Jon Stewart took on the bond reduction and pending appeal in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud judgment Monday. “The Daily Show” host took some fun swipes at Trump’s recent golf braggadocio before breaking down, in the simplest terms, what Trump is guilty of and why the bond amount was originally so high.
It turns out that for a decade, whenever Trump wanted to get a loan, or make a deal, he would illegally inflate the value of his real estate. For instance, suggesting that his 11,000-square foot penthouse was a 30,000-square foot penthouse. I guess somehow, including … the sky in the calculation. We all do it. I mean it, on my license, I’m not listed as 5’7”, you know, I’m listed as 30,000 square feet.
And the attorney general of New York knew that Trump’s property values were inflated because when it came time to pay taxes, Trump undervalued the very same properties. It was all part of a very sophisticated real estate practice known as “lying.” So the judge calculated that the value that he gained from the lying, with interest, was around $454 million. Now, you might be saying to yourself, well, that sounds pretty straightforward. Whatever gains you got from lying, you have to pay back. Well, that’s because you’re a f-cking idiot.
“The Daily Show” then cut to a montage of right-wing media pundits and hosts calling Trump’s fraud a “victimless crime.” He ended with a clip of right-wing “Shark Tank” entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary lamenting to CNN that the Trump verdict is an attack on “the investment community.” Stewart lambasted O’Leary for being “so chill about overvaluing something that he thinks is victimless,” then threw to a montage of O’Leary attacking contestants on “Shark Tank” for—you guessed it— “overvaluing” their businesses.
How is he not this mad about overvaluations in the real world? Because they are not victimless crimes. First, the banks got paid back at lower interest rates. Although to be honest, who gives a shit? But second, money isn’t infinite. A loan that goes to the liar doesn’t go to someone who’s giving a more honest evaluation. So the system becomes incentivized for corruption. And this is part of a different Trump fraud case, but avoiding taxes hurts all of us. Donald Trump’s shenanigans cost the city of New York.
This led into a clip of O’Leary being asked why, if Trump has indeed committed crimes, those crimes should not be prosecuted. O’Leary responded by saying that all of the crimes Trump committed are “done by every real estate developer, everywhere on earth, in every city. This has never, ever been prosecuted.”
Stewart then gave O’Leary what he deserves.
There is a theory in law that if enough people commit a crime, it automatically becomes legal. You’re familiar with ”The Purge,” are you not? The fucking entitled arrogance. I don’t know if you know this, but most people just can’t commit fraud and expect to face no repercussions, even if everyone’s doing it. Try getting a car loan by saying you have ten times as much money as you really do, or claim 20 dependents when you have no children. Or say you make slightly less money to qualify for food assistance: I will guarantee you there are not just financial consequences for those lies, but criminal ones.
Stewart then showed a montage of the same gaggle of right-wing media pundits previously blabbering about Trump’s “victimless crime” now wringing their hands about “fraud” in SNAP programs and people shoplifting food.
“You nutrition-needing motherf-ckers, bringing our system to its knees,” Stewart said. “Stealing is only justified when you already have too much!” He noted that whether or not Trump is being unfairly targeted will be decided by the Supreme Court, before throwing to a quick montage highlighting all of Justice Clarence Thomas’ dubious “gifts” from billionaires.
Stewart threw up his hands and smiled. “It’s a victimless crime!”
You can watch the full video below.