Earlier, I wrote a post about Donald Trump hinting that as of right now, he's not planning on participating in next month's Republican presidential debate (and maybe subsequent debates as well). He's already claimed that there's really no need for him to participate when he's polling so far ahead of the other candidates.
My hope in writing the post is that even devoted Trump supporters should be concerned about the fact that their guy seems to be going out of his way to avoid being on a debate stage with his opponents, and what that says about his ego and willingness to defend his positions. But if that doesn't convince them to be wary of Trump, maybe this will.
Wow. Quite the contrast.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) July 31, 2023
While Trump’s PAC spent $40.2M on legal fees, the DeSantis PAC used 85% of their total $33.8M of spending for direct voter contact.
One team is building an actual campaign, the other is creating a fundraising scheme. pic.twitter.com/cCpCfESDoQ
Team Trump has been raking in millions of dollars from donors eager to see him run for the presidency, but those millions are basically being used by the Trump campaign as a slush fund to pay for stuff that actually has nothing to do with his campaign and everything to do with his personal needs. The more we learn about Trump's campaign finances, the more concerned we should be about the fact that he seemingly has no qualms whatsoever about engaging in willful financial deception. Because the fact that Trump has been so successful in fleecing earnest supporters has only encouraged other shady groups to do the same, to the same people who are willing to "donate" their money to the Trump grifting machine:
Some of former President Trump’s most fervent supporters are being swindled into investing thousands in “Trump Bucks” that promise riches once cashed in.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 31, 2023
Instead, they’re receiving memorabilia that no bank will cash. https://t.co/AloSgD5kcW
But on social media and in promotional videos — many featuring faked celebrity endorsements — the sellers have tapped an audience that believes Trump’s ouster was part of a great conspiracy and that by investing in the Trump Rebate Banking System, or TRB for short, Trump will reward their loyalty by making them rich.
Those who buy these items, the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots suggest, will be rewarded when Trump unveils a new monetary system that will turn these products into legal tender worth far more than the purchase price.
...
Invest in a TRB membership card “issued by Donald Trump,” the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots claim, and the purchaser who spent, say, $99.99 on a “$10,000 Diamond Trump Bucks” bill will be able to cash it in for $10,000 at major banks and retailers like Walmart, Costco and Home Depot.
“TRB system membership cards are official cards issued by Donald Trump to allow Trump Bucks holders to use Trump Bucks as legal tender and deposit them in banks such as JP Morgan Chase, the Bank of America and Wells Fargo,” a narrator identified only as “John” that appears to be a computer-generated voice says in one YouTube ad just moments after cautioning viewers that “Trump Bucks are not legal tender.”
It's really important to point out that these groups pushing the TRB appear to be directly affiliated with the Trump campaign, so Trump should not be held responsible for what they're doing, although it would probably be beneficial for Trump to categorically denounce the groups and what's happening.
Of course, the problem is that on an intellectual level, it wouldn't really mean much for Trump to call out these groups for defrauding voters when he himself is currently peddling conspiracies and defrauding voters and has been for some time. Remember the Trump NFTs? And Stop the Steal? Rudy Giuliani recently admitted that he made false statements about two Georgia election workers, but voters eager to believe his lies believed his lies and at this point it may no longer matter to them that they were lied to.
"...the sellers have tapped an audience that believes Trump’s ouster was part of a great conspiracy and that by investing in the Trump Rebate Banking System, or TRB for short, Trump will reward their loyalty by making them rich." https://t.co/5iWug3RLi6
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) July 31, 2023
And Trump has continued to push those conspiracies. If potential targets of the TRB groups are hearing from the man himself that the election was stolen and the only way to get justice is to send more money, is it really any surprise that they'd fall for the TRB scam?
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This money could have gone toward winning elections. https://t.co/GCf6a4QiCU
— Max-a-Lago (@MaxNordau) July 31, 2023
Well, Trump has demonstrated that he's not really interested in winning elections so much as he's interested in running for office so he has an excuse to ask people to give him more money. And too often, his supporters are willing to comply.
What's even funnier is if he asked them to donate more money to him they would do it in a second.
— MikeSD (@Michael4U12) July 31, 2023
Being a Trump supporter is being swindled out of your money and loving it. https://t.co/KHyKiTSVRj
— DestructiveChemistry (@DesperateChem) July 31, 2023
I disagree profoundly with people's arguments for voting for Trump. Pretty sure you guys know that about me by now, heh. But that doesn't mean I'm OK with people, particularly elderly people, being tricked into giving their money to bad actors, whether it's the Trump campaign or predatory groups like the TRB people. I have absolutely no tolerance or respect for people who would prey upon the elderly. Obviously there are plenty of left-wing and Democratic groups that engage in the same predatory behavior, so this is a bipartisan problem. But I would hope that Americans from any point on the political spectrum could unequivocally condemn these monsters. And I would hope that they'd expect the candidates in whose names these predatory operations are being carried out (looking at you, Donald) would do the same.
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