The German government confirmed that Trump offered German scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine $1 billion for exclusive rights for the vaccine to be used “only in the U.S.A.” The German government viewed the attempt as a hostile takeover of their pharmaceutical industry.
There are so many things wrong with this, it’s hard to know where to start. Professor Mercieca suggested this:
Whether Trump was hoping to make himself a hero, use the vaccine to extort other countries to pay his price, or save the stock market (which he sees as the key to his own re-election) I can’t say for sure.
I can, however, say that it was sneaky, underhanded, and disgusting move. I mean, what would be the point in saving American lives and allowing Germans and others to die?
Trump’s move was no surprise, because, you see, the Trumps never actually add value. Their “fortune” comes from cheating and taking advantage of situations. It’s all they know how to do.
You all know the story, right?
Friedrich, DJT’s grandfather, left Germany in 1885. He came to the US in search of opportunity (and to avoid military service). He went west and figured out that “mining the miners” was more lucrative than mining for gold. He ran taverns and brothels.
After earning a small fortune, he got married, and settled in Queens, NY. He had a premonition that Queens (then rural and sparsely populated) would see a building boom, so he bought a few pieces of real estate. He died before he could build a real estate empire.
Fred Trump, DJT’s father, made a large fortune when he figured out how to cheat.
Returning WWII soldiers were eligible for home loans under the new GI bill. There was thus a need for single family homes. The FHA offered building loans. The FHA allowed builders to recoup part of their expenses, so Fred set up shell equipment companies.
He rented himself equipment at inflated prices and billed the government for tacked on expenses that never occurred. When he submitted costs, he added a 5% architect’s fee even though there was no architect.
He submitted falsely high estimates, did the work for millions less, and pocketed the difference. When he was hauled before the Senate probe into public corruption, he escaped punishment because there were no specific laws against what he did (now there are).
So he got away with it. It was clear from Fred Trump’s testimony in front of the Senate that he thought himself clever for finding the loopholes. And he was indignant that anyone dared accused him of crimes. Sound familiar?
He partnered with ‘Willie” Tomasello, who in turn partnered with some of NY’s most powerful crime families, the Genovese and Gambino families. Through his mob connections, Fred secured masonry and other supplies at bargain prices.
His mob connections also allowed him to underpay laborers. He had access to city bureaucrats and the most lucrative contracts. By the time DJT took over the family business, Fred’s tactics had been outlawed.
DJT used them anyway because he didn’t know any other way to make money. You see, the Trumps had never actually added value; they took advantage of situations. That’s what they’re good at. Seeing ways to exploit weaknesses and loopholes for advantage.
When Trump mismanaged his fortune and faced bankruptcy, we all know how he revived his fortune. That story begins with Semion Mogilevich, who got his start as a young man in the Soviet Union scamming his fellow countrymen who wanted to emigrate.
Mogilevich offered to sell their assets & send them the money, but instead, he pocketed their money. His victims had left the country so they couldn’t do anything. By the mid 1980s, he had millions and needed to launder it. Mogilevich knew it made no sense for a young man in the Soviet Union to have millions. (Money laundering just means putting illegally obtained money through a few complicated transactions to hide the origins of the money.)
In 1986, he sent his operative to buy 6 condos in Trump Tower.
Foreigners, by this time, discovered that money could easily be laundered through US luxury real estate.
Just Security did a great piece on this.
It should also have occurred to Trump that a man in the Soviet Union hadn’t come by $6 million in cash legally. Trump, of course, asked no questions. He permitted anonymous buyers to purchase his condos, so he was a magnet for dirty money. Trump personally attended the closing of Mogilevich’s condos.
So it’s no surprise at all that Trump looked for a sneaky and underhanded way to secure a vaccine that he suddenly realized he needed.
Does anyone else wonder where Trump got the $1 billion he was offering as a bribe?
