Scammer in Chief

“No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence (or the gullibility) of the American Public.”

Example #1 was the Pet Rocks and Mood Rings that swept the nation in the mid-70s. Lest we assume that only the feeble-minded fell for those scams, many an Air Products cubicle was decorated with a Pet Rock and many a Mood Ring was sported at the 1975 IGD Engineering Christmas Lunch. Engineers are always in the forefront of fashion trends. Some unknown persons got very rich with those scams.

Fifty years later, a very well-known person is getting richer with a pair of equally egregious scams. “Hello everyone, this is your favorite president, Donald J. Trump with some very exciting news. By popular demand, I am offering a new series of Trump digital trading cards!”

The digital cards feature a young and muscular Trump astride a motorcycle holding a lightning bolt (popular with the Proud Boys) or praying (a favorite of his evangelical fans). The cards run a mere $99. But wait, there’s more…Purchasers of $1,500 worth of cards receive a piece of fabric cut from the “knockout suit” worn by Donnie when he vanquished Joe Biden in that debate. But wait, there’s even more…Purchasers of $25,000 or more receive two tickets to “a gala dinner at a beautiful country club in Jupiter, Florida” and a bigger piece of that debate suit.

How much would you pay for a ticket to the Last Supper? This is better. It’s “gala”. How much would you pay for a fragment of the Shroud of Turin? This is also Italian tailoring and it’s better. The Shroud has Jesus’ blood. This has Biden’s tears.

Donnie hasn’t forgotten those of us who gave up trading cards before puberty. “I have a FANTASTIC new book coming out in two weeks, “SAVE AMERICA”. I hand-selected every photo!” Donnie’s book runs a mere $99, or $499 signed.

How much would you pay for a Lincoln-autographed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation? This is better. That autograph machine makes legible signatures every time.

Trump trading cards and picture books cannot be a scam. They are political campaign merchandise. Purchasing them is like making a contribution and receiving a lawn sign or a lapel button. They are probably tax-deductible.

Or maybe not. The trading cards and picture book are sold by a Trump-owned company independent of his campaign or the Republican Party. Common folk are pouring money directly into his pocket in return for worthless goods. That is the very definition of a scam.

By Ed Dufton