Trump Needs Cash. Will He Ask (Beg?) Jared and Ivanka?

I’m finding this an amusing thing to ponder. Think of it this way. Given the jam he’s in, how difficult or embarrassing will Trump find it if he has had to, or will have to go hat in hand to his son-in-law (and his daughter) for a financial bailout. Can you imagine how humiliating that would be for Trump? I’m trying, and I’m sure I’m not even close to imagining how awful even thinking about having to so so would be for Trump. Much less actually having to do it? Oh but I can imagine something even better than that big bowl of chocolate (I love my chocolate) ice cream. They might say “No” and that friends would be a giant slice of “beautiful chocolate cake” on top of it all!

Let’s have some fun and take a look at all this.

As you know Trump is in a world of hurt after judge Engoron’s ruling last week. He’d already deposited the $5 million (and additional interest money) into an escrow account for the original E. Jean Carroll verdict. Then, since he just couldn’t shut up about her he got tuned up for another eighty three million last month. (He has yet to make a deposit and/or post bond to file an appeal of that one) When you add up what he’s got to put up while appeals of the award to Carroll are appealed he was already on the hook for a hundred million bucks when you add in the interest. Now, on top of all THAT he’s got the massive judgement in the NY State fraud case. He’s got to either come up with almost $550 million or a combination of a (substantial, in the range of twenty percent) of cash and bond to appeal the NY State verdict.  (His idiot sons Fredo 1 & Fredo 2 aka Don Jr. and Eric got tagged for 4 million each and it’s not like they can get it from either “daddy” or the Trump Org. So they’re likely freaking the hell out too)

Trump doesn’t have the money. At least not cash on hand. But he needs a ton of money and he needs it NOW. Trump needs an “angel” investor in his collapsing financial empire and the question is who will step up. Russia? Well, there are shall we say issues there and that’s a lot to drop on Trump’s behalf when he already owes them who knows how much already. (But we are likely to get an idea in the months ahead) The Saudis? Or another wealthy middle eastern country? Far from a sure thing and they have “reasons” (one of which is why I’m writing) to steer clear. Someone like Thomas benefactor Harlan Crow, or maybe Sheldon Addelson’ widow perhaps, but unlikely.

For a more detailed accounting of Trump’s “family jewels” suddenly being squeezed by a rusty set of pliers to the point of popping here’s a write up by NBC News in New York. It’s a sobering read, but I enjoyed it all the same. Trump’s ego has always been way the hell out of whack, and his entire sense of self-worth has been to convince people he started with virtually nothing (well, a “small” million dollar loan from his dad) and became fabulously successful and rich. As I heard a pundit say over the weekend the Big Lie started decades ago when Trump convinced his father’s wealth (which was real) was his own. He can’t bear the thought of people not thinking he’s a) super rich, and b) that he made all that money all by himself because he was such a “financial genius” and “dealmaker.”

What Trump was in actuality was a pretty good con-man who did get a lot of money coming in from a lot of people. Yet he kept blowing through it, and leaving people he suckered into working with him wanting. Sometimes high and dry. He stole, albeit in semi-legal ways most of the money he got. And likely did some major money laundering (something high end real estate is good for) which is illegal. For “reasons” prosecutors (including none other than Rudy Giuliani) never held him to account. But is was a con and a financial house of cards. Like many a grifter before him he got carried away and committed the two cardinal sins of grifting – he called too much attention to himself AND he tried to maintain the con for too long.

Now he’s got to pay up. The clock is ticking already and for both the second Carroll verdict and now the one from the NY State case. Less than thirty days from now Trump has to come up with a cool $542 million according to the linked article. If he can’t he loses his right to appeal and hope either or both of these two recent awards are overturned, or at least “bigly” reduced.  What happens if his thirty days run out and Trump can’t come up with the money is a separate, longer topic. For now I’m having fun thinking about him scrambling to find a financial backer, a filthy rich conservative(s) willing to bail him out or some bond agency or bank stupid enough to put up the money.  Can you imagine the palatable fear in his voice as he begs for help? I can’t, but like I said it’s fun trying.

However, that’s not nearly as much fun as the thought of him having to ask Jarvanka for it. There’s plenty of reason for them to say no. First, they have endured their own richly deserved humiliation from their former “beautiful people” pals up in NYC.  Trump himself was despised there even before he squatted in our WH for four years. Had they stayed in NYC and only done some token supporting of him during the 2020 campaign they might have, after doing some penance be allowed to hang around on the fringes of that crowd. But nooooooo! They had to move to DC and “play government” and got rude, cold reception when they tried to resume their old lives in DC.

So Jarvanka decamped for sunny Florida, which had well before become a solid red state. With its own “beautiful” people crowd of rich people their age. They weren’t exactly warmly welcomed but they at least were savvy enough not to push things. Gradually they’ve gained a bit of acceptance and until wannabe (at least once upon a time) Princess Ivanka’s public rubbing elbows with Kardashians and whatnot kept a low profile. Sightings of them at Mar A Lago have been rare to put it mildly. And Jared himself recently announced he’d not be involved with the 2024 campaign. Oh, he indicated if asked for a bit of input now and then he might somehow find the time, but it’s safe to say we’ll see as much of them on the campaign trail as we will Melania. As in practically none.

So there’s that. Then there’s how much Jared has and whether he’s willing to piss away a half billion dollars, a quarter of the money MBS/the Saudis gave him. Now there’s the real question. Contrary to popular belief it wasn’t MBS or Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that bailed Jared out of his disastrous investment of 666 Park Avenue up in NYC. Nope. It was an outfit called Brookfield Management that did that, and their money comes from Qatar. Who was “Shocked, Shocked” to learn their fund had been used to bail out Jared!  Anyway, the two billion from the Saudis to allow him and the Kushner family to start over fresh, well it’s not a stretch to say why they gave it to him. I could write an entire article about Jared’s access to the highest classified information (Trump didn’t read the PDBs but Jared got a copy of them all and HE sure as hell did) got him his payout.

However after the 666 Park Avenue debacle it’s safe to say Jared (and Ivanka too) are likely gun-shy on throwing away a quarter of all that money. And that’s just what they’d be doing. More than most, they know any loan agreement wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. Then there’s the issue of the unwanted social scrutiny them bailing out Trump would bring. Remember, all his finances will become public and there’s no way of hiding it. However, there’s another and more practical reason.

So far Jared and Kushner Inc. (or whatever their version of the Trump Org is named) hasn’t had a true deep dive into the Park Avenue thing. Or the DOJ looking formally (so far as we know) into whether classified information changed hands for the two billion Jared’s good pal MBS coughed up for him. Unlike anyone from the Trump family Jared knows what the inside of a federal prison is like. He didn’t like the view, even from the visitor’s side of the glass when he’d visit his dad. For damned sure he doesn’t want to see things from his dad’s side. After hearing about it from him you can be damned sure Ivanka doesn’t want any part of that either.

Also, keep this in mind. From early on in the Trump administration Jarvanka has prepared for the possibility of throwing TRUMP under the bus before he could do it to them. Unlike Trump they’ve hired good lawyers all along. And more importantly paid them. Once in DC Jared made the stupid mistake of not listening to one of the very best white collar lawyers in town. He dicked around with his paperwork for his security clearance and despite advice from then lawyer Jamie Gorelilck kept trying to fudge it. She got tired of being publicly embarrassed and dumped him as a client but not before setting him up with Abbe Lowell, someone also highly respected in DC legal circles. I think Jared learned his lesson.

However, the Mueller investigation was underway by the time Gorelick dumped him and the point is that he and Ivanka were in my humble opinion worried. And making sure that if push came to shove they’d be able to get themselves out of trouble by burning Trump! I still believe they’ve kept up that ability all these years. Note how Ivanka was able to extricate herself from the NY State case. That my friends wasn’t by accident. All along she had lawyering working to utilize some legal technicality if her incest obsessed father and his beloved Trump Org FINALLY got hauled into court.

Given all that, I’d be stunned if they were to get back involved in Trump/MAGA world. Especially to the tune of a half-billion smackeroos. My guess is they’d tell Trump no if he came crawling to them. The only question is whether they’d be polite about it. But just think, if only for a minute about how if Trump did come a calling asking/begging for help the look on his face would be when they said “No.” PRICELESS doesn’t begin to describe it.

Hell, being the kind of people they are think about this: what if just in case they were prepared and got video of the conversation? Some still images could be grabbed of a stunned into sh*tting his adult diapers would make a fortune if they started to sell them. I’d gladly somehow come up with a hundred bucks (don’t know how but I would) to buy one and hang it on the wall! If just ten million of us bought one that would be what, a billion dollars?  Within a week. And THAT would cause Trump to REALLY freak the hell out.

Well, as I said for me at least it’s fun to think about. I hope if you’ve given me the courtesy of reading this it turns out to be the same for you.