A Trump candidacy in 2000

So, The Donald is today dominating the American political debate (and I can only hope he doesn't come to dominate anything else), but as I suppose many people here know, the first time he thought about getting the presidency was in 2000, for the Reform Party. He eventually dropped it still during the primaries but, what if he hadn't done that?

A: Could he have won the nomination?
B: How would be his campaing and possible results from it?
C: (even if ASB) Hou would be a 2001 Trump presidency (having here a FaTesque curiosity towards his reaction to 9/11, if it still happens) be?

For what I've heard, he was in 2000 presenting himself as a liberal (how the world changes) but, seeing his behavior today, I think his politics are basically "whatever seems to energize a large crowd".

(if the mods think it's best for this thread to go to chat, feel free to do it)
 
He wanted to pick Oprah Winfrey as his VP. I doubt he could have won, but his demagoguery, while still nascent, may have proved powerful, and he could've won quite a few votes, perhaps even one or two states, but I don't know about that.
 
Trump's platform now is largely akin to what it would have been then, given that in 2000, he'd be seeking the Reform Party nomination, and that his main issues today are things for which the Reform Party stood. The difference is that Trump's views would be more palatable then, even if his ego was then considerably smaller and name recognition weaker. The nomination would probably be his, but the real challenge would be November. I'd suggest denying Gore the nomination as a butterfly. Perhaps McCain does not run for president ITTL because he's agreed to run with Trump? With no McCain in the race, Bill Bradley probably wins the New Hampshire Democratic primary, and might well beat Gore for the nomination, leaving more of a void in the political center for Trump to exploit?
 
The Reform Party is not going to win anything (and McCain certainly isn't going to accept a third-party VP slot under Trump; his ego wouldn't allow it, and his Senate seat would be toast if both parties were gunning for him). It was mostly seen as a joke after the debacle of Ross Perot's two campaigns, and was far too disorganized to provide the basic infrastructure a national campaign needed (especially in those days).

Nor would there be a great opportunity for centrists; people forget this, but both Bush and Gore were portrayed by the media as essentially identical, except with Bush as the ignorant but folksy Texan ("strategery") and Gore as the arrogant Washington insider (sighing). Bradley might or might not get different treatment, but either way Trump is better off aiming for either the extreme left or the extreme right. He might do better than Buchanan did, but not enough to carry any states.
 
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