The irony of Donald Trump's own mortgage history is being touted by his administration as evidence of mortgage fraud. The former president signed two separate mortgage agreements in the early 1990s, both claiming that one of his Palm Beach properties would serve as his primary residence. However, records show that neither property was ever used as a primary residence, but rather rented out to generate income.
This is a stark contrast to Trump's rhetoric on the issue, where he has accused others of mortgage fraud for claiming more than one primary residence. In reality, Trump's dual mortgages were likely legitimate business decisions, and experts say it's not uncommon for people to have multiple primary residences or claim different properties as their main home.
The discrepancy raises questions about the administration's motives behind their accusations. If they're serious about cracking down on mortgage fraud, why did they let Trump off the hook? Trump himself seemed unconcerned with his own actions when questioned by a ProPublica reporter earlier this year.
It appears that the administration is using these claims to paint other politicians and critics as dishonest or corrupt. The case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who purchased a house in Virginia and claimed it was her primary residence, bears some resemblance to Trump's own actions. However, the difference lies in intent: while Trump likely knew his homes were being rented out, James has denied any wrongdoing.
The double standard is also evident in how the administration has treated other critics, such as Rep. Eric Swalwell and Sen. Adam Schiff. The Trump Justice Department has made similar accusations against them, only to later drop the charges or dismiss them as unfounded.
It's worth noting that mortgage experts say it's rare for lenders to pursue criminal charges for alleged primary residence misrepresentations. In many cases, these errors can be chalked up to clerical mistakes or legitimate business decisions. Perhaps Trump's own history should have been used to inform the administration's approach rather than being exploited as a tool for political leverage.
Ultimately, it seems that the Trump administration is more interested in demonizing their opponents and scoring political points than in pursuing real cases of mortgage fraud. As the saying goes: "what goes around comes around."
This is a stark contrast to Trump's rhetoric on the issue, where he has accused others of mortgage fraud for claiming more than one primary residence. In reality, Trump's dual mortgages were likely legitimate business decisions, and experts say it's not uncommon for people to have multiple primary residences or claim different properties as their main home.
The discrepancy raises questions about the administration's motives behind their accusations. If they're serious about cracking down on mortgage fraud, why did they let Trump off the hook? Trump himself seemed unconcerned with his own actions when questioned by a ProPublica reporter earlier this year.
It appears that the administration is using these claims to paint other politicians and critics as dishonest or corrupt. The case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who purchased a house in Virginia and claimed it was her primary residence, bears some resemblance to Trump's own actions. However, the difference lies in intent: while Trump likely knew his homes were being rented out, James has denied any wrongdoing.
The double standard is also evident in how the administration has treated other critics, such as Rep. Eric Swalwell and Sen. Adam Schiff. The Trump Justice Department has made similar accusations against them, only to later drop the charges or dismiss them as unfounded.
It's worth noting that mortgage experts say it's rare for lenders to pursue criminal charges for alleged primary residence misrepresentations. In many cases, these errors can be chalked up to clerical mistakes or legitimate business decisions. Perhaps Trump's own history should have been used to inform the administration's approach rather than being exploited as a tool for political leverage.
Ultimately, it seems that the Trump administration is more interested in demonizing their opponents and scoring political points than in pursuing real cases of mortgage fraud. As the saying goes: "what goes around comes around."
come on guys, trump's dual mortgages ain't no big deal, it's like everyone else doin' it too! experts say it's not uncommon for people to have multiple primary residences or claim different properties as their main home. so why the double standard? 
seems like trumps admin is just tryna paint others as dishonest or corrupt to take a shot at them. and btw, james said she didn't do nothin' wrong 
and swalwell & schiff got dropped from the charges after all... what's the real agenda here? 
just keepin it 100, folks!
I mean think about this, they're trying to use Donald Trump's own mortgage history against him but then let him off with a slap on the wrist? 
That doesn't add up. And what's really annoying is that they're using these claims to attack other politicians and critics, like Letitia James. I get that you want to crack down on mortgage fraud, but do it fairly and consistently, not just as a tool for revenge. 
It's all about the optics, right? The Trump admin wants to make themselves look good while hurting their enemies. And let's be real, who are they kidding? We all know what's going on here... 
I mean, if they're really serious about cracking down on mortgage fraud, why didn't they take him down when they had the chance? 
It just looks like a desperate attempt to silence critics and discredit opponents. 
And let's not forget that James' case bears an uncanny resemblance to Trump's own history... coincidence? 
Can we talk about the layout of this article for a sec? The paragraphs feel like they're all squished together, making it hard to follow. It's like they took all the good ideas and just... shoved them in there. 
I mean, I get it, the topic is super interesting and complex, but can't we break it down into some nice clear sections? A simple header or two would make a huge difference. And what's up with all the short paragraphs? It's like they're trying to keep us guessing or something 
. As for the actual content... I'm not surprised that people are saying Trump got off easy on this one 
... meanwhile, Reps Swalwell & Schiff got accused and then had charges dropped or dismissed. It's all about politics, folks 
. The irony is that Trump himself seems unconcerned with his own actions... talk about a "main guy" 
.
. It's like, can't they see what's going on here? They're not fooling anyone with this double standard 
the views were straight fire! 
and btw, have u tried that new brunch spot downtown? it's gotta be trying to get into his good books w/ all this mortgage drama is lowkey suspicious...
. And let's be real, mortgage experts say it's super rare for lenders to pursue criminal charges for this stuff, so it's not like Trump broke any new ground here 
This whole thing just feels like a total farce. Can we please just focus on actual cases of mortgage fraud instead of using personal agendas to smear people? 
The hypocrisy is strong here. And what's even crazier is that experts say it's not uncommon for people to have multiple primary residences... so Trump wasn't exactly the only one doing this. 
.
but his admin is trying to use this as an example for others... and they're not exactly fair 
. Like, what's the story behind those? Did someone just give them away after like 5 uses? And then I started wondering if Trump's whole thing with mortgages would've happened if he had just used a Airbnb rental app 
so trump's own mortgage history is being used against him but he's not even addressing it like a normal person... i mean i get that his admin wants to pin something on other ppl, but this is just ridiculous. the fact that they're using his own actions as an example of mortgage fraud is just low 
and btw who knows what went down in those rentals? maybe he was being super honest about it? idk, maybe it's all just a big mess. anyway, it's not like we haven't seen this before... the admin just using trump's own baggage against him to take down other ppl. that's some nasty politics right there