The ‘self-funding billionaire’ scam
May 17, 2016, 3:43 PM | Updated: 3:45 pm
The “outsider” appeal of Donald Trump’s campaign has been based on two assertions he has repeated in every public appearance: that he’s a peerless entrepreneur worth more than $10 billion, and that he was funding his own campaign while taking no contributions from moneyed special interests. New developments put both claims into question.
First, Trump decided that he will, after all, solicit contributions to raise a billion dollars, and he chose a Goldman Sachs honcho to lead his fundraising.
Second, he told press and public that his tax returns are “none of your business,” suggesting that he may be vastly less wealthy and successful than his boasts had claimed. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that his limited resources explain
why he’s not able to fund his own campaign, and now has to start soliciting donations. Those who backed Trump because of his business “genius” and his independence from Wall Street money should reconsider the misleading nature of his whole campaign.