Trump Doesn’t Want Poor People Running the Economy
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Politics News Donald Trump
Many have questioned Trump’s decision to staff his administration seemingly based not on skill or experience but solely on net worth. Despite continued promises to drain Washington’s “swamp,” Trump has continued to delude the capital with bloated human sludge like Betsy DeVos and Steven Mnuchin.
At the very least, Trump usually never outright says he thinks rich people are inherently better or more qualified than anybody else. Well, until an Iowa campaign rally last night, where Trump explained why only rich people should be in charge of economic policy.
Remarkable clip from tonight where Trump explains why only rich people should be in charge of economic policy.
“I don’t want a poor person” pic.twitter.com/HdWFg0aU1t
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 22, 2017
Trump’s argument basically boils down to, “Rich people are already rich so they don’t care about money, anymore.” Apparently, a rich person taking a high political office is a massive sacrifice on their part. They’ve gone from huge salaries to “peanuts,” according to the president who uses complicated schemes to avoid fully divesting from his business interests and is, in fact, fighting several lawsuits claiming he’s in violation of the Constitution’s “emoluments clause.”
Trump’s implication—if you can pretend anything Trump says is subtle or nuanced—is that poor people are so greedy, they’ll intentionally twist economic policy to help themselves rather than the country. Whereas a rich politician cares only about his fellow Americans, poor people care only about themselves. It’s such a backwards and nonsensical position to hold that one wonders if Trump recognizes a difference between anything and personal wealth. To him, anybody with a millionaire dollars must be a good guy, while anybody who isn’t rich must be that way because they’re a terrible person. Money is the only indicator of a person’s worth.
Trump concludes his tirade with, “I love all people, rich or poor, but in those particular positions, I just don’t want a poor person. Does that make sense?” No. No it does not, you conceited garbage person.