In 1986 we started to learn the very dark secrets behind their success: a striver from Detroit had transformed himself into a titan of Wall Street, but his house of lies was about to collapse; a real-estate star had seemingly perfected the art of the deal but couldn’t hide out on his debts for long; the queen of the palace had turned meanness into a winning brand but her subjects were about to revolt; and as Gotham’s new hero went after his biggest villains yet, the dapper don looked danger in the face and laughed. Empires of New York s1e4: Secrets & Lies
In 1987 the boom times came to a halt and with the party over, the backlash began. A Wall-Street cheat found his reputation in ruins; he decided he wouldn’t go down alone … For months a drumbeat of revelations had cast a shadow over Wall Street. Empires of New York s1e5: Party’s Over
‘By the late 1980s Donald Trump was building seemingly everywhere and buying seemingly everything.’ ibid. Charles Bagli, former reporter The New York Times
By 1988 a striver from Queens had become a national celebrity. And his thirst for attention was leading him to make one bold move after another. But there were some things he wasn’t sharing with the press. And it was those that would threaten to undo him. ibid.
Financed entirely through debt, the Taj Mahal would need to earn over $1 million a day to stay afloat. An amount no casino had ever raked in. ibid.
A hotshot developer was dodging questions about soaring debt and scandalous behaviour, but the tabloids that helped make him were about to take him down. Empires of New York s1e6: Legacy of the 80s: Greed is Still Good
He was the man with the Midas touch, builder of golden towers, high-rolling casino operator, best-selling author, myth-maker of epic proportions. He was also sitting on a mountain of debt and an explosive personal secret … until it really did seem his potential was limitless. ibid.
‘We will never give up; we will never concede; it doesn’t happen.’ Four Hours at the Capital, Trump to protesters, BBC 2021
‘You’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength, you have to be strong … If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more.’ ibid.
We go over one fencing then we go over the next fencing all the way, bedlam, sheer bedlam. ibid.
This man is a pathological liar. Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Amazon 2020
Donald Trump is like a practical joke that got out of hand. That’s the problem. ibid. George Conway
Is Trump a malignant narcissist? ibid. article Rolling Stone magazine
Trump is a sociopath, a sadist, a con-artist, a racist, a misogynist, a sexist in general, and I think it is a problem. ibid. Justin Frank, psychiatrist
We will be ending the AIDS epidemic and curing childhood cancer. ibid. Trump
He is detached from reality. I mean this is just demented. ibid. George Conway
On June 16th 2015 Donald J Trump announced his candidacy for president of the United States. Since then, he has been considered a master of classical rhetoric, galvanizing his supporters and scaring his opponents. Due to his controversial communication strategy, many people thought he would lose by a landslide. Trumphobia: What Both Sides Fear, Amazon 2021
I feel this election has given a voice to hateful people. ibid. woman
Is he just toying with us or will he really run again in 2024? Trump: The Comeback? BBC 2022
Whether Donald Trump can make the biggest political comeback of all time. ibid.
Trump started to buy up derelict buildings in New York, and he announced he was going to transform them into luxury hotels and apartments. But in return he negotiated the biggest tax break in New York’s history worth $160 million. The city had to agree because they were desperate. And the banks seeing a new opportunity also started to lend him money. And Donald Trump began to transform New York into a city for the rich, while he paid practically nothing. Adam Curtis, HyperNormalisation, BBC 2016
Donald Trump was one of the heroes of the age [’90s]. But in reality much of his success was a facade. The banks who had lent Trump millions had discovered he could no longer pay the interest on the loans. Trump’s empire was facing bankruptcy. ibid.
He was forced to sell most of his buildings to the banks … He himself would become a celebrity tycoon. ibid.
Many of the facts that Trump asserted were also completely untrue. But Trump didn’t care. He and his audience knew that much of what he said bore little relationship to reality. This meant that Trump defeated journalism … The liberals were outraged by Trump. ibid.
For Donald Trump, the paranoia allowed him to hide the fact that he was doing nothing to get rid of the corruption in America as he had promised. Adam Curtis, Can’t Get You Out of My Head VI Are We a Pigeon? Or Are We Dancer? ***** BBCiplayer 2021
The story of the century: the election of US president Donald Trump and his ties to Russia. Since his inauguration President Trump has been caught in a rolling series of allegations. Four Corners: Trump/Russia I: Follow the Money, ABC 2018
The spies were the forward team from the infamous Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg. ibid.
‘Donald Trump is almost a congenital liar. He can’t help himself. In part because he’s always creating his own reality.’ ibid. critic
Despite their renewed partnership, Donald Trump continued to deny knowing Felix Sater. ibid.
2016: Trump continued to welcome the endorsement of the Russian leader. Trump/Russia II: Secrets, Spies & Useful Idiots
Carter Page wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing but he was now on the FBI books as a potential Russian asset. ibid.
The plot was multifaceted involving human agents, social media manipulation and a devastating cyber attack. Trump/Russia III: Moscow Rules
Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether there was collusion between Trump and the Russians during the election campaign. ibid.
Donald Trump jr explains why he met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. ibid. Fox news banner
Four years ago Donald J Trump defied the polls and surprised the world. Now the voters will pass judgment on what has been one of the most turbulent and unpredictable presidencies America has ever seen. Four Corners: The End for Trump, ABC 2020
The polls suggest Trump is behind and is set to lose the election. ibid.
It’s mid-afternoon on insurrection day and the mob has found its way to the entrance of the Speaker’s lobby. Behind the locked doors and makeshift barricades is the inner sanctum of US politics. Four Corners: Downfall, ABC 2021
Like so many of these people she [Ashli Babbitt] was inspired to come here by her beloved president. ibid.
Impassioned, resentful and easily roused, these self-described patriots had been called here by their president in multiple tweets. ibid.
‘If we’re wrong, we will be made fools of; but if we’re right, a lot of them will go to jail. So let’s have trial by combat.’ ibid. Rudy Giuliani
‘We fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more.’ ibid. Trump
It was billed as the defamation trial of the century. Rupert Murdoch, Fox news stars and executives would take the stand to justify why the network broadcast lies about the 2020 presidential election. Four Corners: Fox & the Big Lie (Updated), Youtube 46.03, ABC 2023
For weeks Fox hosts peddled the conspiracy that a communist plot had used voting machines to steal victory from Donald Trump. ibid.
For ninety minutes Trump whipped up the crowd with his own interpretation of the big lie. ibid.
Trump intends to take the big lie all the way to 2024. ibid.
In an effort to win back Trump supporters, key Fox anchors began telling them what they wanted to hear. ibid.
Trump went on air with one of his favourite apologists with a fully fledged conspiracy about how vote-counting machines had been used to steal the election. ibid.
Truth is about to go on trial in America … When the facts didn’t suit Donald Trump he simply made up his own. After 3rd November Trump ramped up his stolen election lies. And Fox News helped him spread them … High-profile Fox anchors peddled the lie that the election had been stolen. Fox & the Big Lie II, Youtube 48.18
Congress has finally begun investigating the actions of the disgraced former president around the January 6th insurrection. ibid.
The role of the powerful Trump news network in the critical period after the 2020 election when Fox News hosts embraces and spread the big lie. ibid.
Rosie O’Donnell is disgusting. Trump: The Art of the Insult, 2018
We’re going to take this country back from these thieves and these crooks and these horrible presidents, these phoney presidents. ibid.
Mexico is ripping us. Build that wall! ibid.
Jeb Bush is a low energy person. ibid.