I think of the Trump Org. beat in terms of 3 I’s:— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 12, 2019
1. Income. How much $ is @realdonaldtrump making?
2. Influence. Who’s using the biz to influence him?
3. Immigration. Is he relying on undocumented labor while denouncing it in public?
This story illustrates a shift in #1. 2/10
Trump, of course, had a powerful tool to increase that revenue: the U.S. govt. BUT he had pledged not to use it to help himself. “I will be leaving my great business in total,” he said. 4/10— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 12, 2019
On Int’l trips, Trump made taxpayer-funded detours to his golf clubs in Scotland (2018) and Ireland (2019). He pulled a large entourage far out of the way, to rent his rooms and buy his food. 6/10https://t.co/R8KdpsZf7N— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 12, 2019
Now, he's thinking bigger: Trump has proposed awarding the huge G-7 summit to himself. VP Pence seems to be following his lead: Pence made his first taxpayer-funded detour to a Trump hotel this month, staying 140 miles away from his actual meetings. 7/10 https://t.co/KQO3vg4vVQ— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 12, 2019
Now, it’s become a measure of something else: a change in himself. He seems more willing to ignore a bedrock promise of his presidency -- that he'd never use his power to help his biz. And his aides seem less afraid of looking like they're helping. ENDSo, back to income, one of the 3 I's of this beat.— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 12, 2019
I first saw that income storyline as a measure of something happening *to* Trump, as his old customers turned away. 9/10