Trump now takes office on the strength of his demagoguery. A student of little else, Trump is an intuitive expert in popular fantasy, and he plays his American audience like a well-worn instrument.
The indictment alleges that Bulgari used the “empty box” scam to illegally allow customers — including Henry Kissinger, Frank Sinatra, Mary Tyler Moore, and Donald Trump — to avoid paying New York State sales tax.
“The centerpiece of the scheme, the 150-story erection, is Trump's third go at the 'world's tallest building.' ... Was ever a man more preoccupied with getting it up in public?”
“If Trump does jump into the Moscow real estate frenzy, he and his deal would make Lenin, still mummified, submerged in glass and on display inside the square, rise with rage”
“The initial plan called for Trump to purchase the hotel, sell it to the city, and then lease it back from the city at a nominal rental — and no real-estate taxes.”
“The most curious aspect of the Bowery/UDC relationship is the striking similarity between letters sent by both to the city concerning the Commodore deal.”
The Commodore story led the author into a series of possible conflicts concerning Ravitch's role as the unpaid chairman of the New York's Urban Development Corporation
