Stay with me a moment or two as I offer, respectfully, a thought on the staying and growing power of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. This is, if you will, a Trump Capsule.

The closing of the Carrier plant in Indianapolis gives us a revealing insight into the rise of Trump and his current commanding position in the Republican field of candidates. If you haven’t watched the clips of the meeting where a Carrier executive announced the closing to a room full of employees, it’s instructive to do do. In short order, you’ll gain an understanding of Trump as a popular candidate.

First, Trump has criticized American companies leaving the US to seek profit overseas. Carrier becomes an example.

Second, Trump has denounced American political leaders for making “stupid trade deals.” Carrier becomes the latest illustration of a company following a trail laid out by trade negotiators.

Third, Trump has ridiculed American discourse for championing the banalities and inanities of political correctness. The executive who delivered the bad news to Carrier employees engaged in much of the same corporate-speak that many people encounter every day in the workplace.

Fourth, Trump has vowed to “get tough” with those companies that replace American manufacturing plants with those in other nations with lower wages. The threat he voiced of slapping a tariff on air conditioners made by Carrier in Mexico is one that most people will embrace.

Fifth, Trump has singled out particular nations in his diatribe about who the United States “loses to”. Mexico is indeed one of the nations he referenced early on in his campaign.

I submit that the issue of Carrier’s closing in Indianapolis is, for Trump, the economic version of the San Bernardino Islamic terrorist attack. Much of what he has said and done can be found in this singular event. It is a capsule that contains many of the elements that power Trump’s status as the leading Republican presidential candidate thus far.

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