Foul-mouthed billionaire as U.S. president?

U.S. Republican presidential hopeful and billionaire Donald Trump has suddenly criticized South Korea. During a campaign speech in Sun City, South Carolina on Tuesday, he said, "The Saudis make a billion dollars a day, folks, and whenever they`re in trouble, our military takes care." Then, he went on to say that South Korea is the same and "crazy." The remark was totally out of the blue and a "crazy" one showing he was not even aware of the fact that Seoul contributes nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars to share the cost of keeping the U.S. troops in South Korea.

Trump started making harsh remarks during a June 16 news conference, in which he announced his bid for the Republican nomination. Branding illegal immigrants from Mexico "rapists" and "drug-bearing criminals," he vowed to build an impassable wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Later, he claimed that Republican Senator John McCain was "not a war hero," adding that he was just held captive during the Vietnam War. Then, Trump called Senator Lindsey Graham, another Republican contender, an "idiot" after South Carolina`s senior U.S. senator called the real estate tycoon a "jackass."

Despite his racist barbs and indiscriminate attacks on his competitors, Trump`s popularity is soaring. According to the result of a survey announced on Tuesday, he was the favorite of 24 percent of Republic supporters to sprint to the fore, running far ahead of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (13 percent) and Jeb Bush (12 percent). On June 24, Trump was trailing Bush (15 percent) with 11 percent. His barbs will likely become even more caustic.

Some analysts say that Trump is winning support from Republican voters and mainstream white Americans who want to see the revival of a strong America. Some voters who got vicarious satisfaction from Trump`s attacks on illegal immigrants also support him. In France, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of an extreme right-wing party, bombarded on aliens, progressing to the second round in the 2002 presidential election. Considering U.S. citizens` common sense, however, a recent New York Times column titled "President Donald Trump? Just Say No" seems to be a good prediction of how the tycoon`s campaign would end.