Donald Trump: It's just not his hair that's full of hot air.

What goes up must come down – an elementary law in physics, known to us all. However spectacularly a hot air balloon might rise up in the sky, it’s only a matter of time before it floats back to the ground.

The popularity of Donald Trump as a Republican candidate for the 2016 Presidential elections continues to surge, nay soar, leaving many a political pundit lost for explanation.

“He has no substantial policies to offer – he won’t last long,” said a TV commentator ten weeks ago (when Trump announced his bid mid June) – with the commentator still waiting.

“Nothing that he says or does conforms to what one expects from a White House aspirant!” said another – only to find Trump’s popularity rising.

“Gosh, isn’t he arrogant? I’m sure he’s lost the women’s vote,” said a woman in a focus group, shortly after the first TV debate early August, after Trump’s response to the woman anchor. Turns out 60% of the registered Republican female voters said they would vote for him.

Hard to explain

Trump’s critics are coming round to the view that his phenomenal popularity can be attributed to his disdain for the politicians in Washington, and his uncanny ability to use sound bites that resonate well with many of our country’s frustrated folks. And by defying all traditional practices deemed successful to winning a Presidential election, he has garnered more supporters instead of losing them.

Meanwhile, the media, in their quest to boost their viewership, have not lost any opportunity to invite him for an interview; resulting in boosting his popularity – and his vast ego. Crowds of supporters mob him on his campaign trail where, with his now familiar bluster and cockiness, he belittles his foes, and mocks his rivals with the supreme confidence that he would get away with it all.

“There has been no substantive policy statement from him,” say his rivals. In response Trump says he would release them at the appropriate time, lest they lose the element of surprise.

A shrewd personality

He has displayed exceptional shrewdness in avoiding a direct confrontation on his vague statements on how he, as the President, would tackle the country’s and the world’s pressing problems with terrorism, economy and trade relations with China. Apart of course from his unambiguous views on the immigrants from Mexico, that vaulted him into the top slot, almost as soon as he made the statement. He now talks about the need to do away with the Fourteenth Amendment to our Constitution that grants automatic citizenship to children born in this country, a cry that has resonates well with many conservatives.

The Republican establishment is clearly not amused at what they consider Trump’s disruptive campaign. The chances of a Republican President being elected in 2016 diminish as long as the Trump wagon is on the roll, clearly to the advantage of the Democratic candidate.

So how long can this strange phenomenon last?

A spectacle to behold

A recent news item described the innovative design by a Chinese pyrotechnic artist who put up a dazzling display in the Huiyu Island in China. Called the Sky Ladder, he designed a 1,640 ft. structure that was suspended from a helium balloon. It was set ablaze from the base, and the ladder like structure lit up in the summer sky, likening it to a sparkling stairway to heaven. The spectacle lasted a full two minutes.

The Trump spectacle has lasted a considerably longer time. With virtually nothing of substance in his campaign to weigh it down, it continues to rise and seemingly float up, up and away, in the eyes of his supporters. But like a balloon filled with hot air, this spectacle will remain afloat only for some time. The end though is inevitable – it will drift down.

It’s hard to believe Trump’s presidential campaign can have any other ending.