Take a moment to wrap your head around that. Excepting divorce, the vast majority of us never encounter a lawsuit, and when we do it can be a traumatic experience. Yet the president of these United States is involved with approximately 100 a year which leave him unscathed because using the courts as a tool is just a part of doing business.
Yes, Trump is above all a businessman, and the number and kinds of the businesses he controls are frequently involved in litigation; nearly half the cases involved his casinos, some of which are known to have attracted major crime figures.
Still, an in-depth study conducted by USA Today found that "the number of cases in which Trump is involved is extraordinary. For comparison, USA TODAY analyzed the legal involvement for five top real-estate business executives: Edward DeBartolo, shopping-center developer and former San Francisco 49ers owner; Donald Bren, Irvine Company chairman and owner; Stephen Ross, Time Warner Center developer; Sam Zell, Chicago real-estate magnate; and Larry Silverstein, a New York developer famous for his involvement in the World Trade Center properties.
"To maintain an
apples-to-apples comparison, only actions that used the developers'
names were included. The analysis found Trump has been involved in more
legal skirmishes than all five of the others — combined."*
"Knowledge is power," wrote Sir Francis Bacon, but for the obscenely rich such as Trump, money is power, and it is used as a tool and a weapon. Commanding a host of attorneys, he effectively employs the legal strategy of counterpunching. Larry Schwartz, ghostwriter of "The Art of the Deal," described the process: "So
somebody comes after him and says that he’s done something nefarious and
horrible, and he just goes back at them with all guns blazing — you know, boom, boom, boom. And admits nothing, never admit anything, never say you made a mistake, just keep coming."**
The offenses for which the unpresident has been sued range from real estate fraud to racial prejudice. He has no mercy. Opponents, whether wealthy players or persons of color seeking affordable housing, receive the same devastating response.
Trump does not understand the concept of respect, because that would require him to acknowledge the worth of other individuals. He will lie, cheat, use the law as a bludgeon when he can; he will insult, defame, ridicule and slander anyone at the slightest provocation, and later deny it.
He has respect neither for the law nor for the courts that administer it, manipulating them as tools to attain his ends. By extension he has no respect for the Constitution, the foundation of our law, even though he has sworn to preserve, protect and defend it. For that alone he should be charged with perjury.
And this is the president of the United States of America.
Trump does not understand the concept of respect, because that would require him to acknowledge the worth of other individuals. He will lie, cheat, use the law as a bludgeon when he can; he will insult, defame, ridicule and slander anyone at the slightest provocation, and later deny it.
He has respect neither for the law nor for the courts that administer it, manipulating them as tools to attain his ends. By extension he has no respect for the Constitution, the foundation of our law, even though he has sworn to preserve, protect and defend it. For that alone he should be charged with perjury.
And this is the president of the United States of America.
*https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/01/donald-trump-lawsuits-legal-battles/84995854/
**https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/opinion/campaign-stops/donald-trumps-playbook-for-smearing.html
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