As commander in chief, Trump was a failure. As a confidence man, he excels | The Homestretch

Donald Trump was a bad businessman (see six bankruptcies) and an even worse president (see historical last place ranking).

But he excels at one thing: scamming supporters.

The day after the 2020 election — before a winner was declared — Trump began seeking donations to his Election Defense Fund. Trump, a billionaire, hounded small-dollar donors to give him money, sometimes sending up to 25 emails a day.

More than $250 million poured into Trump’s coffers. One problem: Trump never created the election defense fund. The money went to a political action committee and was funneled to organizations headed by Trump cronies.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., called it “the Big Rip-Off.”

Now comes word Trump has been teasing donors with chances to win trips to meet or have dinner with him. But none of the prizes have been awarded, according to a report in the New York Times.

It lines up with Trump’s history as a huckster.

Foreign governments spent nearly $8 million at Trump-owned properties during his presidency, according to a report titled, “White House For Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers and Premiers Paid Off President Trump.”

The legal defense fund he created last year spent thousands on “banquet hall fees” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Trump adviser Steve Bannon was indicted for pocketing more than $1 million raised from donors who thought they were contributing to build the border wall Mexico was supposed to pay for. On his last day in office, Trump pardoned Bannon.

Trump seized on other opportunities to profit from his presidency.

He billed the Secret Service nearly $2 million for rooms and other expenses to stay at his properties to protect him, including $179,000 to rent golf carts.

After getting indicted in Georgia, Trump sold digital trading cards with pictures of his mug shot and pieces of the suit he supposedly wore that day.

Trump hawked $399 sneakers at the appropriately named “Sneaker Con” in Philadelphia earlier this year. He’s selling silver coins for $100 and watches for $100,000 that makes clear “all sales are final.”

He also is selling Trump-branded “God Bless the USA” Bibles for nearly $60. The Bibles are made in China and cost less than $3 to make.

Americans need a president, not a confidence man.

Trump gave a long, disjointed, low energy speech in Detroit on Thursday where he proceeded to trash the city. He said if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected, “our whole country will end up being like Detroit,” adding “you’re going to have a mess on your hands.”

Trump proceeded to tell the 1,000 attendees at the MotorCity Casino Hotel, that “Your car industry is going out of business.” He claimed that if he’s elected, the “nightmare” would be over.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan responded: “Crime is down and our population is growing. Lots of cities should be like Detroit. And we did it all without Trump’s help.”

This is not the first time Trump has attacked a major city in a swing state.

About a month before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump said Milwaukee is a “horrible city.” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson fired back: “If Donald Trump wants to talk about things that he thinks are horrible, all of us lived through his presidency.”

In June, Trump bad mouthed Philadelphia, calling it “one of the most egregious places in the world.”

“Few communities have suffered more under the Biden regime than Philadelphia,” he said during a campaign rally at Temple University. “Under Crooked Joe, the City of Brotherly Love is being ravaged by bloodshed and crime.”

Not quite. Violent crime is way down in Philadelphia and the number of killings has plummeted by 50%. There were 10 homicides in the city last month, the lowest number in any month in nearly a decade.

As usual, Trump’s comments do not reflect reality. Then again, Trump has a history of attacking cities with large Black and brown populations. Voters in those cities and beyond will get a chance to respond on Nov. 5.

Harris’ musical tastes go from Aretha Franklin to Stevie Wonder to John Coltrane and Prince, while Vice President Tim Walz is a fan of Bruce Springsteen and still owns an 8-track of Bob Seger’s “Night Moves.”

But the Harris-Walz ticket has compiled an even broader coalition of musicians who have endorsed them. If nothing else, the A-list singers would make an eclectic mix tape.

Wonder released a video where he said, “it takes a woman.” But added: “Not just any woman, a wonderful woman. She has done the work consistently. She has had humility and compassion consistently.”

Springsteen filmed his compelling case for Harris at a New Jersey diner. He called Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime” and said Harris had a “vision of this country that respects and includes everyone — regardless of class, religion, race, your political point of view or sexual identity.”

Scores of musical giants are supporting Harris as well, including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Jason Isbell, Miley Cyrus, John Legend, and Billie Eilish, who along with her brother, Finneas, said, “We are voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they are fighting to protect our reproductive freedom, our planet, and our democracy.”

The musical gamut matches the broad spectrum of political endorsements Harris has picked up from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on the far left to former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, a hardcore conservative Republican, who like many others is putting the country before her political party.

The Homestretch is an occasional column by members of The Inquirer Editorial Board exploring the stakes in the 2024 presidential race.