{"id":63819,"date":"2024-11-20T14:01:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T22:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=63819"},"modified":"2024-11-20T14:01:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T22:01:50","slug":"the-grifter-in-chief-will-donald-trump-divest-from-his-bribery-platform-truth-social","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=63819","title":{"rendered":"The Grifter-In-Chief: Will Donald Trump Divest From His Bribery Platform, Truth Social?"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Donald Trump was elected in 2016, there was a fierce debate over whether he would divest from his many business interests. The potential for unscrupulous persons and\/or foreign agents to seek favor from Trump by exploiting those interests was undeniable, and many took advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n

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\"Trump<\/p>\n

Trump never did divest himself in his first term in office. Subsequently, it has been estimated that he made millions off of such nefarious dealings. He took in funds from hostile foreign governments with business pending before U.S. government agencies over which he had jurisdiction. Then he lied about doing so.<\/p>\n

SEE THIS: Eric Trump Lies that Daddy Gave All Foreign Money Made at His Hotels to the Treasury<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

An investigation by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington<\/a><\/strong> (CREW) found that Trump earned as much as $160 million dollars from foreign sources – predominantly the Middle East and China – during is first occupation of the White House…<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout his time in office, President Trump, his family and his Republican allies repeatedly assured the public that his refusal to divest from his businesses wouldn\u2019t lead to any conflicts of interest. Americans were promised that Trump would donate his salary, which he did, until maybe he didn\u2019t \u2014 all while siphoning millions from taxpayers that more than offset his presidential pay. When it came to foreign conflicts of interest, Trump and his company pledged to pause foreign business. They did not.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what can we expect from Trump as he prepares to reoccupy the White House? Oddly, no one seems to be asking that question. Surely he is not planning to divest from any of the businesses that he didn’t divest from last time. But there is now a new entity that Trump didn’t have before, and that presents an even more troubling prospect for shady dealing.<\/p>\n

Trump’s Truth Social, via its parent corporation, Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. It is therefore available for any crooked scheme-ster to shovel shiploads of cash into, enriching the other shareholders, of which Trump is the biggest. And the funds can go directly into Trump’s bank account when he sells shares. Is this legal? Or ethical? Does he care?<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO: Trump\u2019s Refusal to Sign the Required Ethics Agreement is His Virtual Promise to Violate It<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The potential for bribery is not the only value that Truth Social has for Trump. It also serves as his public relations platform where he announces everything from his Cabinet nominees to his hatred for Taylor Swift. There is no precedent for a sitting president to own a media company that is his primary source of communicating with the public. And he already has Fox News, which he doesn’t own financially, but does own ideologically.<\/p>\n

What’s more, Truth Social serves as a flea market for Trump’s various merchandise sales. He has hawked all sorts of trashy products, including sneakers, books, gold coins, and NFT collectible cards. And he is still pitching his merch, even after the election. The latest item that he’s peddling is a personalized guitar…<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump – The Grifter-in-Chief – is STILL peddling cheesy merch to his cult followers. pic.twitter.com\/2Ymi6bhliN<\/a><\/p>\n

— News Corpse (@NewsCorpse) November 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n