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You should not be surprised. He has done this reckless stunt before. He has taken an idea that he considers to be genius and wrecked an enterprise with his hubris.
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The USFL was a pretty good spring and summer football league. They played three seasons from 1983-85. Following the blueprint of a New Orleans businessman named David Dixon, they were able to generate average attendance over 20,000, get good Nielsen Ratings (about 6.0), and were able to sign a number of big-name stars (Doug Flutie, Hershel Walker, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Mike Rozier, Steve Young).
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This was about the time I met the brash New York developer and casino operator, Donald Trump. He bought the New Jersey Generals in 1984. From the start he was convinced he could force a merger with the NFL by going head-to-head competing in the traditional fall football time period. Most savvy sports executives thought the idea was suicidal.
Trump enlisted the support of an equally arrogant Chicago team owner, Eddie Einhorn. Together they convinced the other team owners to change scheduling to the fall of 1986. It turned into a train wreck.
The league lost all of its commercial support. It folded before it could play a game in the 1986 season. The decision bankrupted the league. A lot of money was lost.
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We are now seeing a repeat of that fiasco. Another Trump business obsession; tariffs. The smartest economists have been vocal about this idea; they think it is preposterous. But, this headstrong egotists has gone through with executing a seemingly disastrous plan.
There is one big difference, though. The USFL debacle caused only very rich people to lose big sums of money. This time he is playing with the economic order of the world. The stakes are bigger; the potential victims are more vulnerable. Family wealth is being affected; retirement savings have been jeopardized; the cost of living is headed up; inflation is on the rise again.
He is doing it again, and we are letting him. He was no genius the last time around. He is equally pig-headed and wrong this time.