'Really striking': Expert flags what 'to watch' with 'grifter' Trump's debt issues
Trump may need a bailout bigly.
While former President Donald Trump is on the clock to file appeals in his losses in court, he's likely seeking a white knight to help him float the damages, particularly the whopping $550 million in penalties and interest tallied up from last week's ruling by a New York judge in his civil fraud case.
If the 45th president can't pay the entire amount out of pocket, he will seek to post an appeal bond that is typically 120% of the judgment plus the current interest.
ALSO READ: How Speaker Mike Johnson’s dream of bipartisan decency died in his hands
If that rate holds, it will force Trump to post a bond worth more than $540 million.
The real estate mogul can put his vast properties as collateral, but he may also need to look further afield because he's not permitted to apply for loans from any financial institution registered or chartered in the Empire State.
"There is no legal prohibition against someone else paying the judgment of someone else," former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said during an appearance on MSNBC, floating Elon Musk and Saudi's Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. "And particularly when you have a grifter like Trump that may be attractive investment for someone even though they know Trump is not good for the $550 million, he may be good in other ways and so this is something really to watch."
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay the sum for falsely inflating the value of his real estate empire and assets for years to secure sweetheart loans and deals.
Katyal noted that it's curious how Trump's comeuppance isn't inspiring more outrage.
"It's really striking that we have had salacious testimony in Georgia about Fani Willis and possibly getting vacation trips for $50 bucks or $1,000 or whatever and yet we are talking about this massive amount of debt that this presidential candidate may owe," he said.
"That seems a far more serious concern to be worrying about."