who are also back in the 1950s, and in that he will fail and fail miserably. It’s just like his efforts to bring back America’s steel and aluminum industries. This is old thinking, and it is dumb, special interest dealing. He will fail, Amazon will continue to lead the way, and we all will be forced to watch an old man do harmful things to our economy and our international relations.