Scathing court ruling on Donald Trump’s empire is a bitter blow to his successful tycoon persona
Scathing court ruling on Donald Trump’s empire is a bitter blow to his successful tycoon persona
The former president’s image has always been more about illusion than reality, though no revelation seems to shake the Trump faithful
For years Donald Trump was the host of The Apprentice, a reality TV show in which contestants vied for a management job within his organisation and he would deliver the verdict: “You’re fired!”
It cemented the image of Trump as an assertive chief executive who had conquered New York, an image that still proves seductive to millions of voters who want him to run America like a business. But like much else about the 45th US president, it was all a lie.
On Tuesday a judge found that Trump’s business empire was built, at least in part, on rampant fraud. Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York state court in Manhattan said Trump and his adult sons wildly inflated the value of his properties to hoodwink banks, insurers and others.
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The decision will make it easier for state attorney general Letitia James to establish damages at a civil trial due to start next week; she is seeking a penalty of about $250m. Engoron ordered the cancellation of certificates that let some of Trump’s businesses, including the Trump Organization, operate in New York – just possibly the beginning of the end of his empire.
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Again, says it's a death blow for the corporation, not him. Also doesn't say that he doesn't get to profit.
None of what I've said has contradicted anything that she said, so it's not the "either or" situation you're imagining it to be.
Why you seem to think his corporation going under doesn't hurt him at all is beyond me. It's like if Tim Cook became a politician and you claiming that Apple going under because of an antitrust case doesn't hurt Tim Cook. Of course it would. He's built his entire reputation on being a successful businessman.
I'm not saying it doesn't hurt him at all, I'm saying it doesn't hurt him anywhere near enough.
If Tim Cook pivoted to getting many times more of his personal income from political scams than from Apple, then your comparison MIGHT make sense, except even then it would be very far from an apples to apples comparison, pun intended.
He's built his entire reputation on being a successful businessman.
He's built his image on PRETENDING to be successful businessman and then pivoting to leader of a Christofascist cult.
He was never good at business (as evidenced by losing a billion dollars total in a decade where every other ultrarich person was profiting like crazy) and he no longer needs the real estate empire.
Considering his debt was $1.3 billion in 2021, I'm pretty sure political donations won't be enough to save him financially.
It's still enough to more than cover the fine in 8 weeks.
Sorry... you're saying he will raise a the same amount in 8 weeks as he did right after the election when everyone was fired up? And not cover all of his expenses but still pay all of his debt?
This is a little silly.
No. I'm saying that he'll raise that and more right after playing the marty, which is getting his cult all riled up. Might take longer than 8 weeks but he's definitely going to get there. Nothing silly about acknowledging that tragic yet inescapable fact of his cult appeal.
Why would he raise more than he raised after the election over this court case? How is he going to raise $1.2 billion on top of all of his expenses, which runs into the tens if not hundreds of millions?
Even if he didn't want to spend it on election expenses, he has a bunch of criminal cases he needs to pay for before he can even think about touching his debt.
So basically, you're claiming that this won't hurt him at all because he'll raise billions of dollars, more than he's ever raised before, when there's absolutely no sign of that happening.
Well, I guess the Trump business should be allowed to continue to operate in New York since this doesn't matter. Not sure why they even had a civil case in the first place.
Why would he raise more than he raised after the election over this court case?
Over more time and by playing the persecuted martyr. Do try to keep up.
$1.2 billion on top of all of his expenses
Him being a bad enough businessman to lose that much even while cheating had nothing to do with the case or our discussion about the outcome of it. Please don't move the goalposts.
So basically, you're claiming that this won't hurt him at all
No, I'm saying it won't hurt him much in the long run. There's a difference.
billions of dollars
Again, leave those goalposts alone.
Well, I guess the Trump business should be allowed to continue to operate in New York since this doesn't matter
Nobody's said that. Don't start with the strawmen.
Not sure why they even had a civil case in the first place.
You're sorta right: should have been a criminal case in the first place since it was a case about him committing criminal fraud crime, which is not a civil matter.
You absolutely are suggesting that. You're saying this won't hurt him. You're saying he will definitely raise $1.2 billion on top of all of his expenses now that the Trump business is effectively dissolved. So that means there was absolutely no point in dissolving it. Why dissolve it if it does nothing?
You're saying this won't hurt him
I absolutely am not. I'm saying that this won't hurt him MUCH compared to all the shit he's been pulling.
You're saying he will definitely raise $1.2 billion on top of all of his expenses now that the Trump business is effectively dissolved
I've said nothing of the kind. You're the one who decided to move the goalposts by bringing up the completely irrelevant 1.2b
So that means there was absolutely no point in dissolving it. Why dissolve it if it does nothing?
Again, not what I'm saying. Do you know how to read, understand and remember words? Because you're sure as fuck not acting like it! 🤦
Again, says it's a death blow for the corporation, not him. Also doesn't say that he doesn't get to profit.
None of what I've said has contradicted anything that she said, so it's not the "either or" situation you're imagining it to be.
The fine itself is less than what he raised in 8 weeks to pretend to investigate imaginary election fraud.