New York Times | Donald Trump Is Never to Blame New York Times Poor Donald Trump, so late to the lesson that so many plutocrats before him learned: You can't find good help. Jeff Sessions? What a bust. True, he was never the nimblest newt in the swamp and had all that racial muck in his past. But he mirrored his ... |
When people had signed up for the Eric Trump Foundations largest annual fundraiser, a golf outing and dinner at a Trump golf course in Weschester County, New York, they understood their donations would go to help fight childrens cancer at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis.
And much of the donations had: Eric Trump has helped raise and donate more than $11 million to St. Judes, the vast majority of it via this annual golf event, according to Forbes.
Eric has claimed the golf course and most of the other costs associated with the fundraiser were donated, so that more money could benefit the sick kids.
We get to use our assets 100% free of charge, Eric toldForbes.
But according to the outlet, not only was the course and other assets not free of charge, but Donald Trumpalso allegedly used donations to make money for the Trump Organization at the expense of kids with cancer.
The president specifically commanded that the for-profit Trump Organization start billing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the non-profit Eric Trump Foundation, according to Forbes.
The Trump Organization received payments for the use of the golf course, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization, perForbes. Golf charity experts told the outlet that the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.
Also, more than $500,000 in donations that donors believed were going to help kids with cancer at St. Judes were actually given to other charities, many of which were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses, Forbes reports.
Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Assault
In addition, Forbes discovered, the Donald J. Trump Foundation apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations back to the Trump Organization as revenue.
All of this seems to defy federal tax rules and state laws that ban self-dealing and misleading donors, Forbes reports.
The tournament began in 2007, and for the first four years to 2010, the total annual expenses averaged about $50,000, according to the tax filings reviewed by Forbes.
Not quite the zero-cost advantage that a donor might expect given who owned the club but at least in line with what other charities pay to host outings at Trump courses, Forbes reported.
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But beginning in 2011, the expenses shot up, reaching $322,000 for 2015, according to the the most recent IRS filing on record, according to Forbes.
Even if the Eric Trump Foundation had to pay the full rate for literally everything, Forbescouldnt come up with a plausible path to $322,000 given the parameters of the annual event (a golf outing for about 200 and dinner for perhaps 400 more), Dan Alexander writes. Neither could golf tournament experts or the former head golf professional at Trump National Westchester.
In December, Eric announced he would stop fundraising. The foundation changed its named to Curetivity and continue to hold golf tournaments to raise money for St. Jude, Forbes reports.
Eric reacted to harsh criticism that followed the storys publication with a tweet.
I have raised $16.3 million dollars for terminally ill children at @StJude with less than a 12.3% expense ratio. What have you done today?! Eric said.
The New York Timescolumnist Nick Kristof tweeted, Its one thing to rip off contractors or even voters. But kids with cancer? Really, Mr. President?
The Washington Posts David Fahrenthold, who won a Pulitzer prize largely for his reporting that uncovered the presidents untruths about donating to charities, tweeted, Im just writing something up about how this great@forbes story contradicts what@EricTrump told me last yr.
And Susan Odell, who describes herself as a mom to three boys, tweeted, Just so wrong. Ask any parent who has a child with cancer. When you think it cant get any worse
On Tuesday, Eric Trump also criticizedDemocrats who support the investigation into his fathers campaign and Russia, calling them not even people.
Actress Alyssa Milano, a vocal Trump critic, fired back in a tweet:
Your fathers approval rating is 38% @EricTrump. That means the majority of Americans are not even people?!?
See the article here:
Donald Trump Profited from Kids Cancer Charity Fundraiser: Report - PEOPLE.com
Trump "joked" that Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump and also serves as a White House strategist, has "become much more famous than me," adding: "I'm a little bit upset about that."
Ah ha ha ha. Ha. Ahem. Cough.
That's not to say Kushner will follow Comey's trajectory. He almost certainly won't -- because Trump values nothing as much as he values loyalty to family.
But even though Kushner isn't on his way out of the White House anytime soon, Trump's aside about his fame is revealing -- in two ways.
1. Trump views the entire world through the lens of fame and notoriety: Trump's measure of success is money, sure. But, even more importantly, it's fame. Lots of people are rich. Not all of those people are also cultural figures. He is. And he uses himself as a measuring stick by which to gauge others and his interactions with them.
Trump is a public figure who embraces that status with both arms. Fame is the way you can tell the winners from the losers in life.
2. Trump makes very little distinction between good press and bad press: Like most people who crave and court the spotlight, Trump isn't someone to split hairs about how positive or negative the coverage of him is.
Sure, he will thunder about how the media is so against him. But true defeat in Trumpworld is not bad press, it's no press.
Trump's asides and "jokes" -- not to mention his tweets -- are almost always more revealing than his formal speeches and statements. This "famous" comment is no exception.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to lead the United Kingdom'smost populous city, is used to political opponents taking potshots at his faith.
But recently, as his city has dealt with a wave of terrorist attacks, he's also had to contend with a different kind of onslaught: the full fire hose of PresidentTrump's Twitter feed.
[Trumps fight with London mayor baffles his critics]
So how does it feel to be trolled by the most powerful man in the world?
His answer, according to the Associated Press: I don't know how to tell you this, but I really don't care I really couldn't be bothered about what Donald Trump tweets.
Here's the history of their very public conflict.
May 9, 2016 Khan takes office.
When Khan took office, it was clear that he differed significantly from Trump, then a presidential candidate.
He was a Muslim and the first ethnic minority to be mayor in London, and he had beaten back Conservative Party efforts to connect him to alleged Muslim extremists. In the United States, Trump was floating the idea of a travel ban against Muslims.
Khan toldTime magazinethat if Trump wonthe U.S. presidential election, Ill be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith.
He also said Trump's stances on the issues meant the candidate was destined to fail.
Conservative tacticians thought those sort of tactics would win London, and they were wrong, he said. Im confident that Donald Trumps approach to politics wont win in America.
Trump responded by calling Khan rude and ignorant on Good Morning Britain.
He doesn't know me, never met me, doesn't know what I'm all about, he said. I think they're very rude statements, and, frankly, tell him I will remember those statements.
Jan. 20 Trump is inaugurated.
Although those politics did win in America, Trump remained unpopular across the pond.
Brits engaged in a debate about whether Prime Minister Theresa May should rescind the offer to have Trump come for an official state dinner.
[World leaders call for unity after London attack. Trump tweets the complete opposite.]
Khan is among those who have asked the government to reconsider the invitation, describing the state visit as inappropriate given the presidents travel ban for passengers from several Muslim-majority nations.
I love America, I love Americans, and I believe the special relationship is a good one and one thats here to stay, he said on ITV. I think this ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, ending the refugee program is cruel, and its shameful. In those circumstances, we shouldnt be rolling out the red carpet.
March 22 Trump Jr. goes on the offensive
Four people were killed including a police officer and another 40 were injured when a terrorist plowed a vehicle through a landmark bridge, then got out of his car and started stabbing people.
Hours after the attack, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a story from September in which Khan talks about Londoners and terrorism. The mayor said large cities such asLondon are terrorist targets and that Brits should be vigilant. He also said the terrorists would not win.
But Trump Jr. gave the mayor's statement a defeatist twinge, implying that Khan thought terrorist attacks were just part and parcel of living in a big city.
June, 3 AnotherLondon attack, and the feud intensifies
Khan had a very public presence after a terrorist attack on London Bridge that killed seven and injured dozens.
Following the June 3 London terror attack, the city's mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted this video message saying, "We are all shocked and angry today - but this is our city. We will never let these cowards win and we will never be cowed by terrorism." (Sadiq Khan/Twitter)
There can be no justification for the acts of these terrorists, and I am quite clear that we will never let them win, nor will we allow them to cower our city or Londoners, the mayor said in the interview.
He also gave pragmatic advice, telling Londoners they would see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. There's no reason to be alarmed.
Trump took the last four words of that message and turned it into an incredulous tweet.
Khan's spokesman dismissed the U.S. president's comments, according to BuzzFeed News:
The mayor is busy working with the police, emergency services and the government to coordinate the response to this horrific and cowardly terrorist attack and provide leadership and reassurance to Londoners and visitors to our city.
He has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump's ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks urging Londoners not to be alarmed when they saw more police including armed officers on the streets.
But Trump lobbed another criticism across the Atlantic.
So Khan told the Independent that Trump wasn't helping the situation and was instead trying to divide communities.
I just haven't got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump, he said. Honestly I've got better and more important things to focus on.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Khan said Trump had been wrong about many things and that the government should cancel his state visit to the United Kingdom.
I dont think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for, he said.
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Read the original here:
A brief history of Donald Trump's feud with Sadiq Khan, London's first Muslim mayor - Washington Post
How many times in the 19-and-a-half weeks since January 20th have you needed to remind yourself to breathe, to remain calm, not to panic? Do you regularly tell yourself it can't possibly be as bad as you think? Are you worried you're overreacting?
You aren't. It's as bad as you think, and possibly worse. We've elected a president who isn't just unqualified for the job but who actively hurts the United States every day. Your palms should be clammy with fear.
I'm not just speaking to my fellow liberal snowflakes. I guarantee you the conservatives and Republicans who have been shaking their heads quietly as their president sticks his gnarled foot in his enormous mouth have started to feel the silent creep of fear crawl up the backs of their necks too.
It has gotten that bad. He is that bad. He's a toddler, but with less empathy and self-control.
Over the last few days, Trump has shown himself to be more unfit than ever before and made it clear he has no business remaining in the White House for even one additional day. Let's take a brief stroll through the Twitter feed of the current president of the United States.
Trump reacted to terrorist attacks with false bravado and genuine stupidity long before becoming president. But since January, optimists have hoped the enormity of his responsibilities would bring out his better nature. They didn't realize he doesn't have one.
Saturday's London Bridge attack in particular seems to have shorted something in the president's brain. The United Kingdom's strict gun control laws likely kept more dangerous weapons out of the hands of the terrorists, saving countless lives. (Meanwhile, in Orlando Monday, a law-abiding gun owner walked into his former workplace and murdered five people before killing himself.)
Trump then took to Twitter to attack the mayor of London who is Muslim taking out of context a quote urging citizens not to be alarmed by increased police presence.
The president attacking the mayor of the largest city of our closest ally in the wake of a terror attack is just as horrific as you think it is. It is unthinking, unhinged and unkind. In a moment when any remotely normal human being would be offering sympathy and help, Trump has only bile to offer.
Just like you, the lawyers in the office of the solicitor general are probably reminding themselves not to panic on a daily basis. Five separate times this week, Trump tweeted the words "TRAVEL BAN" to describe the, well, travel bans he signed directed at Muslim-majority countries.
Trump's own spokesman has insisted the executive order is "not a travel ban" because calling it a "ban" is a legal disaster for the administration, which has failed so far in defending the policy in court. Trump's rhetoric only makes his lawyers' job more difficult, but he doesn't care. Instead of doing the prudent thing and not talking about an ongoing legal case, Trump is making it virtually impossible to win, choosing to throw a tantrum in public instead.
As late as Tuesday morning, Trump's Twitter unraveling continued. The decision by Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations to cut ties with Qatar is, to understate matters, a diplomatic situation of extreme delicacy. Instead of handling the situation with even a modicum of common sense, Trump took sides on Twitter.
Attacking established adversaries like Iran or North Korea is one thing. Qatar hosts thelargest American military base in the Middle East. Jumping into the fray to attack the nation is beyond stupid; it endangers the 11,000 members of the U.S. armed forces who live there.
I'm not going to speculate on the mental health of the president. I'm not qualified, and ultimately I'm not certain it matters whether these extraordinary lapses in judgment are the result of dementia, pathological narcissism, sociopathy or just a shitty personality. What matters is what the president of the United States is saying publicly, every day, and the extraordinary damage he is doing to the nation and its people.
There is only one sensible reaction to Trump's antics: for members of Congress and influential conservatives to demand he resign.
You and I both know he's not leaving the White House willingly, or at least not anytime soon. But this is no longer anything approaching a close call. The things the president says and writes, in public, are more than enough evidence to declare him grossly unfit for a job as a tollbooth operator, let alone as the most powerful person in the world.
Many of the Republicans defending him in Congress and on TV see his tweets and know he's crossed the line. They'll keep defending him; they're too afraid of primary elections in their own districts to take a strong line against Trump.
But they should reconsider. Whatever is causing Trump to unravel, it's putting the rest of us in serious danger. The continued spectacle of the Russia investigation is only fueling his descent. Why wait for it to unfold further? The best-case scenario is dragging the nation through a prolonged impeachment ordeal. If not, we have to wait until 2021 to replace him with a responsible and decent human being assuming he doesn't get us all killed by then.
There's a better way. Start the discussion now. Call on Trump to step down. Hell, if you're a Republican, you end up with President Mike Pence, and you probably love Mike Pence. I can't stand the guy, but at least he won't start World War III with an ill-advised 4 a.m. tweet.
It would take enormous, sustained pressure from both sides of the aisle to convince Trump to resign the presidency. It's possible it would never work. The delicate bubble of ego that Trump keeps overinflated around himself never allows errors to reach his muddled mind. Stepping down would be admitting a failure on an enormous scale, and admitting failure is the one thing Trump won't do.
But whether you're a liberal or a conservative or somewhere in between, if you care about your country really care about the greatness of America it's clear Trump can no longer be president. And urging him to step down now is the only option we have to get him out quickly.
Besides, think of how much more golf he'd get to play.
Whether Trump eventually will be forced out of office is as much a political question as it is a legal one. Find out how impeaching him would work. Watch here.
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Read more from the original source:
It's Time to Demand Donald Trump's Resignation - RollingStone.com