Self-Enrichment

Donald Trump's July 4 taxpayer-funded campaign events are now over. Hopefully someone will sue him to make him reimburse the Treasury for what was clearly a politically partisan event.

Trump may have wanted to make himself look good yesterday, but he also used the events as a means to self-enrichment. Deep in an article about what was planned for July 4 (link here) is this revealing paragraph:

"Trump’s financial interests stand to benefit from the exhibition he’s created. A review by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) last month found that Trump’s hotel in D.C., which sits a few blocks from the Mall, figures to do lucrative business this week. The nightly rate on July 5, topping $1,100, is more than double the sum for a normal Friday, CREW said. Comparable luxury hotels in the area are not seeing the same spike in nightly rates. A spokeswoman for the hotel declined to comment."

Considering the hotel has roughly two hundred sixty rooms, if the place is full, that means Trump is earning about a quarter million more this week than he normally would. So while taxpayers footed the bill for his July 4 self-aggrandizing events, he earned a tidy profit for himself.

While this is probably not illegal, it's unethical and unseemly. Trump, however, has no moral compass. He's using the presidency to fluff his fragile ego and also to line his pocket, too.