Trump admitted that he took money from foreign governments as president while he compared himself to George Washington and said that it was totally legal.
Trump was asked about the House Oversight Democrats’ report that he took millions of dollars from foreign governments while he was president.
The former president answered, “I run hotels. Look at how much money I gave back. George Washington very rich man. People don’t know that. In his White House they had an office. He had a business desk and country desk. You are allowed to do that. I didn’t do it. I put everything in trust. If I have a hotel and somebody comes in from China, that is a small amount of money. I was doing services. People staying in beautiful hotels because I have the best hotels, clubs. I have great stuff. They stayed there and pay. I don’t get eight million dollars doing nothing like Hunter. I don’t get $500,000 for doing a painting. It is not a bad idea.”
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Trump admits that he took money from foreign governments while he was president. "I have great stuff. They stayed there and pay. I don't get eight million dollars doing nothing like Hunter." Trump also said he would not divest his businesses if he returned to the White House. pic.twitter.com/5V8UQ2TG6x
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 11, 2024
Trump is admitting that he knew foreign governments were giving him money by staying at his hotels. Does anyone really think that those same governments would have spent that money at a Trump hotel if he wasn’t the President Of The United States.
Donald Trump also repeated his theory that everything a president does is legal. There may have been no criminal law against what Trump did, but he was in violation of the Constitution. There is a big difference between George Washington running his farming interests and Donald Trump taking money from foreign governments.
Trump confirmed the House Democratic report, and even worse, he tried to justify it.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
