If you were an uber-wealthy Hotel magnate and TV Star

[sagesnow]

running for President in 2016, WHY would you not use your own money to pay off your mistresses instead of closely monitored campaign funds??? How stupid is this man? Was he really flat broke?
Sorry if this has been previously discussed but I have a hard time fathoming how he thought he could get away with this. Having once been a Treasurer for the local county party, we had to keep track of every penny and report, quarterly, all donations and disbursements. I assume National candidate's campaign monies are under even closer monitoring.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. He never spends a penny of his own money if he possibly can.

And because all of his businesses are privately held, he is never responsible to anyone else for what he does with the money.

He's dumb and greedy.

[sagesnow]

2. Agreed. He thinks he's above the law.

[Jarqui]

3. The route they took was to attempt to distance Trump

from the payoff.

To lessen the financial sting, they paid it off as a legal expense so Trump would not have to pay taxes on that money going to him personally.

That is part of the issue with the Trump Foundation.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/14/politics/new-york-lawsuit-trump-foundation/index.html

the Trump Foundation engaged in "repeated and willful self-dealing transactions to benefit Mr. Trump's personal and business interests."
The suit contends that the Trump Foundation used the tax-deductible donations in at least five instances that benefited Trump or businesses he controls.
These instances include a $100,000 payment to settle legal claims against his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The lawsuit contains a note from Donald Trump, which alleges that he personally directed his accounting staff to draw the $100,000 payment from the assets of the foundation to pay a legal settlement at his resort.

This is 'normal' procedure for Trump. It is illegal.

This stuff in the media about payments to these women and intent being 'maybe' provable ...
They have
- Cohen's records
- the financial transactions
- two cases of women
- immunity for Trump's CFO to testify
- immunity for Pecker of the National Enquirer to testify
- documentation from the National Enquirer
- campaign finance docs
- emails
- audio recordings of Trump discussing it and lying about it

As will be shown, it is his modus operandi - Trump doesn't give a crap about following the rules.

[sagesnow]

6. Thanks for the reminder on Pecker's National Enquirer safe

I'll do some backstory checking to get refreshed. There are so many different segments to the tRump Saga that I am having trouble keeping them all straight.

[sagesnow]

4. I can't remember how this story broke.

Did Daniels break it herself, or was it one of the stories that was in a National Enquirer's safe? Anyone remember?

[MrScorpio]

5. Why would I run for President?

Oh, yeah... I'm not a pathological narcissist with daddy issues.

[sarcasmo]

7. Trump has no money, that's why he uses Trump foundation money for paying personal bills.

[Flaleftist]

8. He's been cheating his entire life.

It's all he knows. It's what he does. He's never had to face serious consequences for it. He really thought he would get away with it. IMHO

[Vinca]

9. Trump was taught from a very young age to never use your own money.

I remember there was a report of his foundation (other people's money) being used to pay for something as small as his kid's Cub Scout dues.

[Caliman73]

10. Because I am not really an "uber-wealthy Hotel magnate".

Trump likely has assets but he is likely highly in debt and cannot self finance any of his projects. Granted, he could probably afford a couple hundred thousand to pay off mistresses and make some donations to charity to put him in good standing with the community, but as others have said, he also lives by the philosophy of conning others and not spending his own money when he can. He talks proudly about how he has stiffed people to whom he owes money. It is in his personality and character to take advantage of people.