Saturday, May 21, 2016

Weekend Thigh Slapper: The "Real Wealth" of @realDonaldTrump

I am really getting a kick out of the establishment crowd focus on Donald Trump and his income taxes.

The theme seems to be that Tump may not be worth $10,000,000,000, but perhaps only $7,000,000,000 or maybe only $500,000,000.

I have no idea what Trump would be worth in cold hard cash if he were to liquidate all his assets and pay off all his debt, but the man is doing very well. Better than most on the planet.

To be sure there are others wealthier, even some NYC real estate operators, but it is positively bizarre that columnists, who in many cases don't even own the condos they live in, are using the "real wealth" of Donald Trump as an attack point.

I am not a fan of Trump as a presidential candidate, but you can't knock his success in the business world.

I know a couple of Trump's attorneys, they tell me his operation is very, very impressive--though they tell me that the operations of the late Armand Hammer were much more impressive.

Which brings me to the latest hit piece on Trump out of Bloomberg, it includes this: "Trump’s iconic (but relatively modest) real estate portfolio."

Modest portfolio? Who exactly is the reporter comparing Trump's portfolio to? Can the reporter actually name 10 people on the planet that have real estate portfolios that are larger?

Again, there are people that are wealthier than Trump, but the man is doing very, very well for himself.

I mean the man has a fleet of aircraft!

He has a Boeing 757-200. He owns a Cessna Citation X corporate jet. And he also owns two Sikorsky S-76B helicopters.

And this is his wife:


I repeat the man is doing superbly in the game of life. I mean top of the heap superb. For columnists, who haven't even had their shoes shined in months and who spend time hoping to pick up some floozy in an NYC bar at 3:00 AM on a Saturday night, to be discussing from an attack position Trump's wealth and success is absurd.

Trump has no clue when it comes to basic economics or the nature of society, and he would be damn scary as president, but from a success perspective (measured in a certain way), he has made it. He is a very skilled and clever NYC street fighter. One of the best. The masses recognize this on a gut instinct level. The establishment is going to get nowhere with attacking Trump with the "Well, he might only be worth $500,000,000." approach.

 -RW

8 comments:

  1. Something I have been wondering about is why is Trump running in the first place? He is almost seventy, is very wealthy, has had many successful businesses and careers. He has a gorgeous wife, and by all accounts great kids and a loving, adoring family. What does he need this for? From what I can see, nothing, nada, zip. You'd think that someone in that situation would be kicking back enjoying the fruits of life, success and family. So what makes Donnie run?

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    1. An interesting question. I suspect people like Trump are just driven to do things. They really don't want to sit back and relax. They also like power. The president is more powerful than any billionaire. (Excepting maybe Rothschilds, Rockefellers, etc)

      And quite possibly in his own mind, he thinks he knows exactly how to "fix" the country and he intends to do it.

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    2. The presidency is another trophy.

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    3. Political power is the one typical element of success at the game of life that he hasn't had. The power of a businessman or TV star is very limited compared to the power a political office holder has. The power of a political office holder, being one or controlling one is the power to shape things far beyond what any business man can do. The monopoly on legal violence is an attractive power.

      That assumes of course that life is a game it's to be scored by wealth, women, power, and maybe family. That's a rather debatable topic by itself.

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    4. Let me be contrary.

      Trump believes that he can make America great. He is not doing it for personal wealth, in my opinion, but because he understands at a visceral, not intellectual, level that the current system is dying.

      His prescriptions for making America great again our infantile and counterproductive, but he truly believes he can make things better. That makes him even more terrifying.

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  2. 100% agree. Rubio loved to say he was a con man and that his wealth wasn't real (from his rented campaign bus). Trump must've laughed so hard at it every time (from his Boeing 737). I want fake wealth that gets me some of the best golf courses in the world and a "fleet of aircraft" as you so aptly put it.

    Just wish the guy had one ounce of a clue.

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    1. If he had an ounce of clue about real economics he would be very, very, very dangerous to the establishment.

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  3. To re-purpose a Billy Martin quote about George Steinbrenner, "Trump was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple."

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