Who didn’t see this type of thing coming? I sure did and I’ll bet anyone reading this too. It’s not like it was a secret that Trump took over the RNC money machine and started bleeding it dry to cover his legal expenses. Those legal expenses have as you know grown and substantially. With more civil trials and maybe criminal ones too in the works Trump needs money now more than ever.
So now he’s fuming, and more importantly DEMANDING that groups that formed to support him and his agenda pay up for “using his brand.” Getting rich off his name. At least according to this article by Rolling Stone that’s how Trump sees it. He’s been furious and according to sources for months now that, for example the America First Policy Institute has “held out” on him. He sees them and apparently one former aide in particular as raking in tons of cash and he wants his cut. NOW!
“It’s my fucking money!” the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner privately vented in October, referring to an alleged sum in the tens of millions of dollars, a source with direct knowledge of the matter tells Rolling Stone.
Like several (at least) other organizations formed to advance Trump’s agenda AFPI which came about shortly after Trump left office is a MAGA “thinking” think tank geared to fashion hardline policies. Things from voter crackdowns (which GOPers already do) all the way to pretty extreme stuff like maybe invading Mexico. AFPI is headed up by Brooke Rollins who served as a top White House domestic policy aide to Trump. Other “luminaries” populating the halls there include folks like Larry Kudlow, Rick Perry, and Linda McMahon. In other words not exactly all stars, cream of the intellectual crop (kind of what think tanks are supposed to be) so maybe that’s why Trump’s so mad. Even HE knows these folks are worthless, except at one thing it seems. Raising gobs of money.
And Trump wants it. He wants to stick his head in the money trough and when sated stuff every pocket full and with his grubby little hands scoop up as much as he can carry in his arms. Whatever’s left he will grudgingly allow them to keep. But the real point according to the linked article is that he thinks Rollins (and the others) have made a “killing” off his name and are “stiffing” him. Sources say according to Trump “It’s not right.”
Anyone out there want to challenge my statement that word has been going round to EVERY such organization, including old ones like Heritage or Cato that they’d goddamned better pay their own share to him? Anyway, this is personal because Trump actually knows Rollins and the others. As we know to Trump loyalty is a one-way street that leads to him. So is money. He gets it and decides how it will be spent. Hell, he almost never pays attention to most people anyway. He just surrounds himself with sycophants that mostly already thought the same crap he does. Why should (Trump thinks) they get to make a bundle off of HIM? So he’s demanding AFPI pay up. (Again I have to ask how many groups including mega-Evangelical churches have quietly paid up when Trump held out his hand and demanded his cut of the action.)
However, that could lead to more problems as in legal ones. Problems Trump doesn’t need. Or maybe he’s so strapped for cash he’s past the point of caring. IF he can pull off getting back in the WH his reasoning probably goes he can just shut down any proceedings against him. And tell AFPI and other groups he shook down to go away, or he’ll have his new goon squad of storm troopers take them away! However, in the real world there’s a problem that could land both Trump and the people he’s trying to shake down in trouble.
Doing what Trump has privately suggested would raise several legal issues, four experts told Rolling Stone. AFPI is a tax-exempt, educational nonprofit and is expressly barred under IRS rules from spending money on elections or donating to a political candidate like Trump. Given that Trump is a candidate for office, paying him personally could be seen as attempting to aid a political campaign.
Maybe Trump’s past caring but I suspect the folks at AFPI aren’t. They know all too well how much they would have to shell out in legal fees when the investigators come looking. So they are stuck in bad spot. Frankly, since they are Trumpkins I have zero f**ks to give. But since this is spilling into the news it could be interesting, even fun to see how it all plays out. Trump’s been privately fuming and demanding AFPI (and who else?) pay up. AFPI at least has resisted. Now that word is out they can’t fork over the cash without putting themselves in a world of legal hurt. Yet Trump isn’t about to let this go.
Somethings got to give. This is like two tectonic plates under pressure and the point’s coming when one of them will win the battle and there will be an earthquake. Fortunately this one will only be felt in MAGA World.
Greed…one of the seven deadly sins.
And he still manages to symbolize the other six.