This should come as a surprise to no one but Trump and his family not just profiteering from his presidency but also charging exorbitant rates for the Secret Service. This is according to receipts for the Secret Service. I’m on my phone so I apologize for not posting more of the article: Report: Trump Organization Is Bilking Taxpayers and Lying About It There are several important takeaways from the Post’s report. First, it shows that the Trump Organization has flat-out lied about the benefits it gets from the government business Trump throws its way. Last year, President Trump briefly sought to host a G-7 summit at one of his properties. Eric Trump, an independent entrepreneur who operates at arm’s length from his father’s administration, explained that the move would actually save taxpayers a lot of money. “If my father travels, they stay at our properties for free — meaning, like, cost for housekeeping,” he told Yahoo Finance. “If he stays at one of his places, the government actually … saves a fortune because, if they were to go to a hotel across the street, they’d be charging them $500 a night, whereas, you know, we charge them like 50 bucks.” This promise turns out not to be exactly, or even approximately, true. In fact, the Post finds that the Secret Service routinely paid $396 a night for rooms, and on many other occasions, paid $650 a night. So unless Eric Trump is such a terrible businessman he underestimates the cost at one of the properties he is running by thirteenfold, he (on behalf of his father’s business) is intentionally deceiving the public. Second, the Trump Organization appears to be overcharging the Secret Service for the use of its cottage properties. At Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, the Secret Service paid $17,000 a month for a three-bedroom cottage. “Since fall 2017, there have been 100 rental listings for homes with three or more bedrooms in Bedminster, according to the website Zillow.com,” the Post finds. “None were anywhere near Trump’s rate; the average rental rate was $3,400, and the highest rent listed on Zillow was $8,500.” https://apple.news/AOl7ruZAFRLWpo_KOx2xxag
As a Trump supporter, this is exactly what I like from Trump. I enjoy being ripped off by a person that I elected to serve my interests and that of Americans. He just marches to the beat of his own drum. This kind of thing angers the liberals which is why I LOVE IT. Liberals hate being ripped off and having their tax dollars being wasted to line the pockets of the head of our nation. Because of that, I think it's a great idea! Go TRUMP! The Democratic Party I grew up with may not have liked this but it would like it a hell of a lot more than those tax dollars being spent to provide healthcare. Also, the economy is doing great, so if I'm getting ripped off and wasting my tax dollars enriching the head of our government who is supposed to be looking after my interests, then it's just fine. Take that Liberal SCUM!!!! This is America!!!!! And don't forget Hillary's emails. I'm sure she had emails about charging taxpayers to stay at all of her hotels and real estate establishments. She probably kept them in Benghazi. And we know that everyone who hates Trump supported her and her greedy real estate holdings in Benghazi.
I defended Trump on the hotel stays ASSuming the normal rates. I really didn't care. This is ridiculous
As I said this should come as no surprise to anyone and is one of the things many warned about Trump going back to his campaign. For me Trump profiting off of the Presidency has been the most egregious things he's done and if I was in Congress I would've pushed for impeachment on emoluments.
Snarky attacks on Ann Altright will truly push her out of the Trump closet and vote for Republicans. A true travesty for democracy for it to get this far, but YOU asked for it!!!
This message needs to continue to be pounded. From my own experience one of the things that could potentially peel away Trump supporters is his corruption. Trump profiting off of the Presidency is the one issue that crosses all ideological lines and is hardest for Trump supporters to defend.
While I agree... his corrupt activities around using the office of the presidency for personal enrichment should be highlighted... I am afraid trump supporters view his corruption as a product feature, not a problem. trump supporters already know he is corrupt, and when it comes to personal enrichment they only feign ignorance ("trump? he doesn't take a salary") or suggest they say they don't care ("why would I care if he has people stay in his hotels?", "why do people need to see his tax returns?").
There are plenty of Trump supporters who feel that way and will back him under any condition. This is about peeling away and not a wholesale conversion. Again while we argue about things like Medicare for all, Green New Deal, and etc.. this is the one issue that everyone, even Trump supporters, can agree is wrong. Trump supporters might overlook or excuse his corruption but they know it is wrong.
In a normal universe, it would be a no brainer. However, his supporters appear to lack either the cognition or moral compass to comprehend or condemn the corruption they blindly support.
They will and do say it's fake news but the sheer amount and brazeness of Trump's corruption is getting hard to deny. This isn't about winning over his hardcore supporters it is about winning over the margins, convincing some who won't vote for a Democrat to at least sit it out, and just making that Trump vote harder.
I get it, but I'm tempted to say that anyone that is still on the fence about Trump is a hardcore supporter. But I have to remind myself that many aren't avid followers of the news and it all washes over them with only the oft repeated narratives sinking in to the decision making centers. It's why I believe the candidate will have to pick three issues with broad appeal and hammer them home. It will help if the three issues chosen can have several examples to support it, such as Trump's disregard of military service men and women.
I think there are still voters out there to be won. Not a lot but there are probably more than enough to make a significant difference. From my own research, and it is anecdotal, is that there still are many out there who haven't been paying that close attention. I know several people who don't pay much attention, aren't Trump fans, but still presume that Trump will win. These are the type of people that still could be convinced if given enough information and / or the right message. At the same time there are people who voted for Trump but are disgusted by him. It isn't necessary to get them to vote but if they sit out the election is a net win for the Democrats.
