What would Putin care about a Trump Tower penthouse?

[thesquanderer]

I don't understand. I assume he already has very nice accommodations, and can live pretty much anywhere he wants.

It was described this way in the press:

“In Russia, the oligarchs would bend over backwards to live in the same building as Vladimir Putin,” Sater said. “My idea was to give a $50 million penthouse to Putin and charge $250 million more for the rest of the units. All the oligarchs would line up to live in the same building as Putin.”

What made them think Putin would move into it? The whole plan sounds bizarre to me.

Reminds me of this...

[lapfog_1]

1. He would make a deal to give the penthouse to Putin

thus raising the purchase price of the other units...

Putin never actually moves in... sells it for $25M... and pockets the bribe.

Trump makes the money back (which really only cost him maybe $5M or $10M to build the penthouse) with the increased value of the other units...

and the two most corrupt people on the planet each walk away with a tidy profit.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. He wouldn't. Putin is many times richer than Trump,

but Trump is completely transactional in all dealings with everybody, and is probably used to bribing people. As Sater said, Trump probably hoped that Putin's ownership of one of the apartments would cause other oligarchs to want to be his neighbors, so Trump could sell the other units for madly inflated prices. But there would be nothing in it for Putin; he's richer than God and he doesn't need a free apartment. Trump didn't get that part.

[XRubicon]

3. They give Putin the penthouse free, oligarchs trample a path to buy in the building

for inflated prices.

That's what I heard anyway.

[Buckeyeblue]

4. Putin is Russian rich

His money is worthless outside of Russia. And he has so many enemies that living outside of Russia is impossible. So the penthouse might be appealing. I doubt he'd live there. He would consider such a place a trap. But he would happily posses it.

[manor321]

5. It's about getting leverage on Trump, not an apartment

Putin owns Russia. He doesn't need an apartment. It was to establish close personal and financial ties. THIS is how he controls his oligarchs.

[womanofthehills]

9. that's what Rachel said

leverage and kompromat.

[pnwmom]

6. It's an investment. Why does any rich person need even more? n/t

[Generic Brad]

7. Probably hoped the gift would help erase some of his debt

Trump is only out for himself. He does not care for anyone other than himself.

He probably owed so much to multiple wealthy Russians, that he was looking for a way to get the debt forgiven. When I try to look at things from his egocentric perspective, currying favor with the person he perceived as the boss of the oligarchs might just protect him when it came time for them to collect. And if the price to Putin was selling out the U.S. - well, that's not Trump's problem. He's not the U.S. He's Trump.

[dalton99a]

8. A Look Inside Vladimir Putin's $1B Palace

https://www.thrillist.com/home/photos-of-vladimir-putin-s-secret-palace-tour-of-1-billion-russian-home

Putin allegedly owns 20 palaces in total
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putin%27s_Palace

[scarytomcat]

10. yes he owns much property

most of it he obtain by questionable means
he may be the richest man in the world
he is like a very rich Bond character that owns his own country (a very large country at that)