Pic Of The Moment: So, It's Clear To Everybody Now That This Trump Thing Is Just A Scam, Right?

[EarlG]

Behind the numbers of Donald Trump’s troubling new FEC filings: Little cash for the billionaire businessman

Trump campaign: We're facing an emergency goal of $100,000

Follow @demunderground

[femmocrat]

1. First rec!

I am really enjoying seeing this expose on trump today!

[PatSeg]

11. I wonder if we've

just scratched the surface on this con artist. I would think the exposes will be nonstop until election day.

[L. Coyote]

25. Trump's "written a lot of books about business; they all seem to end at Chapter 11"

ABC News Politics Verified account ?@ABCPolitics 7 minutes ago
.@HillaryClinton: Trump's "written a lot of books about business; they all seem to end at Chapter 11"

The Situation Room Verified account ?@CNNSitRoom 15 minutes ago
.@HillaryClinton on Trump: "Someone should tell him our nation's economy isn't a game."
http://cnn.it/28LgsxO

[PatSeg]

28. Ha, ha

The Art of the Deal evidently is rip off your contractors and when they go after you, file for bankruptcy.

[drray23]

52. I think we have barely scratched the surface

I would not be surprised that with all the scrutiny he is now getting, dubious or even criminal activities were uncovered.
He stands a chance to land in jail before he makes it the november elections..

[PatSeg]

55. Oh yes, I think you are right

This started out as just another gig for Donald Trump, an opportunity to get a lot of publicity and embellish his so-called brand, but I think he may seriously regret the whole thing. He has gotten away with so much for so long, he must think he is untouchable, but there is nothing quite like a presidential campaign when it comes to exposure. Every little transgression, every skeleton comes under the microscope and in Trump's case, I think there will be enough for ten presidential campaigns. And yes, I think it may very likely include criminal or illegal activities. Oops, do you think he might sue us now???

[niyad]

23. you mean the garbage and lies refuted here:

(since google's first hits were to drudge and breitbart, I think we can pretty well guess how truthful this "book" is, even without the secret service weighing in. this is DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND, thank you very much)


160620_secret_service_Getty_1160.jpg

Secret Service K-9 Unit patrol outside the White House on June 13. | Getty
Secret Service veterans denounce anti-Clinton tell-all book

Former agents blast writer Gary Byrne for having 'underlying motives.'

The author of a new tell-all book about Hillary Clinton could never have seen any of what he claims — he was too low-ranking — say several high-level members of Secret Service presidential details, including the president of the Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service.

On Tuesday, AFAUSSS, which is strictly nonpartisan, is set to release a statement blasting Gary Byrne author of “Crisis in Character,” saying members “strongly denounce” the book, which they add has made security harder by eroding the trust between agents and the people they protect.

“There is no place for any self-moralizing narratives, particularly those with an underlying motive,” reads the statement from the group’s board of directors, which says Byrne has politics and profit on his mind.

AFAUSSS rarely issues public statements of any kind.

The book has rankled current and former members of the Secret Service, who don’t like anyone airing their business in public — but who also take issue with Byrne inflating his role. Byrne was a uniformed officer in Bill Clinton’s White House. But that’s the lowest level of protection within the White House and around the president.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/hillary-bill-clinton-secret-service-224578#ixzz4CEX75Zm4
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

[gwheezie]

31. What is your problem

Who's stopping you from reading anything written about Clinton? Or are you upset that a thread about trump doesn't involve Clinton bashing on a dem forum?

[gussmith]

37. Do You Miss The Point on Purpose?

The networks have colluded to NOT allow coverage of Gary Byrnes' book on Hillary.

[MADem]

45. That individual has left the building.

[yuiyoshida]

59. The Trump

Steaks.... STAKES... are too high.

[NoMoreRepugs]

2. too much too soon .... we want the RUMP at the top of the

Republican dung heap as loooooong as possible I would think

[malthaussen]

3. Fear not.

His supporters will just see this as another example of how smart he is. What's a few perks, after all? Goes with the territory.

-- Mal

[NoMoreRepugs]

14. agree 100% - his gaming the system is a plus to the goobers

[malthaussen]

17. Not just the goobers.

I'm sure the other con men appreciate his ability to extract a dime.

I remember back in 2008, there was a minor kerfluffle about Sarah Palin spending $250,000 of campaign money for clothes. When he was questioned about it, Tom Ridge struck me with how dismissive of the whole thing he was. "Hey, we're grownups, somebody spending more on clothes than most people spend on a house is no big deal," seemed to cover his attitude.

-- Mal

[IronLionZion]

4. He's such a job creator!

just wait until he trickles it down all over his supporters

[In_The_Wind]

5. Golly. Gee-wiz. I'm shocked, I tell ya!

I'll bet the Trump Steaks are just as hard to swallow as his political campaign.

[Malbrownluna8708]

50. LOL

Remember that crappy display of steaks, wine, water and the fake magazine, he said were not out of business. I bet there is a receipt for that too.

[ffr]

6. That's not a sham. THAT'S BEING A REPUBLICAN!

Lining your pockets at every turn. That's what they do.

Vote for Democrats in 2016. Straight ticket. Sweep the GOP out!!!

[NewJeffCT]

7. If those payments are market rates

then, they're actually okay, I believe. However, I'm guessing they're Trump's overinflated opinion of what market rates are at his resorts and facilities.

[spooky3]

15. Depends on how they are used.

Did he host fundraising events at Mar-a-Lago? If so, did it produce sizable donations? Were activities at each of these legitimate campaign activities? Surely FEC has rules for these things. Otherwise candidates could be subsidizing personal wants.

[NewJeffCT]

19. I believe the events

at Mar-A-Lago were fundraising events, but if conference A was charged $50,000, but Team Trump was charged $200,000, it's also a violation.

Of course, i could be wrong about the fundraising.

[spooky3]

22. My point is that the market rate is not the only issue

here. If he paid market rate but the activities were clearly personal rather than campaign related, they are NOT ok.

[underpants]

8. Trump Grill $607.59. That's one GREAT Taco Bowl!

[arcane1]

9. In which case, fear of a Trump presidency is no longer a valid campaign tactic n/t

[pnwmom]

18. No, he thinks he can become the President and scoop up tons of money.

And he's said it would be "wild" to sue people if he were President.

[47of74]

10. Gold so der Trumpenfuehrer can continue to gold plate his shits?

[ffr]

12. And best poster boy! VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

Or watch your country turned into a bigger sham than the previous republican did.

[pkdu]

13. What about the "Donald J Trump" Payroll expenses?....he's taking payroll himself? nt

[Iliyah]

20. No doubt T-rump would enrich oneself for the good of the country and after

pissing off majority of the countries in the world, the new meaning of TPP = opportunity re: wars.

[L. Coyote]

21. Trump blames money woes on 'difficulty' with Republicans

Trump blames money woes on 'difficulty' with Republicans
David M Jackson, USA TODAY

Donald Trump says the reluctance of some Republicans to get behind his candidacy is one reason he is way behind Hillary Clinton in the campaign money chase.

"I'm having more difficulty, frankly, with some of the people in the party" than the Democrats are having, Trump said Tuesday on NBC's Today show.

.......... The presumptive Republican nominee brushed off the financial gap, saying he can self-fund the fall campaign if necessary.

"I can win it either way," he said .............

Good luck getting their votes if they won't give you any money!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

33. Real reason is that out of 20 high donors RNC wanted him to call, he called 3 and stopped. . . . nt

[niyad]

24. apparently, it never occurred to der drumpfenfuhrer that people actually keep track of

these things.

[PatSeg]

27. He does seem to be very naive

Over the years, he has gotten away with so much crap, he thinks he can do whatever he wants even while running for president. He is so the over indulged spoiled child who never has to suffer the consequences of his actions.

[ailsagirl]

26. $208,000 on hats??

Last edited Tue Jun 21, 2016, 07:25 PM - Edit history (1)

The baseball caps he wears so very elegantly??

[niyad]

29. does he own a factory making those things? if not, then I salute the person who is

making all that money!!

[L. Coyote]

30. Salute the person getting all the kickbacks!

You don't think like a "businessman"

[hibbing]

35. And those have got to be the cheapest ones ever made

Not really up to his high class standards, they need some 24K gold filigree or something. And yeah, he looks great with one on that thing on his head.


Peace

[Iggo]

42. Those are the greatest hats. Really. The best hats. Believe it.

[Malbrownluna8708]

53. Oh! So he's giving those away?

I thought he was selling those I am shocked. I don't picture him "giving" anything away. Since it was so hard getting that Vet Charity money out of those cheesy fingers.

[lark]

36. I'm wondering how much profits he included?

Bet they were substantial and also would bet he broke campaign rules too. It's just so typical of him.

[lark]

32. Proof positive, Drumpf is only in this to enrich himself.

He could give a flying fuck about anybody or anything else.

[ailsagirl]

34. But he's done the opposite

He's revealed himself to be the biggest sham on the planet

It's truly bizarre to me

[lark]

49. He's definitely the bizzarro candidate.

[anigbrowl]

39. Well no, not really

He would be better off financially if he wasn't running at all and just sat at home enjoying his wealth.

It's beyond naive to think he's in it to enrich himself, he has more money already than most people can even conceive of. As I pointed out below there's nothing unethical about billing himself (through his other companies) for expenses incurred on the campaign, that's completely normal accounting practice (indeed it would be more questionable if he did not do so). It's also unlikely that he's saving any money on taxes this way, someone who is a billionaire or even part way there has better things to do than try to shave a few hundred thousand $ off his tax bill, again it would be simpler and cheaper to just stay home.

Trump isn't after money and he's already famous, what he seems to crave is power and respect (which is why I believe he'd attempt to govern as a dictator in short order). Anyone who thinks he's doing this to make more money is clueless.

[63splitwindow]

41. I disagree...

He wants to be the wealthiest AND most powerful person in the world, the latter to make the former more likely. That's how he keeps score.

[anigbrowl]

43. There are much easier ways to make money than nickel-and-diming his political campaign

Trump's way of making money is to do things like propose building a skyscraper and then negotiating fat tax breaks designed to save him $100m in property taxes over the first 10 years or similar before he begins construction. For someone who is already worth a great deal of money it would be a complete waste of time to try to skim a little extra cash on expenses. There is no benefit to making money from an illegal activity if you can make more money from a legal one in the same amount of time, which he easily can.

Nobody ever got rich running around picking up pennies. Think about it.

[63splitwindow]

44. Nickel and diming a campaign isn't the point...

being President of the United States will, he believes, pay off BIG TIME in the end.

[anigbrowl]

46. That is in fact the point of this whole thread, look at the title of the OP

I also think your scenario is ridiculous. If Trump becomes President it won't be so he can make more money after retirement, he strikes me as the sort of person that would attempt to suspend the constitution and remain president for life. The ability to exercise global power is way more seductive than simply making more money, which he could do just as well out of office.

The marginal utility of money approaches zero at the billionaire level and Trump has already been very rich for a long time. Again, if money were his primary goal then why run for President? Warren Buffet is making money hand over fist without ever running for office. Trump wants something that can't be purchased. The notion that he's running for President to make more money is just absurd.

[63splitwindow]

47. He is self-deluded enough...

to believe that he can both nickel and dime his own campaign AND become President of the United States. The notion that Trump does ANYTHING without the ultimate goal being more money for himself is just absurd.

[lark]

48. What, are you trying to emulate him now with the insults?

You don't think there are moneymaking opportunities for president? Look at Cheney (OK not truly president, but he acted as one). He increased his net worth 400% while in office. You don't think Drumpf would do the same? You are stating how fabulously wealthy he is. Do you believe everything he says? I've seen a lot of speculation that he's not nearly as rich as he wants us to believe. His campaign is broke, yet he's been saying he's self funded. Besides, money = power.

One thing I'm a little clueless about is technology or I would put you on ignore.

[anigbrowl]

38. Mmm, no it's not clear at all

I don't see anything remotely illegal about this. He's not making money out of other people as (according to the same FEC report) his campaign was so broke that he lent it $2 million from his personal wealth. It's not at all weird that his campaign would pay his other companies (like the airline) for expenses incurred. That's just how business works - if Trump were to start a new firm selling, I dunno, Trump Wigs, and then travel around promoting the products, his airline company would send the Wig company the bill.

There's nothing illegal or even unethical about this. One of the most basic pieces of business know-how is to set each project up as a separate entity so that everything is treated separately for accounting purposes, otherwise it's very hard to stick to a budget or be able to see that a project is failing financially (like his presidential bid seems to be). Any bookkeeper would tell you set up separate accounts for different parts of the business and to bill yourself appropriately. Indeed, you are much more likely to be breaking the law if you don't do so.

I hate Trump and enjoy memes attacking him, but this is just stupid because there's nothing abnormal about this. So what if he spent $208,000 on hats? They're a promotional item. I'm sure Hillary Clinton's campaign has spent a similar or larger amount of money on t-shirts or whatever promo item she uses most of, if they haven't so far they will for the convention and the fall campaign. Make fun of his crap money management by all means, but when you call basic business practices a scam it suggests you're out of ideas.

[jtuck004]

40. And after all that, his name will be on the ballot.

If that don't suck all the chuckle out of ya', I don't know what will.

[ailsagirl]

51. drumpf has never been, nor will he ever be, a public servant

He's hardly a humanitarian in ANY sense of the word, in fact he's the opposite

I think he's bored and that this has been a fun little game for him. What else could it be?

[63splitwindow]

54. As he said 16 years ago...

"...
...
The spending raised eyebrows among campaign finance experts and some of Mr. Trump’s critics who have questioned whether the presumptive Republican nominee, who points to his business acumen as a case for his candidacy, is trying to do what he has suggested he would in 2000 when he mulled making an independent run: “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it.”

“He could end up turning a profit if he repaid himself for the campaign loans,” said Paul S. Ryan, a campaign finance expert with the Campaign Legal Center. “He could get all his money back plus the profit margin for what his campaign has paid himself for goods and services.”
...
..."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/us/politics/donald-trump-self-funding-payments.html?_r=0

[Shoonra]

56. So essentially the campaign was an excuse to prop up his own businesses

It would appear that his "self-financed" Presidential campaign was just a front to enable him to move money into his less prosperous enterprises, firming them up financially and perhaps making them more attractive to investors or buyers. If he simply transferred cash directly, without the pretence of a campaign expense, it would probably be treated as highly suspicious money laundering, but now it seems to be entirely legitimate. Except, of course, as with Trickle Down Economics, virtually none of that money went to people not named Trump. And we can expect this sort of thing if he should become President; Halliburton and Bechtel were penny-ante pikers, Pres. Trump will have the Army buying Trump Steaks for the troops, the GSA renting from Trump Towers for govt offices, the State Dinners at Trump Restaurants, and the Navy christening ships with Trump Vodka.

[Historic NY]

57. He either pays his companies...or they're not his companies...

either way he is making money.

[lonestarnot]

58. He's got 1.3 million left. Won't that buy him an ad?

Snort... He needs to feed his road-sort of-killed trump steaks you know.

[Bucky]

67. or 43 full ride scholarships to Trump University

Not that he has that many people on his campaign staff

[TrollBuster9090]

60. ROFL! He billed his campaign half a million bucks to live in his own house in Florida?

You've got to give the king of con men his props.

[NewJeffCT]

61. He also paid out $35,000 to Draper Sterling - the fictional "Mad Men" agency

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-donald-trump-paying-a-fictional-ad-agency/

[olsondr]

62. The ideal Republican strategy

Trump has nothing left to lose. He has no money, so he needs free media exposure to stay relevant. The way to get free media exposure is to say outrageous things.

He will begin to say outrageous things about Hillary Clinton. He will bring up ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that has ever been reported, said, insinuated or wrote about her and Bill. We all know what I'm talking about. He will pull no punches and doesn't care if it's true, half-true or completely false and disproved 20 years ago.

There are plenty of Americans who don't know that much about Hillary and Bill. They weren't old enough to understand how comparably good the late 90's were. But now they'll hear all the trash and see the mud slinging.

And that's exactly what the GOP needs. A respectable candidate can't go that far in the gutter, they'd look petty and desperate. But this is Trump's game. He can go as low as you can fathom and it won't matter. He's the Teflon Don.

So he'll do as much damage as he possibly can, and don't kid yourselves, there is damage that can be done. He'll go shock and awe on the media against Hillary and then, after he's exhausted the 20 years of ammunition the GOP has stored up against the Clinton's, he'll be replaced by some white knight. They'll tap some smooth "compassionate conservative" who'll step in and be the welcome alternative to "Crazy Trump" and "Crooked Hillary".

The GOP folks will get behind this savior and so will anyone who has been poisoned against Hillary by Trump's onslaught of garbage... and the election will be tight.

That's how I see it playing out. Don't sit back and relax thinking we've got this wrapped up because his poll numbers are dropping. The further they drop, the crazier he'll get and that's not necessarily a good thing for the Democratic candidate.

[MH1]

63. Shhh, don't tell the republicans until AFTER their convention!!

If this guy is as bad a disaster as he is appearing to be, the last thing we want is for them to replace him on the ticket.

Although, the fireworks around that event would sure be fun to watch.

[arcane1]

65. If everyone agrees that his campaign is just a scam, why are we still pretending he'll be nominated?

[Bucky]

66. Because the Republicans are. Because they might be legally bound to nominate him.

Because a dysfunctional family always pays the lion's share of attention to the main abuser in the family.