This new move by Donald Trump is just weird
Donald Trump is notorious for being cheap. Whether it’s bending over backwards to save a buck, getting other people to pay what he owes, or ignoring bills altogether, Trump takes pains to avoid parting with money, no matter how small the amount and regardless of how petty or ridiculous it may look.
When Chris Christie complained to Politico this week that Trump is “the cheapest S.O.B. I’ve ever met in my life,” he was self-interestedly referring to a New York Times report revealing that Trump began diverting a larger share of his political donations to his Save America PAC, which he used to pay his legal fees. In February or March, Trump adjusted the split so that his PAC would get 10% of donations, instead of just 1%, possibly already diverting at least $1.5 million.
Trump’s rampant stinginess is believed to have come from his father, Fred. In a 2016 speech to the National Association of Home Builders, Trump proudly reminisced about how his father would pick up extra nails, sawdust, and scraps of wood at houses to “recycle it in some form or sell it.” Trump then smiled as he recalled a story about how his father taught him the importance of the value of a penny when pricing a house to sell.
In 1990, Spy magazine tested Trump’s cheapness by sending him checks for egregiously paltry amounts. As I wrote a few years ago, Trump stooped so low as to cash each one, including the final 13-center. Now, Trump is continuing the madness by making a “weird move,” according to Insider, in a lame attempt to save himself money in the wake of a damning verdict.
After being ordered by a judge to pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million for sex abuse and defamation, Trump has figured out a way to add insult to injury. Trump has now made the unusual request of asking the judge to let him have his money ($5.55 million, reflecting the required 111% of the award on appeal) held as cash instead of as a bond while his appeal is pending. The move would likely save Trump $55,000. As one New York City bondsman put it, “You’re not talking a lot of money.” Sounds like Trump, indeed.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month