Ask A Genius 1380: Afrikaner Asylum, Conservatism, and Trump’s $400 M Plane Corruption
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/05/15
Rick Rosner is an accomplished television writer with credits on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Crank Yankers, and The Man Show. Over his career, he has earned multiple Writers Guild Award nominations—winning one—and an Emmy nomination. Rosner holds a broad academic background, graduating with the equivalent of eight majors. Based in Los Angeles, he continues to write and develop ideas while spending time with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen dissect modern political trolling, discussing Afrikaner asylum red carpet treatment, the cultural clash between cosmopolitanism and parochial conservatism, and the blatant systemic corruption of Trump’s recent proposed $400 million presidential plane deal. They contrast historical precedents, clarify its personal enrichment scheme, and condemn Trumpism’s corporatism.
Rick Ronser: What else can we talk about today?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Not a lot. That is the way it goes sometimes. There was something about Trump supposedly falling asleep during a trial or event, but I looked into it. Not solid news. Not worth much.
Rosner: So no real story there? The real news is still the blatant grifting and trolling. Like the Afrikaners—white South Africans being given red carpet treatment for asylum or expedited entry into the U.S., because they are white. That is a giant ‘fuck you’ to everyone who did not vote for Trump.
Moreover, the people who voted for him? They love it. They love the petty trolling, the direct antagonism, and the flipping-off of institutions and progressive norms.
Jacobsen: Because that is how they feel others have treated them.
Rosner: Yes. There has been that feeling in parts of the country.
Jacobsen: But also—come on. We live in a contemporary society. Moreover, there has been a deliberate cultural push from media, comedy, arts, and academia—all those cosmopolitan centers that lean left. That is not some grand conspiracy. It is just that cosmopolitanism tends to be incompatible with parochial conservatism. Moreover, modern American conservatism is deeply parochial.
Rosner: Also—and this matters—modern Republican politics is built on a giant pile of bullshit and lies.
Jacobsen: The Democrats lie, too. But not nearly as much.
Rosner: Right.
Jacobsen: There is overreach on the Democratic side. That is always worth keeping in check. But Republicans? Even when a thing is good, they instinctively pump the brakes, or worse, sabotage it. That is the excess. It is not even realconservatism anymore.
Rosner: Trumpism is not conservatism.
Jacobsen: Even traditional conservatives admit that. It is personality-based corporatism. That is what it is.
Rosner: It is all about the face. It is about him. Like with this supposed $400 million plane from Qatar. The Republican justification I have seen, especially from Ann Coulter and others, is: “Why didn’t people freak out when Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue of Liberty from France?” Which is a foolish argument.
First, Congress voted to accept the Statue of Liberty as a national gift, intended to commemorate the U.S. centennial, and, in part, the abolition of slavery. I read that last part in a tweet, so take it with a grain of salt. However, the key point is that the statue was not a gift to Grover Cleveland personally. It became U.S. public property.
On the other hand, Trump is reportedly structuring this plane deal so that it does not remain government property. The Attorney General’s office—his appointees—are supposedly arranging for the plane’s custody to be transferred to the Trump Library Foundation.
Jacobsen: So it becomes part of his presidential library?
Rosner: In theory. However, anyone with a brain knows what that means: he will keep using the plane. It is his foundation. He controls it. Even worse, it will cost another $100 million-plus to fit the plane out with all the Air Force One tech and security systems. And then, when he is out of the office, it could take another $100 million to strip that tech out so the plane can be used without those systems.
Some people think Trump will delay the refitting process just long enough to enjoy the plane at its current level of luxury before any real Air Force One work gets done. Then, when he is out of the office, he gets to keep flying around in it.
It is all completely corrupt, blatant, and brazen. Moreover, it is exactly what his fans love about him. It is the most significant material demonstration of corruption in U.S. presidential history—the most expensive, most blatant, most valuable piece of corruption.
There were corrupt deals in the past that helped the U.S. acquire land or strategic resources, but the president did not get to take the land with him when he left office. So… I do not know. This plane thing is next-level.
Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.
In-Sight Publishing 