Donald Trump’s entry into the 2016 Presidential race has shaken up the political process we’ve become subject to over the past few decades. In recent elections, the candidates have been vetted in advance, with their political viability determined by their ability to collect campaign funds from the corporations, banks and billionaires.

Candidates vying for approval and funding from the American political machine must all follow a very tight script. They may advocate for or against a standard list of political issues – taxes, abortion, immigration, health care – but they may never raise issues which might interrupt the status quo, or interfere with the profitability, power and control of their donor/owners.

Trump’s intrusion into this process has put a wrench into the machine. He has spoken out on formerly taboo subjects, such as raising import tariffs and taxing stock transactions – topics which, because of their impact on the pockets of the rich and powerful,  have heretofore been unspeakable by any candidate republican or democrat.

His personal wealth, he claims, makes him immune to the political influence of the money powers, suggesting that, unlike other candidates, he doesn’t need their support and can easily fund his campaign with his own walking around money. Recently, he has changed his tune, stating that he would take campaign donations both large and small, but only as long as they came without any political expectations… right.

So what is Donald Trump; the independent billionaire candidate who wants only to make America great again, or is he just another egomaniac willing to do or say anything to gain access to the most powerful office in the world.

My take on Trump is that he is a second-tier billionaire, one who has never quite been accepted into the ultimate, masters of the universe club. You never see him hobnobbing with the world’s elite. The Buffets, the Gates, the Blankfeins and the Rothschilds of the world neither consult with him nor return his calls. He is not invited to Davos, he’s not a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, he’s never been to a Bilderberg meeting or even the Bohemian club.

So despite his protestations otherwise, The Donald is really a B-List Billionaire.

His preening self-aggrandizement bears no resemblance to the discrete, low profile behavior favored by the true elite. Legitimate, top-predator billionaires do not seek celebrity, as Trump does relentlessly. They do not flaunt their wealth – much less overstate it, as is Trump’s habit. And they typically keep their business holdings private, rather than emblazoning them with their name in in gilded, boldfaced letters. Trump supporters would claim that his endless self promotion is smart brand-building, but compared to A-list elite it all looks a bit desperate, and exposes him as someone who is still trying – but who has not yet succeeded – in making his fortune.

In addition, Trump’s pledge not to run as an independent suggests he realizes he cannot and will not be able to win the Republican nomination – much less the general election – without the approval and support of the true money powers. Trump may have entered this race just to boost his own brand – and ego – but since he’s continued to do well in the polls, he has begun playing to win. That means saying whatever it takes to energize his fans – while at the same time making whatever back-office promises and back-door deals are necessary to win.

So what does all this suggest about what we might expect from Trump as President?

Will he be the independent firebrand he claims to be? Is he really willing to reverse the embedded political agenda which caters to the globalists at the expense of the American masses? Or will he be like most other recent presidential candidates – giving voice to the people’s complaints and concerns, knowing full well that he will abandoned them the minute he gets in office.

Trump has been quite candid about his own political largesse in the past. “I give them all money,” he crows. ” And they all love me!” So he knows better than most, exactly what he can expect to give… and receive… in the course of managing the business of the oval office. If Clinton could convert his term in office into $200 million in personal wealth, one can only imagine what gilded schemes Trump dreams about.

Most likely, Trump sees this as his chance to finally win the acceptance and inclusion into the ranks of the world’s elite. Once in office, the money masters will have in Trump yet another obsequious butt-licker, desperate to prove that he’s one of them… not one of us.