Originally published on September 5, 2015 on San Francisco Chronicle
In this August 17, 2015 file photo, US presidential candidate Donald Trump exits New York Supreme Court after morning jury duty in New York. Trump took aim at Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton on August 23, 2015, contending she could be “very damaged” by an email scandal swirling around the former secretary of state. And amid reports that Vice President Joe Biden was actively exploring a run, Trump claimed that if Clinton could “get over” the controversy both would be equally tough challengers. “I think they’re the same. I think that Hillary may be very damaged, however … because of the email thing,” Trump told ABC’s “This Week” talk show. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT/ FILESDON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images
Donald Trump has been widely characterized as an obnoxious, self-aggrandizing, trash talker. What the media are reacting to and the voters are responding to is that Trump is a New Yorker.
Born in California, I moved to New York City right out of college. What I found was a heavy-handed, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners approach to every single goddam conversation. It was tough to keep up with these guys who would never give an inch. Arguments were taken seriously: Everything was contested, shredded and recast, point by point. I had to up my game. I wasn’t in L.A. anymore.