President Donald Trump defends his $400 million gift from Qatar’s government by saying only a fool would turn down something for free. The premise — that Qatar does not expect anything from this gift — is not a premise most critics share. And it’s not how Trump used to understand “gifts.”
Taking gifts from other folks weakened your negotiating position, Trump has argued, and makes the recipient at least a little bit beholden to the giver.
“He’ll be a lousy negotiator,” Trump said of Jeb Bush during the 2016 GOP primaries. “He will owe everybody because you know all of this money that he’s raising … Every person that gives that money to him has his eye on something.”
TRUMP CELEBRATES BOEING-QATAR DEAL AMID GIFT CONTROVERSY
Trump, in his 2015 campaign announcement, said he would be immune to the pleadings of corporate executives “because I don’t need anybody’s money. It’s nice. I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.”
Trump’s “because” is key. He stated that his self-reliance was the reason he could tell special interests to buzz off. What does that logic imply now that he is accepting a luxury aircraft from a petrostate with a history of supporting violent Islamic groups?
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
