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| I'll bet he doesn't pay his hair dresser |
These aren’t super rich investors (though he was involved
in ventures that lost them money, too) but ordinary Americans who worked as
“carpenters, dishwashers, painters, even his own lawyers.”
They did work for
Trump and he didn’t pay them.
USA Today uncovered Trump’s
big dodge while investigating the thousands of lawsuits he is involved in.
Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will “protect your job.” But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades – and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them.
At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others.
Trump has portrayed himself – when not bashing immigrants, women
and Muslims – as a friend of the working class, arguing that he will turn the
Republican Party into a “worker’s party.”
USA Today also found that Trump’s companies have
been cited at least 24 times since 2005 for violating the Fair Labor Standards
Act “for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage.”
There also over 200 mechanic’s liens that have been filed
against Trump, his companies, or his properties, showing that he still owes
money for work, some dating as far back in the 1980s.
But his track record shows once again that Trump is a really
rich guy (though probably not actually a billionaire) who didn’t think twice of
stepping on the little guy so he could get what he wants.
In some cases, the Trump teams financially overpower and outlast much smaller opponents, draining their resources.
You can’t make America “great again” if you’re hurting it now.
Author Oliver
Willis was one of the first political bloggers in the world (since
2000), and was among the first bloggers to interview President Obama at the
White House. I am on Twitter @owillis and write at OliverWillis.com