Behind the scenes and in a constant flow of social media messages, Donald Trump’s wrath at the need to secure bond funds totaling hundreds of millions of dollars by Monday has been simmering for days.
On Friday, Trump unleashed a torrent of angry posts on his Truth Social platform, expressing his long-simmering resentment towards the judge who handed down the $464 million judgement, the New York attorney general who initiated the civil fraud case, and his unwavering belief that it’s all an attempt to sabotage his presidential campaign. Among these posts were multiple all-caps.
The posts, one of which was received shortly before 2 a.m. on Friday, included both factually incorrect assertions and personal attacks. It is not clear that the White House has been involved with or even instructed New York Attorney General Letitia James to prosecute her case. Also, contrary to Trump’s claims, there is zero proof that he intends to utilise his personal funds to fund his presidential campaign.
With only two days to find a solution, Trump’s personal and business finances are on the verge of collapse, as revealed in the posts.
A check of Trump’s most current campaign finance reports and personal financial accounts confirms what the president has already stated: that he does, in fact, have a substantial quantity of cash on hand.
Contrary to his most recent social media assertion that he possesses “almost five hundred million dollars in cash,” he reiterated this point multiple times throughout his deposition and testimony in the New York fraud trial. He maintained a consistent $400 million valuation throughout the court proceedings, and unless there has been an unanticipated injection of funds, it is still about the amount of money he has.
However, as Trump’s legal team has demonstrated in serious, comprehensive documents, even if the upper-limit estimate is correct, it will not suffice.
In order to avoid the possible seizure of his properties, Trump is frantically trying to acquire a bond for about $557 million, which would be similar to the $464 million decision handed down in the verdict.
Trump does not have access to all of his wealth; in fact, he has loan arrangements that stipulate he must maintain a certain level of liquid assets, including tens of millions of dollars.
So, getting a bond of that size is still a “practical impossibility” as Monday approaches, according to Trump’s own legal team.
A skillful approach
The path that Trump paved to become the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee again was defined by his skillful navigation of, and ability to leverage from, his unparalleled collision of the campaign and the judiciary.
The former president is dangerously near to a spectacular derailment of that effort, as shown by a filing by New York state lawyers at a county clerk’s office 25 miles north of Trump Tower.
James’ agency took the initial step towards seizing Trump’s assets by entering judgements in Westchester County in the event that he is unable to post bond.
Seven Springs, Trump’s private estate and golf course, is located in Westchester County.
The first step, which the state’s solicitors have already taken in Manhattan, is merely the beginning of a complicated and time-consuming procedure.
In a brief on Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys referred to the bail demand as “patently unreasonable, unjust and unconstitutional,” and they have persisted in their efforts to have it reduced or waived.
However, for Trump—a man whose real estate holdings and brand have been his rallying cry—the lawsuit that designated one of his properties as a target was a watershed moment in his unprecedented drive for reelection to the presidency.
A Republican in the House who talks to Trump’s staff called the order to post the $464 million bond “bullsh*t” as he waits for the outcome of his appeal. “However, things were different because it appeared like nothing would ever stick to him before.”
That is to say, real-life repercussions might occur.
Maintaining GOP backing
Despite the accumulation of four indictments and eighty-eight counts over the course of nearly a year, Trump’s support in the Republican primary continued to rise.
The days that Trump was either charged with a crime or appeared in court to face charges were often among his most successful fundraising days as a candidate.
To some extent, that sum has defrayed Trump’s legal expenses.
The funded solicitors have been quite clear about their desire to use delay tactics, and they have been successful time and time again.
If, as many ex-campaign staffers have claimed, a presidential candidate’s time is their most valuable asset, then Trump’s frequent appearances at court proceedings when he wasn’t needed to do so demonstrated his perspective on the incentives. And so did the people who cast their ballots.
The most well-funded and politically-inclined of Trump’s main opponents were easily defeated by him. After only two primaries, he had virtually secured the Republican nomination as the party acquiesced to a candidate who had led it to defeat in the House, Senate, and presidency.
A lot of people, both publicly and privately, had anticipated that Trump would just vanish following the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the constant flow of information about his and his advisors’ attempts to reverse Joe Biden’s 2020 triumph.
Everyone close to Trump claims that his most recent legal stress test has had no negative impact on his political standing. More crucially, surveys in the crucial swing states have not shown any discernible change, and national polls still indicate a contest with Biden inside the margin of error. In Pennsylvania, Trump and Biden matched at 46% apiece, but in Michigan, Trump led by 50% to 42%, according to new AWN polling done by SSRS in two battleground states.
As a result of Biden’s efforts in 2020, Trump lost both states to him.
The Trump campaign is far behind Biden’s in terms of financing, but Trump’s inner circle is optimistic that they will catch up. They claim that the former president has been secretly engaging with the largest party donors in a manner that has never been witnessed before.
“The money will be there,” said an anonymous source to AWN. “Up until this point, he hasn’t been this concentrated or successful on that front.”
An aide speculated that the campaign would benefit politically from pursuing Trump’s assets, citing donation pleas sent via email and text message with language like “Keep your filthy hands off Trump Tower!” as proof.
