Lawrence O'Donnell explained that Trump's wealth is the fundamental lie behind his political success and that lie has been debunked.
Transcript via MSNBC/”Last Words with Lawrence O'Donnell:”
O'DONNELL: Trump's lawyers explained to the court how thoroughly Donald Trump failed to raise money. The lawyer said: This diligent effort involved approaching approximately 30 surety companies through four separate intermediaries. This massive bond requirement, requiring virtually $1 billion in cash reserves, is unprecedented in a private company.
So in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, the fundamental lie that Donald Trump built his image as a politician will be exposed.
(start video clip)
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER US PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't need anyone's money. It's good. I don't need anyone's money. I'm using my own money.
I don't use lobbyists, and I don't use donors. I don't care. I am really rich.
(End video clip)
O'DONNELL: That was a huge part of Donald Trump's initial appeal when he started out as a candidate. He continued to make other appeals, including directly appealing to racists to expand his support base.
But many Trump voters in Iowa believed at the time, and said in interviews, that they believed Trump's wealth was a virtue. They believed that he would not be corrupt because he already had too much money to be corrupt.
Donald Trump was lying about this. And his voters are wrong to believe that. But they have forgiven or overlooked every Trump lie that has been exposed.
So at the end of the day on Monday, most of them will still want to believe that Donald Trump is as rich as he always was.
But Donald Trump knows better. And Donald Trump has proven to anyone who can think of how rich he really is.
video:
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL “So in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, the fundamental lies about Donald Trump's image-building as a politician will be exposed.
” pic.twitter.com/44OYVVeLEI— Sarah Liz Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 23, 2024
The fundamental lie of Donald Trump's political career is that he is rich. Because of his wealth, Trump sold himself to Republican voters as smarter, more talented, and better than everyone else, but it turns out his wealth wasn't real.
If Trump had run as a multiple business failure who couldn't manage his money and made his money only through fraud, he wouldn't have been very successful in Republican politics.
Donald Trump said he was selling a brand, but he was really selling a lie. Laurence O'Donnell showed why that lie is about to shatter into a million little pieces.
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Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is also a member of the White House Correspondent and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. His graduate studies focused on public policy, specializing in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association.