I found out recently that China’s banks have approved loans of $500 million for a resort in Indonesia that will mean big bucks for Donald Trump, as many of the hotels will have the Trump stamp.
Meanwhile, Trump has taken to defending and promoting the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE, which his military advisers have warned poses a national security risk for the US.
Then, of course, there’s Trump’s cosiness with Russian president Vladimir Putin and his chummy meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, all things that would’ve sunk any of his predecessors.
And suddenly I was struck by an interesting thought.
We may just be witnessing the greatest and most brazen heist in human history. And we are virtually powerless to do anything about it.
All this while he has declared trade wars with former American allies, like Canada and the European Union.
Note that the countries he is currently charming have very few, if any, US businesses in them.
Part of the reason Trump is negotiating with them, is to open them up for American business, which of course means more tax dollars in Washington’s coffers.
But I reckon The Donald is making sure that many of those businesses end up in his Trump Organisation portfolio, which would explain why his sons (who are his presidential advisers) are having business meetings with companies in the same countries where Trump is negotiating policy.
Coincidence? I think not!
And I say that because it’s also struck me that being the land of opportunity, America has created fabulous chances for conmen to flourish over the years.
Think of the subject of the film “ Catch Me If You Can” about Frank Abagnale and Bernie Madoff, who conned investors out of $65 billion over 40 years ago.
Jordan Belfort was another con artist who was glorified in the movie “Wolf of Wall Street,” after swindling people out of millions.
One of my favourites is George Parker, who kept on selling American landmarks, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty, to gullible business people for tons of money.
In fact, the well-known pyramid or Ponzi schemes that still make the rounds today, was dreamed up by the American Charles Ponzi, who by all accounts, made a good living from his con artistry.
So, yes, America has produced some the world’s greatest confidence tricksters, and there’s no reason to believe Trump isn’t the very best of the lot.
But, unlike the others, his greatest trick is that he’s doing it openly, using laws and loopholes; and he won’t spend a day in prison for his alleged crimes.
Because one of the final official acts of an American president is to pardon criminals that he believes need pardoning.
And since Trump has already said that he has the legal right to pardon himself, I’ll let you guess who he will pardon come the end of his term.