“Good news. I'm very wealthy.”
That was Donald Trump in 2015, when he spent much of the year flaunting his vast wealth and making a then-unlikely run for president.
“I'm the most successful person to ever run for president,” he said at the time. “Ross Perot isn't as successful as I am. [Mitt] Romney — I have a Gucci store worth more than Romney. ”
He regularly spews out figures like a net worth of $9 billion or $10 billion, and criticizes people like “Trump Nation: The Art of Being Donald” author Timothy O'Brien for suggesting otherwise. I even tried to sue. (He estimated Trump's wealth at nearly $250 million.) Forbes later estimated his wealth at nearly $4 billion.
And despite promising to release his tax returns if he ran for president in 2015, he repeatedly refused and filed a series of lawsuits to block their release.
Even with Forbes magazine's current estimate of $2.6 billion (a quarter of what he boasted in 2015), there's no disputing that Trump is rich, just as rich as he says he is. They just aren't rich.
But the important thing is that despite Trump's vast wealth, he continues to shamelessly deceive the American people.
President Trump, who is currently being held on $454 million bail in a New York civil fraud case, wants to keep his name on Trump Tower and throw lavish cocktail parties so that you, the voters and taxpayers We are counting on you to give us your hard-earned money. Mr. Mar-a-Lago should keep his golf courses and hotels open and fund his many legal battles.
In a pitiful plea to his supporters, President Trump implores them to “work together” and “stop this witch hunt against President Trump!”
It asks for donations ranging from $20.24 to more than $3,300, and the message reads, “Keep your hands off the filthy Trump Tower,” which means President Trump is unable to introduce the bill. If not, it's just one of the properties that New York Attorney General Letitia James could seize. Money by Monday.
A big businessman who is in financial trouble has a sycophant who earns money by having him perform on the street on his behalf. FOX News personality Mark Levin is furious that the Republican Party, which has some leeway, won't cough up money for endangered leaders. “Why aren't the Republican billionaires offering to lend money to appeal President Trump's outrageous lawsuit in New York?” And, completely missing the irony, their I questioned the cash situation. This is an outrageous act. ”
In fact, why don't billionaires bail out billionaires? Perhaps it's because, as another Fox personality Charlie Gasparino said, “Donald doesn't have a great track record of paying off banks over the years.” That's probably why none of the 30 underwriters contacted agreed to post bonds, Trump's lawyers told the New York Court of Appeals.
This is not the first time President Trump has requested benefits.
Trump made it a central feature of his candidacy in 2015 that he was too wealthy to be bought off by lobbyists and special interests.
And he promised to run with his own money. “We don't need anyone's money,” he said in his announcement speech. “I'm using my own money. I'm not using lobbyists. I'm not using donors. I don't care. I'm really rich.”
But it took less than two months for him to change his mind. In August of that year, he held a campaign event outside Boston and asked attendees to “please have cash ready to pay a check to Donald J. Trump at President, Inc.” and “$100 per person admission fee.” Meanwhile, President Trump insisted, “Please understand, tonight is not a fundraiser.”
Soon after, he added a contribution page to his website.
After he lost the 2020 election, his campaign raised $250 million from small donors who hoped to help fight “Stop the Steal” and “election fraud.” . But a House committee report called it a “rip-off” and said much of the money was diverted to other purposes, including $60,000 to Melania Trump's stylist.
Trump, who faced numerous legal battles after leaving the White House, turned to the Republican National Committee, which receives much of its funding from small donors, to help alleviate some of the costs.
The RNC spent nearly $2 million on two law firms working on Trump's case. His daughter, Lara Trump, who is the new co-chair, told reporters that Republicans have a “huge interest” in paying for Trump's legal costs. But the RNC only has $8.7 million in cash on hand, not enough to cover Trump's fees and fines.
Since then, Trump has resorted to selling everything from gold sneakers to NFT cards.
The bottom line? Trump is rich, okay. However, it appears that his supporters are not wealthy enough to keep their hard-earned money for themselves. How long are they going to continue bailing out the billionaire? As long as he's asking, I guess.
SE Cupp is the host of CNN's “SE Cupp Unfiltered.”
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