As of: February 26, 2024, 5:06 a.m
By: Felix Busjaeger
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Donald Trump as a guest at the 2023 CPAC convention. His fortune has taken a serious hit this year.
Experts now fear that this could be exploited by foreign donors.
(Archive image) © IMAGO/Dominic Gwinn
Former President Trump admits to being under pressure because of multi-million dollar fines.
Now there are warnings about foreign donors – Russia could take advantage of the situation.
New York - $355 million as a penalty after a civil lawsuit, $83.3 million as payment to former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll for defamation of reputation: The year 2024 started quite expensively for Donald Trump.
The first voices already suspected that the 77-year-old could slide into ruin because of his legal debts.
In view of the growing sum, however, there could be a way out: This leads to Russian oligarchs and thus offers political fuel in the year of the US election in 2024.
Meanwhile, Trump also won the fourth Republican primary in South Carolina.
Trump's assets after court dates: bitter blow for former US president
Donald Trump's fortune appears to be in jeopardy because of his legal proceedings.
At least some experts in the USA think this is possible.
The consequences for the Trump company do not yet appear to be foreseeable.
In a worst-case scenario, the former president could lose his valuable buildings if he is unable to pay the civil fraud penalty.
"If he is unable to pay the judgment, we will go to court to enforce the judgment and ask the judge to seize his assets," New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC
News
earlier this week .
For the convicted Trump, the court's decision was the occasion for several wild tirades on his online platform Truth Social.
“This communist is attempting to destroy New York State with her unconstitutional fine of hundreds of millions of dollars for a loan taken out completely legally and repaid in full,” the Republican wrote about the $355 million fine and prosecutor James.
Donald Trump loses in court in the year of the US election: his assets will probably shrink by half a billion
There is no official information about Trump's assets, but it is estimated that the real estate mogul owns well over $2.5 billion.
Since most of the money will be invested in companies or buildings, the fines will most likely hit Trump hard.
Trump's growing debts are now raising national security concerns.
Because: The financial emergency could make the possible Republican candidate in the 2024 US election vulnerable to foreign manipulation.
The danger is apparently more real than previously thought.
As
Business Insider
writes based on an
MSNBC
interview, Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton warned last week that "foreigners will try to take advantage of this in one way or another."
Other experts also offer words of warning - especially since Donald Trump could very likely become the top candidate in the 2024 US election after his success in the Republican primary in South Carolina, which many also see in part as a victory for Putin .
At a post-primary event, however, Trump appeared confused and forgot to mention several family members in his acceptance speech.
Lawyer warns about Putin's oligarchs: Trump's assets make him vulnerable
Lawyer Mary McCord was also asked on an
MSNBC
show on election Saturday for an assessment of Trump's assets and the possible impact of the fines.
McCord, who previously served as assistant attorney general for national security at the Department of Justice (DOJ), made it clear that the former US president could be in deep trouble because of the size of the sentence.
This would make him receptive to foreign support.
“These could be Russian oligarchs, some of them could be people here in the United States,” McCord said.
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Since Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized in the past that he would maintain a good relationship with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, this is also a cause for concern, said McCord.
She also did not rule out the possibility that other countries might also take advantage of the opportunity.
“There are many other countries that would like to get some favors from Donald Trump if he becomes president again,” she said.
Trump has strong supporters in the 2024 US election year - who could help financially
Due to his legal disputes and the consequences, Trump's critics have long agreed that the Republican is not a suitable candidate for the presidency of the United States.
How Trump will attempt to pay the fines is currently uncertain.
Since most of Trump's wealth is believed to be in real estate, it seems most likely that buildings in New York could be sold in the near future.
The likelihood that Trump will receive help from wealthy supporters is also considered realistic.
Several entrepreneurs have long been considered important donors to Trump's MAGA movement.
It cannot be ruled out that they could also support the former US President in his legal troubles.
What is excluded, however, is that he is not allowed to use the donations for the 2024 US election that Trump collected for his campaign.
US election law prohibits this.
(fbu)