On his deathbed, there’s a very good chance that Donald Trump’s greatest regret will be that he ever ran for president in the first place. It’s not that he’ll suddenly realize that he was uniquely unsuited for the job or that he’ll feel guilty for supercharging this nation’s bigotries, it’s because when all is said and done his decision to enter politics might end up costing him his entire empire.
Had he never entered the political arena, he wouldn’t have triggered the renewed scrutiny into his finances that eventually led to the uncovering of his massive financial fraud. He now finds himself on the hook for a staggering $454 million in damages, due on Monday, with no way to pay it.
Operating under the exceptionally safe presumption that Trump won’t be able to magically come up with nearly half a billion in cash, New York Attorney General Letitia James is already preparing to seize his real estate assets. Public filings reveal that James has filed judgement in Westchester County, the location of Trump’s golf resort as well as a lavish estate called Seven Springs. Such a filing is the first major step towards seizure. Notably, James filed the judgement two weeks ago. She’s been playing the long game from the beginning.
So, what happens if James does seize Trump’s assets? Beyond being hilarious — and completely deserved — such a public humiliation would be absolutely devastating to a man whose entire persona is built around the idea of being cartoonishly wealthy. If he truly were the multibillionaire that he claims to be he’d have had no problem putting together the money in the month he was given. Instead, he’s been rejected by creditor after creditor because at this point he’s so radioactive, both reputationally and financially, that he glows in the dark.
Say what you will about him, Donald Trump is as persistent as a bad rash. Just because he can’t find the money through legal means doesn’t that mean he’ll suddenly throw his hands up in defeat. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that he’ll end up turning to foreign creditors to bail him out. Should the worst case scenario then come to pass and he wins in November, America would find itself saddled with a president indebted to foreign powers.
We already know for a fact that Trump has no problem mixing his personal interests with U.S. foreign policy. Look no further than his infamous attempt to extort Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky for dirt on Joe Biden or the fact that his son-in-law Jared Kushner received $2 billion from the Saudis after serving as the Trump administration’s senior advisor on Middle East diplomacy. With MAGA, corruption is baked into the cake. Add a mountain of debt to the recipe and you end up with what could be the most lawless, kleptocratic White House in American history.
The solution to all of this is a simple one and by now it should come as no surprise. As in all things Trump-related, this will come down to the ballot box. If we show up en masse and vote for Joe Biden, we can ensure that Trump’s financial problems remain his own. If we somehow let him win back the presidency, this country could spend decades paying off his debts — and that’s assuming we still have a country at all.
The "Don't Be A Mitch" campaign is back after a hugely successful 2022 cycle, having raised $1.2 million for voter registration groups ahead of the midterm elections. This year, with a tough Senate map, we have no room for error. I put together a list of organizations from 5 key states (Montana, Ohio, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Missouri) that I think are best situated to ensure that the Senate stays in Democrats' hands. Any amount helps!
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