NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after Donald J. Trump was forced to pay more than $2 million in court-ordered damages to eight different charities for illegally misusing charitable funds at the Trump Foundation for political purposes:

“Not only has the Trump Foundation shut down for its misconduct, but the president has been forced to pay $2 million for misusing charitable funds for his own political gain. Charities are not a means to an end, which is why these damages speak to the president’s abuse of power and represent a victory for not-for-profits that follow the law. Funds have finally gone where they deserve — to eight credible charities. My office will continue to fight for accountability because no one is above the law — not a businessman, not a candidate for office, and not even the president of the United States.”

As part of a resolution of the lawsuit announced on November 7th, Trump was ordered to pay $2 million, or $250,000, a piece to eight different charities. Those charities are Army Emergency Relief, the Children’s Aid Society, Citymeals-on-Wheels, Give an Hour, Martha’s Table, the United Negro College Fund, the United Way of National Capital Area, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Additionally, Trump was forced to reimburse his namesake foundation $11,525 for sports paraphernalia and champagne purchased at a charity gala, which was added to $1,797,598.30 already in the foundation’s bank account. The combined $1,809,123.30 was split evenly and recently transferred to the eight agreed upon charities. Each charity ended up receiving a total of $476,140.41.

Additionally, as part of the settlement, Trump was required to agree to 19 admissions, acknowledging his personal misuse of funds at the Trump Foundation, and agreed to restrictions on future charitable service and ongoing reporting to the Office of the Attorney General, in the event he creates a new charity. The settlement also included mandatory training requirements for Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump, which the three children have already undergone. Finally, the settlement required the Trump Foundation to shutter its doors last December and dissolve under court supervision.

aquascoot wrote on May 3^rd, 2022 at 10:26am:


Incorrect. Figures show consistent GDP growth in the US since 1948.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/996758/rea-gdp-growth-united-states-1930-201...

The only times US economic growth has dropped to below 0% since the 60s is 1973 (the oil shocks), 1981 (Latin American loans crisis), 1991 ("credit crunch"), 2008 (GFC) and 2019 (covid).

Trump made no attempts to reduce the size and influence of government. Trump added over 8 trillion dollars to US government debt in less than one term, even before covid 19, wiping out the gains made during the slow GFC recovery. Trump's own budget office called it a "national debt crisis". Trump's presidency was the biggest spending administration in US history.

https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump

His solution? Increase tariffs. Trump believed his trade wars would bring in revenue, paying off debt "like water". This never happened. The revenue was dished out to farmers and small manufacturers, and ultimately, the money came from American consumers anyway. Trump's trade wars turned into the ever-increasing tax-and-spend cycle that had led to the GATT and all the previous work done on reducing tariffs in the past half century. In one administration, Trump upended global supply chains, disrupted the global financial system and created inflation even before covid. Far from any election rigging, Biden got many of his votes from the farmers and manufacturers hit hardest by Trump's trade wars, particularly in the swing states Trump contested, such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

As dysfunctional and destructive as it was, this was the election Trump wanted to fight: the economy and global trade. This was before covid hit and Trump turned into an even bigger spender, desperately trying to save his political skin. Trump's original strategy was to ignore the pandemic to keep trade talks going with China, who he originally praised for working closely with the US. When Trump couldn't pretend anymore, he reversed to blame the pandemic on China, trying to draw attention away from his own mismanagement of what he called the "Chi-na virus". You know the rest of the story. Bleach injections, heat and light, refusing to be seen in a face mask, catching and spreading covid, spruiking fake cures and the daily, ever-increasing death toll. The Trump presidency became an even bigger joke than anyone could have ever imagined, you couldn't make it up.

Ultimately, there was the election defeat, the silence, the legal attempts, the humiliating attempts to cling to power at all costs. The plots, the threats, the insurrection. It just went on and on. But do you know? I think we should remember Trump at his best, as the instigator of trade wars. This, after all, is how he really wanted to be seen: the great disrupter, the destroyer, preening to the chants of his followers: "smash it up."

Trump was the embodiment of the pathological establishment you describe. He allowed government debt to increase by a third. He undermined decades of tariff reduction and work on free trade, weakening the US and global economy. He stood by as covid hit, showing his arrogance, naked self-interest and inability to lead in a crisis. Far from being into small government, Trump imagined grand projects, infrastructure schemes to rival FDR, a great, big beautiful wall from coast to shining coast, and "as you know, I can build things, believe me". This is how I think we should judge Trump: on what he promised. None of it came to fruition, not even close. Today, after the corporate tax cuts, the trade wars and all the covid stimulus costs, the US is left with nothing in the bank. No great new highways, no big beautiful walls, and a mountain of debt.

The US has not been in decline since the 60s, but out of all those recessions from 1973 to 2019, the biggest recession started in 2019. Today, at -3.4%, GDP growth is the lowest it's been since 1946.

https://www.statista.com/chart/24056/annual-real-gdp-growth-in-the-united-states...

Trump came to power in 2016 with a modest 1.6% GDP growth figure, which grew to 2.7% for the first two years of his administration due to Reserve Bank and Obama-era policies, and the result of an improving housing and employment market, eight years after the GFC. What happened next, however, has nothing to do with covid or the Reserve Bank. World Bank figures show a drop in growth of 0.86% from 2018 to 2019, prior to any hit from covid. This was the emerging effect of Trump's trade wars. And after covid, of course, it has been in freefall ever since.

America has not been in decline since the 60s, but it may well be now.

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

Quote:


maybe a legend in his own urine ?

Frank wrote on May 3^rd, 2022 at 10:37pm:



The Romans did. Vastly multicultural society. And all the richer for it.

Frank wrote on May 3^rd, 2022 at 11:07pm:



Rubbish. Ancient Rome was heavily infused with the cultures it absorbed into it's fold.

Successful multiculturalism.

In any case, those living in the US are required to submit to US law. Your argument is meaningless.