During a cabinet meeting today, Donald Trump had some choice words for our founding document. Speaking on various topics, including the possibility of holding the G7 meeting of world leaders at his Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Trump was quoted as follows:
Real Trump quotes just now on G7, via pool:
“I own a property in Florida.”
“I don’t need promotion. I don’t need promotion.”
“It would have been the best G-7 ever.”
“You people with this phony Emoluments Clause.” (!)
“If you’re rich, it doesn’t matter.”— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) October 21, 2019
Watch:
Trump just claimed his G-7/Doral pick was OK because Obama got a Netflix & book deal. He claimed these were negotiated while in office.
There's no proof, and CNN fact-checked in real time.
He then went on to claim the Emoluments clause is "phony." CNN put it on the screen. pic.twitter.com/lq8ifvlqRy
— jordan (@JordanUhl) October 21, 2019
One of the principle reasons I believe Trump is a danger as president is his disregard for our institutions and principles. He has ignored the emoluments clause during his entire term and he has ignored Congressional subpoenas and all efforts to provide oversight. His threat to the checks and balances of Constitutional government far outweighs any policies he might support of benefit to conservatives.
For the record, here is what the Constitution says about emoluments and the president:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. ARTICLE I, SECTION 9
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. ARTICLE 2, SECTION 1
If the president accepts money from foreign governments without Congressional approval, he would violate that clause. There are also numerous other conflict of interest statutes governing federal employees which are in play.
hey Warren, I just found out Trump is going to be in your area tomorrow (Pittsburgh), planning on driving down to see his “speech”? You could bring a sign:
“The US Constitution is not a suggestion!”
And today … he claims impeachment is a “lynching”. I’m 69 years old and can’t believe that I’m hearing this in real life and not on a bad TV series.
Fascists, dictators etc always have a knack for playing the victim…
The new SCRIPTURE(TM), pre-digested into single-verse Proof Texts.
“Trump Tweeted It,
I Believe It,
THAT SETTLES IT.”
I just realized Trump is in violation of the SECOND paragraph of the Emoluments clause, not because of foreign governments, but because of all of his trips to his own resorts. When Trump goes to his resorts, he has an entire government entourage with him (military/security detail, admin assistants etc) all of whom stay at his resorts and paid for by the US government which is a violation of:
He has been ignoring the Emoluments Clause, with the help of the Republicans, since the day he took office.
“Oh, that nasty Constitution… always trying to limit what I can do!” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b3f0a3386a5c0627f9e1023fdf3876929982fae17e3f5931227c30666fb69976.jpg
Don’t get him started on Article II. He thinks it makes him all-powerful.
“I have the absolute right!”
He doesn’t want to be a mere president–he wants to be God-Emperor of the United States. He gets upset when he is reminded that he was only elected president, with all the limitations that go along with the office. He fights against every single one of them.