Donald Trump will continue as executive producer of ” The New Celebrity Apprentice,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, after his inauguration.
The role nets him hundreds of thousands annually, and he is not giving it up. He is not releasing his tax returns. Ivanka’s product line is now featured in Walmart.
Who knew that winning the presidency would open the door to so many lucrative deals?
Vladimir Putin must be enjoying the farce as we become the laughing stock of the world. Keep your eyes on Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Guess being president is a part-time job.
Yvonne Siu-Runyan: this is by Joe in the thread under the posting today on Nate Silver—
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The bizarreness quotient of the Trump presidency is just off the charts: from CNN – Kellyanne Conway on Friday defended President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to remain an executive producer on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” even as he takes office, arguing that “presidents have a right to do things in their spare time.”
At long last, have you no shame, sir and madame?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/09/politics/conway-defends-trump-apprentice/index.html
[end]
C’mon…
How hard, and how much time does it take, to run something as small and insignificant as the US of A when you’ve been running the Trump Empire for so long?
Besides, when you’ve got a workhorses like Betsy DeVos running Education that leaves plenty of time on his hands.
But what was that old saw about idle hands and someone’s or something’s mischief?
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Fake news flash…not running any TV show…name will still appear in credits only… Name calling and demeaning is never a valuable defense or argument from either side…with all due reslect…I was never a fan of social media but in this day and age it seems only way to get actual information and not puppeteers control of news…
Corey Lewandowski knows Donald Trump far far better. See my comment in the thread to today’s posting on the “brilliance” of Trump’s rhetoric.
Want respect? Give respect. Want to be taken seriously? Don’t employ shameless (and self-wounding) double standards that pardon/reinterpret/disappear anything Trump and his billionaire buddies & political enablers assert but pick on every jot and tittle of what others say.
And, uh, notice that the main point was re Kellyanne Conway [a member of Trump’s inner inner inner circle] declaiming that “presidents have a right to do things in their spare time”?
Really! If a critic of soon-to-be-president Donald Trump implied that he had all sorts of spare time to waste on frivolities it would be blasted as, well, just what would the 59-year-old immature Donald Trump have said about THAT to Billy Bush?!?!?
Another member of the Non Sequitur family.
But not on a level with the originals.
Non Sequitur the Lesser.
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I really don’t think they know how to see it any other way.
The Trumps have now become the most corrupt family in the US. There is NO honor among thieves. Can we start a boycott of The Apprentice? And of Trump hotels and all other Trump enterprises?
And who will leas the charge toward impeachment?
Lead the charge..that is. The job is open, and maybe Bernie would step up.
I promise to stop staying in Trump hotels.
Ellen,
The problem with impeachment is that the Republicans won’t investigate one of their own. And if Trump’s behavior is even more egregious, we end up with Pence.
As Right Wing and religious fanatic as Pence is, and he is all of that, after considering all the elements of Trump’s behaviors with Putin, The Apprentice, his appointments, his choices of Himmler and Goerring aka Conway and Bannon, and more, I prefer Pence to Trump.
At least Pence knows how to legislate and how to work within our nation’s laws. He has run a state govt. and does talk with others across the aisle. However, he is still a corporate weasel…but I doubt he would set off a nuclear weapon.
I am certain Trump would have no compunctions to nuke others. And I am certain that We the People will never hear any truth out his filthy demented mouth.
So nice of Trump to take time out from his full-time job to put in an occasional appearance as president. This is just astounding. The hits keep coming non-stop. All those horrible appointments to his cabinet, the top agencies and departments.
uuum, isn’t being the leader of the free world (if it continues as such) MORE than a full time job? his cavalier attitude, and horrendous appointments are leaving many of us feeling very afraid….fighting against the machine, but also afraid….
There could be a very real problem here, folks. Is the sheer deluge of bizarre and unethical Trump behavior now becoming so commonplace, so overwhelming that much of the population is turning numb? Is this weirdness evolving into the “new normal”? Who will be paying attention and, more importantly, taking action when Trump does break laws? Will members of Congress from both parties step up to do anything?
Fake news, fake laws, fake government, fake country……When did the United States become an image, a brand, a product to be sold? It’s been a slippery slope indeed, leading to this fake world and it didn’t just start with this election cycle.
A lyric popped into my head as I was writing this, not that the song it comes from has anything to do with politics: “I fake it so real I’m beyond fake.”
The words of Courtney Love. A bit of honest wisdom in comparison to what we’re dealing with now…. Linda McMahon, “Mad Dog” Mattis, Mark Flynn, “Dick Cheney, Darth Vader, Satan”, to use the words of Steve Bannon.
P.S. Procrastinating while I should be doing SERIOUS SCHOOL TEACHER WORK…lol
Found this article,” Why do People Watch the WWE [professional wrestling] When They Know it’s Fake” http://bleacherreport.com/articles/332686-why-do-people-watch-wwe-knowing-its-fake
The phenomena is fascinating, especially now that one of the founders of the WWE could end up as a powerful person in our government.
BTW I’m not a snob that is pooh-poohing professional wrestling. I just don’t want the president to be doing it in the White House.
How about someone from roller derby for Secretary of Transportation?
Yeah…just ask Hillary, Bill And Obama how lucrative a government position can be! Went from broke to millionaires and counting! Ughhhh! BTW…keep eye on fake news! On show in name CREDITS only! Let’s see where 4 years brings us before everyone calls out doomsday messages! 8 years under Obama hasn’t Exactly been progress and unification has it? More divided than ever… Hence Trump win!
Anyone who was President makes money after they leave office. George W. Bush was paid $250,000 a lecture.
Wonder how much money these foreign countries are donating to the Clinton Foundation now that she has lost election? Sorry…I disagree with pay for play…Seems selling influence is a big business, sadly! I’m still willing to “wait & see” where next 4 years go before I condemn a new approach to “right the ship and correct a destructive course” the US seemed to be on for long time! Respect opinions of all with open mind and…eyes & ears. However…I do not believe in a socialist society…it does not work as history has proven time and time again! It’s not a viable option for a successful nation of people.
Open minded,
While you wait for more evidence about Trump “righting the ship” while maintaining control of his business empire, I hope you are not dependent on any government programs. And that you are not a teacher in a public school. The best we can hope for with this bully in charge is that he loses interest because he won.
Time will tell…hoping he keeps promises as ALL politicians preach during elections and fail to deliver after election…I am a government employee and proud to have intelligent children that are dedicated public school teachers of ESL students and totally support those great professionals! But not every public school offers that same opportunity to all and just as there are bad apples in any bunch, those not up to par for students must be addressed. That’s all…majority of public education works…just looking to save those who fell through the cracks. Fair and decent education FOR ALL…I do find it interesting how Obama’s kids and most wealthy elute all attend private, non common core schools though…guess public/common core good for us…just not their kids? And just a thought… A goal should be achieving gainful employment and not sustaining generational welfare? I am far from wealthy, but favor and appreciate self reliance and independence. Too many have succumbed to the bird feeder mentality syndrome! And I’m NOT referring to disabled, elderly or truly in need of course! We can only have hope and trust that those at the helm will represent the rights and needs of ALL American citizens from every state and political belief! If these leaders do this…we will all be winners! Trump’s personal wealth will be irrelevant at that point. He was and already is a billionaire. He did not need this position to obtain wealth…
Trump never has enough money. He wants more than Putin. More than Gates. He wants to be the richest in the world.
Poor kids won’t get vouchers to go to the kind of schools Obama’s kids went to or Trump’s went to. They will be able to go to religious schools with no curriculum or certified teachers.
I can only hope ALL Americans prosper along with those that already are…as mentioned Gates, Zuckerburgs, Obamas, Clinton’s Bushes, Bloombergs, Gores etc…hope we can add the common “Joneses” to the list…Enough room for all to succeed! And we have some really great public schools in our communities…certainly just as competitive as any private school…just bothers me as Obama preaches public, he chooses private for his?!
The Jones and Smiths and González and anyone who is struggling are in trouble. The 1% will flourish. Not much likely to trickle down.
To Openminded: It’s not capitalism (I think you are right about socialism); but rather GREEDY, unchecked, and crony capitalism (and now hateful); with a bottom line that has no limit or regard for consequences (or natural or human blow-back). That is the problem here. Capitalism is actually analogous to the innocuous aspects of socialism, which also can be turned into horror by those who abuse power from within its structure.
With Trump, however, we are also seeing a person (and persons as he surrounds himself with those who are so saturated and formed by the extremities of capitalism that they seem not to even be able to perceive what Statecraft is, much less feel a sense of shamelessness in the face of a different, need I say “higher,” viewpoint.
And so they cannot even see the difference between their world view and one that would be the source of that shame were they aware of it. They (and some here) can only see and latch-on to similarities (to themselves) in Clinton, real or imagined, because, from such a world view, they cannot even see anything BUT that. Their view doesn’t afford it. But as they do become aware of it, and listen to others who speak from having recognized another view, they resist, harden-off, and even become violent in the face of that different view. Capitalism or socialism, It’s really Shakespearean, when you think of it.
dianeravtich: he never has enough?
Yep, it’s the same old same old.
The type was well known to a very old and very dead and very Roman guy:
“For greed all nature is too little.” [Lucius Annaeus Seneca]
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Open-minded?
Yes…open minded…but NOT blind….=/
Keep your eyes on Finland too.
Jerry Useem wrote an article for Fortune entitled “What Does Donald Trump Really Want?” in which he quotes Trump as saying:
“It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it”
Useem’s article was published April 3, . . .
. . . 2000 !
It is impossible to read it and not believe that it was written this past fall. It is well worth reading in its entirety. Had we done so then, would things have turned out differently?
http://fortune.com/2000/04/03/what-does-donald-trump-really-want/
“Who knew that winning the presidency would open the door to so many lucrative deals?”
Tell that to the Bushies, Clintons and soon to be ex-pres Obomber. Sure is a nice palatial estate being built for him by Pritzker, eh!
“Executive producer” is a term used for people who have either a financial stake invested in or expected from a program. They don’t do anything other than collect a check. Interestingly, Trump will make much more by adding his name and doing nothing than he will as president–where I’m guessing he won’t be doing much more than adding his name and doing next to nothing. He has claimed that he will not accept his presidential salary because he doesn’t need it. Is his insistence on getting an executive producer check just another sign that, despite his wealth, he really doesn’t have much cash on hand? After all this is about making easy money for him and his family. The rest of us are just collateral damage.
GregB: well put.
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I think it’s past the rehashing of ultimately trivial, meaningless aspects of Trump’s wealth at this point when there is a much greater focus at hand. The country. I don’t care whose name goes on his show or the residuals he will receive from a product he created. We should all be concerned about how Trump can,or will, lead this country and try to reunite what has been divided the last 8 years, as well as reduce the trillions upon trillions of debt the American people are now “saddled” with for generations to come at this point with nothing to show for it. Trump was a business man before he won the election, so it only makes sense there will be a business his family will inherit to run. Spending 66 million towards his campaign of his own money and not taking his rightful salary as President should be recognized. I haven’t seen any other candidate…or politician in office offer to waive their salary!? Let’s see…I’m thinking people in glass houses?
That’s all you can come up with to admire? Spending his own money on his campaign
( which he fully intended to offset by charging his campaign for the use of his assets)? Not taking a salary? No, he has other business interests that he seems hesitant to disclose or place in a blind trust. The man is a walking conflict of interest. After a lifetime of self-promotion, we are supposed to believe that he has decided to put the country first? He has no idea what public service is much less what it will take to be the president, and he continues to prove that which each choice he makes for his cabinet. What are you waiting for? What do you need to see?
Trump giving up his salary is similar to a big business wanting to take over lands in a small town’s jurisdiction where they plan to build and make umpteen millions of dollars. So, they fund the local baseball team for a couple of hundred thousand dollars–and so everybody on the town’s city council loves them. Trump knows this–it’s in his business playbook.
Do the math.