Hi james,
A question. Exactly how rich is Donald Trump? It’s hard to say for certain given his profound penchant for exaggeration and tax evasion but one thing is undeniable: he’s getting poorer and poorer by the day. For decades he piled up a disgusting fortune through a complex web of fraud, exploitation, and graft and now — thanks to his pathological inability to obey the law — he’s burning through all of it at a breakneck pace.
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The most devastating blow to his finances to date came just last week when he was slammed with a jaw-dropping $355 million fine in the New York civil fraud case. That number is likely to rise as high as $455 million once the pre-judgment interest is added and the best part is that he’s not even out of the legal woods yet. A slew of criminal cases are coming down the pike and fighting them off is going to cost a mountain of cash. Every fine and settlement that he’s forced to pay is money that he no longer has to pay his attorneys.
Beyond the material damage inflicted on his ability to pay for necessities (like oh, say, staying out of federal prison) the New York ruling carries with it serious personal and political consequences. For far too long Trump has cultivated an air of invincibility, a sense that every setback was temporary and that he’s ultimately above the law. Coming as it does in the wake of a $5 million and then $83 million defeat to E. Jean Carroll, the New York result utterly dispels that myth. Trump’s cult of personality hinges upon his ability to project strength and every major loss cracks that image a little bit more.
Reject Trump's national abortion ban!
Slowly but surely a more accurate public perception is coalescing around Donald J. Trump: the man is a stone cold loser. And it’s not just the money that he’s hemorrhaging ceaselessly in court that makes him one. Trump oversaw massive electoral losses for the Republican Party in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. He has exactly one meaningful win and that was in 2016, an election in which he just barely managed to eke out a win. If the GOP weren’t so utterly rotted out by conspiracy theories, flagrant racism, and genuine insanity they’d realize what a turkey of a leader they have on their hands. Instead, they’re following him right off a cliff.
Sure, Trump supporters get a lot of media attention but that’s only because their obvious derangement makes for compelling television which in turn drives clicks and sells commercials. The simple reality is that most Americans cannot stand the man.
After the Iowa caucus, a poll asked voters “If convicted, would Trump be fit to be president?” 31% said no. When the same question was asked in New Hampshire, 42% said no. The crucial thing to remember here is that these are diehard primary-voting Republicans. If anyone is likely to support Trump, it’s these people. If he can’t even convince them, how is he going to convince moderates and independents to vote for him? You cannot win a presidential election with only the support of your party’s base and it’s increasingly apparent that’s all that Trump can reliably muster.
So, I ask again: how rich is Donald Trump? The real answer? It doesn’t matter. This lifelong crook has finally landed himself in a predicament that he can’t buy his way out of. The fines are piling up, the indictments are flooding in, and pretty soon the only thing he’ll able to afford is a new toothbrush from the prison commissary.
Stay focused, stay energized.
Brian
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