I didn't read anything into it or take anything out of context. I quoted exactly what you said - that opportunity means more than hard work or smarts. I vehemently disagree with this.
Wow, Trump had more than "one" opportunity. Again, odds say he should have failed miserably. He didn't. He succeeded wildly.
No where did I, or do I think is anyone saying, that if you are smarter you earn more money. You're trying to say that.
You ask 'does opportunity' have more to do with it. I'll answer. Nope. Honestly, I believe hard work is the most important. All three, a good combination, are needed - hard work, intelligence, some luck.
Case example: I worked in the early 90s at a company that was competing with Cisco when the internet was being built. I worked head to head against Cisco reps. We were making a really good living. Along came a guy to our company, a great guy. He'd gotten a degree from a small college. He was working, before this job as a landscaper (his own small time landscaping business) no joke. But he was friends with one of us. That friend got him hired on a flyer as an inside sales rep. That was this man's 'opportunity' - a chance.
My degree meant more than his. I am and was smarter than him. I could sell circles around him. I was a better presenter and an orator. I technically knew more about ethernet and token ring and ATM switching than he did.
I wasn't as committed nor did I work as hard as him. This guy had a work ethic that would make the average man crumble. He pounded the phones, he ate at his desk so he could read and research. He was the first one in, the last one out.
We all did well, trust me. But John? He made us look like paupers in the end. John got woo'd away to go work for Cisco, in the early days, when you could still make a killing there. John went on to have 7 digit earning years. I've visited his McMansion. He "won" so to speak.
It's just one anecdote, but it's my perspective. Being lucky gets you nothing by itself. Being smart gets you nothing, by itself. Being hard working gets you nothing by itself. The right combination of the above "can" make you enviably successful when put together.