There is strong evidence in NYT tax story that ...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I agree. The whole point of his campaign was not to become president, but to gin up publicity for his failing properties. Look at the expression on his face when he was declared the winner back in November 2016.

David Fahrenthold Retweeted

There is strong evidence in NYT tax story that
1) Trump's 2016 campaign was bid to revive his brand as $$ and attention from The Apprentice show dried up.
2) his unexpected win brought new streams of cash to Trump properties (but not near enough to stem mounting losses).

Link to tweet

[Maeve]

1. And the risk to his financial empire grows higher every day

His loss in the up-coming election is like a strong wind on a house of cards

[Ohiogal]

2. I certainly wouldn't put it past him.

He sure showed no interest in running the country.

He thought it would be an easy peasy job, after all, if a black guy could do it ....

[onethatcares]

3. is it wierd to think

that the arms deals to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the mid east were just covers for the interest payments that were due?

[musclecar6]

4. He just

Keeps doing what he's always done, conning lying and cheating. He's never done a lick of work a day in his life and so that's all he continues to do in the White House, no work and cons lies and cheats. To expect anything more out of this incompetent fool is not realistic.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. The Apprentice was most of his income

That show was what he relied on for income. He’ll definitely try to revive it when he’s out of office.

[lagomorph777]

10. I don't think anybody would ever let him be an apprentice.

Let alone HAVE an apprentice.

[pnwest]

6. I remember vividly the looks on his,

Melania’s and Ivanka’s faces as the family were walking on stage realizing he had won. It was pure “Oh, shit”. I turned to Mr. West and said right then that he never expected to win, it was all a stunt! There was no happiness on anyone’s face, just grim realization and clenched jaws. They knew they were screwn right then and there.

[BComplex]

54. So he was Putin's chump?

I mean, Putin had to know the guy had no intention of becoming president. So by getting trump elected, Putin punked the USA, and put trump in line to get sent to jail.

Crafty.

[frazzled]

7. And now the point is

to avoid going to prison (and to delay those 420+ millions in loan repayments).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. Sell Trump Tower?? Ties into his move to Florida? He knew he'd lose TT?

The value of the tower was estimated at $450 million in 2017. Trump took out a $100 million mortgage on the building in 2012.

[OAITW r.2.0]

34. And that was before the Trump virus tanked commercial real estate.

Trump's inaction's on the virus will further reduce his portfolio's assets' value...especially Trump Tower.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

40. Ya and don't know what that number is? Like Michael Cohen said,

Bumped up for banks and richest lists* and number down for tax authorities.

By the way, trump was obsessed with getting in Forbes & Fortune mags. Yet a week or so today he could not pronounce "fortune" when reading.

[PatSeg]

8. That's pretty much what Michael Cohen said

I agree, the look on his face that night was a definite give away.

[DeminPennswoods]

16. Exactly what Michael Cohen said

His book is worth the read because there are lot of good insights into Trump.

[PatSeg]

47. Yes, it confirmed

much of what most of us already suspected. He didn't mince words whatsoever.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

19. Just read that Michael Cohen tweeted he would drop a bombshell about taxes

on his next podcast.

[PatSeg]

48. Its raining shoes in Trump world!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

51. I wish Fox was on it. They said this am, not a mention. nt

[yardwork]

9. Putin installed Trump in the White House without Trump's knowledge?

[lagomorph777]

11. Putin has done many things to Trump that Trump doesn't know about yet.

Sooner or later, he will...

[kacekwl]

12. That's what happens when you cheat and

have a country full of racists and Fox news. Bingo president.

[rurallib]

13. Not sure how to say this, but the means he used the Republican Party

as a group of compliant stooges simply so he could make more money.

He has continued to make them look like a bunch of fools with every new scheme and illegal move. He has turned the Republican Party into a huge group of accomplices.
I would hope no one could ever trust that party to do the right thing again.
They are simply too easily fooled and more than willing to follow any false prophet.

[Nevilledog]

27. Exactly!

[not fooled]

28. Yeah, but

they have used red don to enact every aspect of their vile agenda, from destroying the environment to packing the courts with RWNJs.

[Wounded Bear]

30. Actually, Repubs used him to get their tax breaks and judges...

on that score, mission accomplished. The fact that the country has been run into the ditch doesn't much matter to them.

The 'being used' part of this scam was definitely mutual.

[Blasphemer]

39. Yes, definitely a mutually beneficial arrangement... nt

[lindysalsagal]

32. NO, sorry. They're big boys and girls. They enabled him. They used him, They were already finished

when he washed up on shore. They stuck their flag in this known gangster, wound up his spring, and let him run all over the monopoly board. They knew exactly what they were doing.

[dalton99a]

14. It's all about money for himself. Trump has no interest in governing

or working an honest job

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. This isn't the picture I'm looking for, but it will work.

Source: https://www.biznews.com/global-investing/2016/11/09/another-brexit-shock-looming-razor-thin-margins-but-trump-on-shock-track

I'm looking for the one where's he sitting at a table with a glum look on his face.

Here it is. This one. Source: https://digbysblog.net/2020/08/florida-again-please-no/

Here's a slightly different view. He's just too happy for words, isn't he?

2. Here's the photo of the precise moment Trump had his last rational thought. Election night. When he knew this time would come. Ivanka knew too.
Fredo was clueless. Smiling face with sunglasses

Link to tweet

[smirkymonkey]

45. +1000

[Cosmocat]

17. Nah

He darn well wanted to win, he fought like mad for it in his lunatic way.

He wanted to win to do what he has done, spent four years where the entire country has had to kiss his ass AND he and his relentlessly grifting clan could bilk tax payers and open up the flood gates of hate and division and allow all the other morally corrupt scumbags pick the bones of democracy clean.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. New sources of free $$ he didn't have to pay back...

[world wide wally]

21. Not to mention the power of the pardon.

[Captain Zero]

23. We will have no idea how he has robbed the US Treasury until we are back in power

And even then he has played a shell game with funds for the wall, etc.
It will be a wreck when we get a look at all the treasury accounts.
A lot of it may be sitting in Russian and various other banks now only to be laundered back to him at a later date.
Minus interest and principle for the foreign actors first.

[Eyeball_Kid]

26. He wanted to win for the wrong reasons.

The enormity of the job never did enter into his thinking.

[Cosmocat]

41. right

nm

[Boomer]

22. Since when is this news?

Seriously, it's always been obvious that Trump's many runs for president were just a publicity stunt. He's always been a showman and grifted. What changed is in 2016 the electorate wanted the bullshit he was selling.

[3catwoman3]

24. He wanted the title, but certainly not...

...the actual job.

[ProfessorGAC]

52. And It Relished The Campaigning

The fawning adulation, the riled up chanting, the name calling...
He dug running for the job. The actual gig, not so much.

[AllaN01Bear]

25. when the chickens come home to roost, to collect ,its going to be devistating.

[TexasBushwhacker]

29. Not to mention the revenue stream from the campaign itself

which has continued through his whole presidency.

1) Campaign pays Trump Tower for space since 2015.

2) Any state campaign headquarters are in Trump buildings around the country.

3) Any travel by Trump and his kids AROUND THE WORLD requires their security detail to stay in Trump buildings, paying rack rate undoubtedly. The more they travel, the more money he makes.

4) Inauguration festivities are held in Trump buildings at considerable cost.

It has been nothing but a massive revenue stream for him, but it's still probably not enough to cover his debts.

[OAITW r.2.0]

37. Lets not forget, he started his re-election campaign the day after he was inaugurated.

Been doing the fundraising con for 5 years. Lots of money to made skinning the rubes with cheap hats and slogans.

[bucolic_frolic]

31. His campaign is broke? Where did the money go?

All I hear is he has more and more donations, from the biggest of donors.

[lindysalsagal]

33. pockets. Lots of family pockets.

Like a squirrel, you gotta stash it somewhere.

[noneof_theabove]

35. The stunned look

was nothing more that more conning and lying.

He won by the Electoral College [antiquated POS] and that was planned.

While Clinton was after the "big city" and suburban votes
Trump went after those with an less than room temperature.

Biden MUST NOT follow the path.
It is an up hill battle, but all those rinky-dink ECs make a big impact.

Hopefully Jan 20 is "hi Biden" and "bye-Don".

[wnylib]

36. So if the 2016 campaign was only

Last edited Mon Sep 28, 2020, 01:07 PM - Edit history (1)

about publicity for his brand, and not about seriously wanting to be president, why did he accept Russian help to win? Why did he say in a debate with Hillary that he would only accept the outcome if he won, and that if he didn't win, the election was rigged? Why would somebody with his attitude about women be willing to pit himself against Hillary without expecting to win?

Everything he said and did in the campaign sounded and looked like someone who was seriously in it to win, for the power as well as for hopes of financial gain.

I can easily believe that he did not want to be bothered with the business of governing and that he wanted the position solely for the power and potential graft opportunities, but I don't think that he didn't want to win or didn't expect to win.

[Cosmocat]

43. correct

he could have cared a shit less about doing the actual job, but he darn sure wanted to be POTUS.

[Grammy23]

44. So if your theory is correct, he did intend to win, just not do the actual work of being president.

Extending further, he would get the title and trappings but the real work would be done by his appointees. Namely Ivanka, Jared and a host of others. He could still run things in his business and show up for Presidential photo-ops. The only fly in that ointment is that there are some (many) parts of the job that cannot be delegated. But Dumbass Don didn’t know that until he had already been installed.

[wnylib]

49. Sounds right to me.

[Cyrano]

38. New York District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, will

indict the orange beast the day he leaves the White House. Money Laundering, (NY)tax fraud, and countless crimes that we aren't yet aware of. He's been a criminal his entire life and he's clinging to the White House to avoid the karma that awaits him.

[speaknow]

42. This sounds like

it came from Michael Cohen. Mr. Cohen went to
jail for that POS and then he wrote a book.
But he still is no telling everything, Am I right
Mr. Cohen? He went for rebrand but saw how
close he was and jumped at it because he knew
he can get his unlimited Lottery win.

[MurrayDelph]

46. It was always

Springtime for Hitler.

He should have sat through to the end of the movie.

"We the jury find the defendants incredibly guilty."

[aikoaiko]

50. I thought most people thought that back in 2015

[jimlup]

53. Too bad for tRump his Russia fixed the election for him

because Putin wanted to put shit that he had under his power in control.

I'm worried that we are still not out from Putin's grasp as a nation. We had better fucking fight back as hard as we can on November 3rd.

[Boogiemack]

55. Now, it's more about staying out of jail than paying off loans. His buddies could bail him out.

But they won't. Very few people actually like him.