Does it come as any surprise that Donald Trump is squeezing every possible penny out of his post-presidency, holding $30,000-a-head fundraisers and pocketing the money, performing for arena crowds with Bill O’Reilly at $100 a ticket, selling $50 MAGA hats and $95 Mar-a-Lago Christmas ornaments at his Trump merchandise store? It’s just what you’d expect from a huckster billionaire who’s always on the make.
But let’s keep his behavior in perspective.
Long before Trump showed up at the White House, the presidency had become a stepping stone to enormous, beyond-the-pale riches. Although some of us suckers still think of the commander in chief’s job as lonely, burdensome public service undertaken selflessly for the good of the country, the reality is that there’s not much self-sacrifice involved, at least not financially.
