# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1308
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26145 "2018-10-02T21:51:12Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > A $500 million slip-up: > > Trump’s parents transferred more than $1 billion to their children and paid about $52.2 million in taxes. Given the relevant tax rates on gifts and inheritances, they should have paid about $550 million — 10 times more. > > Guess that claim that he only received $1 million from his dad was a small lie. Whooops, probably miscounted. I’m looking forward to reading the article when I get home. But if anyone would care to toss a few more teasers, do we have any sense of statute of limitations on stuff like this? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26146 "2018-10-02T21:53:55Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That sounds too good to be true. I would think that the IRS would pay a lot of attention to a family with that much wealth. I hate to be cynical but would you rather pay a couple million in bribes or hundreds of millions in taxes? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26147 "2018-10-02T22:05:58Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I hate to be cynical but would you rather pay a couple million in bribes or hundreds of millions in taxes? …and Arkansas red necks I know will admire him for cheating on his taxes and getting away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26148 "2018-10-02T22:18:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > …and Arkansas red necks I know will admire him for cheating on his taxes and getting away with it. Well, yeah. They already don’t care that he has broken his promise to release his tax returns. Why would they care if he hasn’t paid taxes? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26149 "2018-10-02T22:21:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > …and Arkansas red necks I know will admire him for cheating on his taxes and getting away with it. Holy shit, though. I’m only part way into this failing NY Times article and it’s unequivocal. No weasel words, no pulling punches. No allegedly. _Donald Trump committed fraud and this is how he did it._ Remarkable. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26150 "2018-10-02T22:22:48Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > …and Arkansas red necks I know will admire him for cheating on his taxes and getting away with it. [That makes him smart](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/26/trump-brags-about-not-paying-taxes-that-makes-me-smart.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26151 "2018-10-02T22:27:17Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > According to the Times Here’s the actual nytimes article rather than a link to an article about an article: [Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html) To my question statute of limitations, that’s long passed for anything criminal. But “There is no time limit, however, on civil fines for tax fraud.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26152 "2018-10-02T22:30:37Z")
I meant why would they care if he doesn’t pay taxes. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26153 "2018-10-02T22:36:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I meant why would they care if he doesn’t pay taxes. Trump will care that they challenged the myth of his fortune. (Self made) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26154 "2018-10-02T22:38:00Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That sounds too good to be true. I would think that the IRS would pay a lot of attention to a family with that much wealth. If Democrats don’t use this as evidence of an aristocratic class who is getting away with this shit constantly only because they are not stupid enough to run for president, they are crazy. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26155 "2018-10-02T22:53:40Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > If Democrats don’t use this as evidence of an aristocratic class who is getting away with this shit constantly only because they are not stupid enough to run for president, they are crazy. Serious question: what would be the best/most effective way for them to “use this as evidence”? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26156 "2018-10-02T22:54:30Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > To my question statute of limitations, that’s long passed for anything criminal. Maybe. Depends on if the fraud is ongoing. So for instance if he structured a fraudulent loan and continues to make/receive fraudulent loan payments, that statute might not have even started to run yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26157 "2018-10-02T22:59:37Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Serious question: what would be the best/most effective way for them to “use this as evidence”? I think the argument that had Trump not run for president and put him in the public eye, that he would still be getting away with this. So, what are the odds that he is the only rich asshole doing this? Now remember that Romney also refused to release his taxes. There sure seems to be a separate tax code. Left or right, people hate it when they are playing by the rules and other people aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26158 "2018-10-02T23:38:50Z")
I don’t doubt that Trump’s a con man; I do wonder what kinds of documents the NY Times has and how accurate their reporting is. I hope they have some big shot forensic accounting specialists who can corroborate what they’ve printed. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26159 "2018-10-02T23:47:19Z")
There’s a separate thread dedicated to the new tax news here: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=863271](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=863271) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26160 "2018-10-02T23:47:46Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I think the argument that had Trump not run for president and put him in the public eye, that he would still be getting away with this. So, what are the odds that he is the only rich asshole doing this? Now remember that Romney also refused to release his taxes. There sure seems to be a separate tax code. > > Left or right, people hate it when they are playing by the rules and other people aren’t. The left hates it when other people aren’t; the right hates \*some \*people when they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26161 "2018-10-02T23:52:29Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > If Democrats don’t use this as evidence of an aristocratic class who is getting away with this shit constantly only because they are not stupid enough to run for president, they are crazy. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Serious question: what would be the best/most effective way for them to “use this as evidence”? > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I think the argument that had Trump not run for president and put him in the public eye, that he would still be getting away with this. So, what are the odds that he is the only rich asshole doing this? Now remember that Romney also refused to release his taxes. There sure seems to be a separate tax code. > > Left or right, people hate it when they are playing by the rules and other people aren’t. I agree completely. And what practical steps should, for example, Democratic congressmen take to bring about some negative impact on thump using this information? I mean, it’s in the NYTimes, so it’s not like it’s a secret. Who or what is the person/agency to lower the boom on thump? That’s been the problem all along–no matter what he does, no one calls him on it. So under whose jurisdiction would these violations fall? Where does the buck stop? ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26162 "2018-10-03T00:40:53Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I think the argument that had Trump not run for president and put him in the public eye, that he would still be getting away with this. So, what are the odds that he is the only rich asshole doing this? Now remember that Romney also refused to release his taxes. There sure seems to be a separate tax code. > > Left or right, people hate it when they are playing by the rules and other people aren’t. This is generally true _except for Trump_. His brainwashed fans think it is awesome that he gets away with breaking _all_ the rules. My brother is one of them. I doubt he would think the same of _anyone_ else. The only thing I can figure is that they think that when they become rich (and that’s only a lottery ticket or slick lawsuit away), they will be smart like Trump and get away with all of it, too. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26163 "2018-10-03T00:47:16Z")
“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” ― Ronald Wright, A Short History of Progress ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/26164 "2018-10-03T00:51:06Z")
I would enjoy a deep-dive IRS investigation into Sheldon Adelson, the Trump-enabling bloated little toad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1307) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1309)