Lawrence O’Donnell Obliterates Trump’s Most Fundamental Lie

Lawrence O’Donnell explained that Trump’s wealth is the fundamental lie behind his political success and that lie has been destroyed.

Transcript via MSNBC/”The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell:”

O’DONNELL: The Trump lawyers explained to the court just how thoroughly Donald Trump failed in coming up with the money. The lawyer said, quote: These diligent efforts have included approaching about 30 surety companies through four separate brokers. A bond requirement of this enormous magnitude effectively requiring cash reserves approaching $1 billion is unprecedented for a private company.

So, in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, the foundational lie of Donald Trump’s image building as a politician will be exposed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don’t need anybody’s money. It’s nice. I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money.

I’m not using the lobbyist, I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O’DONNELL: That was an enormous part of Donald Trump’s initial appeal when he began as a candidate. He mounted other appeals including direct appeals to racists to expand his base of support.

But many Trump voters in Iowa believed then and said then in interviews that the Trump wealth that they believed he had was a virtue. They believed he would be incorruptible because he had too much money already to be corrupted.

Donald Trump was lying about that. And his voters were wrong to believe it. But they have forgiven or overlooked every Trump lie that has been exposed.

And so, at the end of the day on Monday, most of them might still be willing to believe that Donald Trump is as rich as he always pretended to be.

But Donald Trump knows better. And Donald Trump has proved how rich he isn’t to anyone who can think.

Video:

Lawrence O’Donnell “So, in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, the foundational lie of Donald Trump’s image building as a politician will be exposed.
” pic.twitter.com/44OYVVeLEI

— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 23, 2024

The fundamental lie of Donald Trump’s political career is that he is rich. Trump has sold himself to Republican voters as smarter, more talented, and better than other people because of his wealth, but it turns out that his wealth wasn’t real.

Trump would not have gotten very far in Republican politics if he had run as a multiple time business failure who can’t manage money and who can only make a dime by committing fraud,

Donald Trump would say that he was selling a brand, but really he was selling a lie, and Lawrence O’Donnell showed why that lie is about to be shattered into a million little pieces.

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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