New York businessman and former President Donald Trump's own mortgage dealings have raised eyebrows after records revealed that he took out two separate mortgages for what were described as his primary residences, just weeks apart.
The discrepancies between the President's claims of integrity on this matter and his past actions are striking. According to documents obtained by ProPublica, in 1993, Trump signed a mortgage for a "Bermuda style" home in Palm Beach, Florida, stating it would be his principal residence. Seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a neighboring seven-bedroom property, also claiming it as his primary residence.
However, sources close to the matter revealed that neither of these homes was ever used by Trump as a permanent address. Instead, they were rented out and used as investment properties, with news articles from the time describing them as such. Trump's own real estate agent stated that "Mr. Trump is in effect...in a position to approve who his neighbors are," suggesting that he would have exercised control over those who lived next door.
Mortgage law experts have pointed out that while it may not be uncommon for individuals to claim multiple primary residences on different mortgages, the specifics of Trump's situation appear unusual and warrant closer examination. As one expert noted, "If someone is claiming two primary residences...it is often legal and rarely prosecuted." However, in this case, the President's actions seem more akin to a deliberate attempt to misrepresent his property status.
The irony of the situation was not lost on experts, who pointed out that Trump has long been vocal about accusing others of mortgage fraud without evidence. The contradiction highlights the inconsistencies in the President's own behavior on this matter.
It remains unclear whether Trump will face any consequences for his actions, but it is clear that his administration has taken a hardline stance against those who claim multiple primary residences. This includes not only individuals like New York Attorney General Letitia James and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, but also Democrats such as Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell.
The situation underscores the tension between the Trump administration's rhetoric on this issue and its own behavior in addressing similar claims from Republican politicians. As one official has acknowledged, "If it's a Republican who's committing mortgage fraud...we're going to look at it." The question now is whether that same standard will be applied when it comes to those from other parties.
The discrepancies between the President's claims of integrity on this matter and his past actions are striking. According to documents obtained by ProPublica, in 1993, Trump signed a mortgage for a "Bermuda style" home in Palm Beach, Florida, stating it would be his principal residence. Seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a neighboring seven-bedroom property, also claiming it as his primary residence.
However, sources close to the matter revealed that neither of these homes was ever used by Trump as a permanent address. Instead, they were rented out and used as investment properties, with news articles from the time describing them as such. Trump's own real estate agent stated that "Mr. Trump is in effect...in a position to approve who his neighbors are," suggesting that he would have exercised control over those who lived next door.
Mortgage law experts have pointed out that while it may not be uncommon for individuals to claim multiple primary residences on different mortgages, the specifics of Trump's situation appear unusual and warrant closer examination. As one expert noted, "If someone is claiming two primary residences...it is often legal and rarely prosecuted." However, in this case, the President's actions seem more akin to a deliberate attempt to misrepresent his property status.
The irony of the situation was not lost on experts, who pointed out that Trump has long been vocal about accusing others of mortgage fraud without evidence. The contradiction highlights the inconsistencies in the President's own behavior on this matter.
It remains unclear whether Trump will face any consequences for his actions, but it is clear that his administration has taken a hardline stance against those who claim multiple primary residences. This includes not only individuals like New York Attorney General Letitia James and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, but also Democrats such as Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell.
The situation underscores the tension between the Trump administration's rhetoric on this issue and its own behavior in addressing similar claims from Republican politicians. As one official has acknowledged, "If it's a Republican who's committing mortgage fraud...we're going to look at it." The question now is whether that same standard will be applied when it comes to those from other parties.
. It's like he's playing a different set of rules than everyone else. I mean, how can you trust someone who's been accused of mortgage fraud before and is still in office? 
It doesn't exactly scream "integrity" to me.
. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we know our guy is a bit dodgy here." I guess when you're the one making the rules, you can't expect everyone else to play by them either 
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. We've seen him bend the truth before, and it's always come back to bite him in some way. So, I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being another example of that 
.
. It's not exactly fair to set a different standard for Republicans versus Democrats. Can we just get some consistency here? 
. As experts point out, it's not uncommon for individuals to claim multiple primary residences on different mortgages, but Trump's situation seems unusual and warrants closer examination 
.
. and what's up with him accusing others of mortgage fraud without evidence? talk about hypocrisy! seems to me like trump is more interested in spinning the narrative than getting real about his own actions 
. don't get me wrong, i still think he should be held accountable for this, but it's hard not to question the double standards when you're coming from someone who's been so vocal about scrutinizing others 
Just sayin'.
... I mean, I'm not surprised either... how can you trust someone who's always talking about integrity and honesty when they're clearly been caught lying? It's like, if he was gonna do something shady, why not just own up to it already? But at the same time, isn't this just a classic case of "if you wanna play with fire, don't say I didn't warn you"? I mean, some people are saying that what Trump did wasn't necessarily illegal or anything... but come on, shouldn't he've been more honest about his properties from the start? It's all just so... complicated 
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. But it seems he's been playing both sides of the fence here. I mean, one minute he's saying his homes are his principal residences, and the next he's renting them out to make some extra cash 
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. But for now, it's just another reminder that politicians are always trying to spin things to suit themselves 
. It's like, if someone's gonna play dirty, they should at least be consistent about it 
. I'm not saying he definitely broke any laws, but the fact that his own real estate agent said he was in control of who lived next door 
raises some red flags 
.
. but seriously, mortgage law is pretty clear on this stuff...or at least it should be 
. it's not like he's the first one to do this or anything, but come on, don't pretend you're some kinda moral compass dude 
And it's not even like he didn't get caught out - the fact that his real estate agent said he'd control who lives next door is just wild. 
. What's good for him shouldn't be good for everyone else, right? And what's with all the selective enforcement of laws against people from other parties? That smells like a classic case of hypocrisy to me 
. Can we get some concrete evidence on this one or is it just another example of Trump's questionable behavior? 
. Can we please get some real accountability around here?