We can all take a deep breath now that Donald Trump has officially announced he will not be running for president. He basically told himself "You're fired" even before anyone hired him.

By stepping aside before he started, Trump has saved us from a series of revelations from (pick one or more) ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, business partner, investor, fellow corporate executives or employees detailing what are clearly massive shortcomings in his (pick one or more) integrity, mental makeup or character.

By acknowledging his full blown ineptitude, we are also saved from the memories of a failed presidential campaign or a failed presidency, unlike those overpriced books by out-of-work politicians who get paid too much to maintain lies about what they accomplished.

Not to mention what could have been the Donald Trump Presidential Library, no doubt filled with books not yet completely colored.

The people who are most disappointed about Trump's announcement are those in the media.

The idea of having a self-aggrandizing, ego-maniacal gasbag with orange hair running for president is worth a lot for entertainment value. I always thought the first clown with orange hair who would run for president would be Bozo - and he may have in disguise - but the Bozo we all know and love had enough sense to stay out of politics. The main source of entertainment now will be ol' Newt.

One of the great myths of our time is that if you somehow achieve great wealth in this country you must be a genius. Nothing is further from the truth. Certainly there are some who have achieved great success through their brainpower and hard work, but Trump is not one of them.

Trump inherited a pot full of money and downtown Manhattan real estate. That's like winning the lottery without having to spend $1 for a ticket. The only way to mess that up is to be a complete idiot, yet thanks to some horrid business ventures Trump managed to declare bankruptcy a few times and has a string of failed business ventures on his resumé, all the while spinning the myth that he's a daring and courageous businessman and entrepreneur.

The truly courageous are the ones who invest in his projects or go into business with him.

In the business world, bankruptcy is not considered a big deal because after really bad decisions are made and corporate management has run the ship onto the iceberg, bankruptcy is often a way to "reorganize" and repair the problems and save the company.

How many people who are done grievous harm as a result of such moves is seldom discussed, certainly not by a world-class business icon such as Donald Trump.

On the other side is the idea that if our national debt can't be fixed and the government has to declare bankruptcy, then Trump could have been the man.

Trump is actually the P.T. Barnum of our time and that's OK because every generation needs one. Trump plays the part well and is supported by a public relations machine capable of convincing some people the moon is made of green cheese. His salesmanship of himself is second to none.

The amazing thing is that a second-rate businessman with a string of failures and host of a bad TV show would garner any attention as a presidential candidate.

From the very beginning almost no one considered Trump a serious presidential candidate, and while he certainly had the right to run, the attention he garnered demonstrates how shallow the pool of our expectations has become when we look for presidential material.

But being president is serious business, and even Trump recognized somewhere in the recesses of his Grand Canyon sized-head he does not have the chops for the job.

These are serious times and we don't need a P.T. Barnum even thinking about running for president.
We have enough of those in public office already.

Ric Latarski is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of topics and can be reached at Rlatarski@aol.com.