ProPublica posted a bombshell story about Trump’s history of mortgages. It is a must-read.
In a late-night tweet that probably was supposed to be a private text message, Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue criminal charges against his political enemies–James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff–for various alleged crimes.
New York State Attorney General James was accused of mortgage fraud, of getting a mortgage on a home used as an investment property while claiming it would be her secondary residence, in order to lower the cost of borrowing. Trump wants Senator Schiff and Congressman Eric Swalwell prosecuted on the same charge of mortgage fraud; charges have not yet been brought against them.
Letitia James denies the charges. A grand jury indicted her but the case was tossed out by a judge because of errors made by Trump’s inexperienced, hand-picked prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan. Halligan was an insurance lawyer who had never prosecuted a case before. Trump had previously engaged her to review the holdings of the Smithsonian and identify exhibits that disparaged America or promoted DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
Attorney General Bondi plans to reindict James.
Now, ProPublica carefully documents, Trump did exactly the same mortgage gambit that he calls criminal.
He bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985. In 1993, he purchased two neighboring homes. He took out a mortgage on both houses and declared at the time that each house would be his primary residence.
But he never lived in either house. They were advertised for rent or leasing, by the week or by the month.
“Given Trump’s position on situations like this, he’s going to either need to fire himself or refer himself to the Department of Justice,” said Kathleen Engel, a Suffolk University law professor and leading expert on mortgage finance. “Trump has deemed that this type of misrepresentation is sufficient to preclude someone from serving the country.”
Mortgages for a person’s main home tend to receive more favorable terms, like lower interest rates, than mortgages for a second home or an investment rental property. Legal experts said that having more than one primary-residence mortgage can sometimes be legitimate, like when someone has to move for a new job, and other times can be caused by clerical error. Determining ill intent on the part of the borrower is key to proving fraud, and the experts said lenders have significant discretion in what loans they offer clients. (In this case, Trump used the same lender to buy the two Florida homes.)
But in recent months, the Trump administration has asserted that merely having two primary-residence mortgages is evidence of criminality.
Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director who has led the charge, said earlier this year: “If somebody is claiming two primary residences, that is not appropriate, and we will refer it for criminal investigation.”
Trump hung up on a ProPublica reporter after being asked whether his Florida mortgages were similar to those of others he had accused of fraud.
In response to questions, a White House spokesperson told ProPublica: “President Trump’s two mortgages you are referencing are from the same lender. There was no defraudation. It is illogical to believe that the same lender would agree to defraud itself.”
The spokesperson added, “this is yet another desperate attempt by the Left wing media to disparage President Trump with false allegations,” and said, “President Trump has never, or will ever, break the law…”
Each of the mortgage documents signed by Trump contain the standard occupancy requirement — that he must make the property his principal residence within 60 days and live there for at least a year, unless the lender agreed otherwise or there were extenuating circumstances.
But ProPublica could not find evidence Trump ever lived in either of the properties. Legal documents and federal election records from the period give his address as Trump Tower in Manhattan. (Trump would officially change his permanent residence to Florida only decades later, in 2019.) A Vanity Fair profile published in March 1994 describes Trump spending time in Manhattan and at Mar-a-Lago itself.
Trump is no longer at risk for mortgage fraud because the statute of limitations has rendered the issue moot.
Democrats suspect that the claims about mortgage fraud were based on confidential information acquired by Bill Pulte, who was appointed by Trump to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Pulte denies it. Pulte, a wealthy private equity investor, contributed generously to Trump’s campaign.
ProPublica points out that Trump tried to fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook on a charge of mortgage fraud, so he could appoint his own choice and gain control of the Board. Cook denied the charges and sued in federal court, where the matter is still pending.
In September, ProPublica reported that three of Trump’s Cabinet members have called multiple homes their primary residences in mortgage agreements. Bloomberg also reported that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent did something similar. (The Cabinet members have all denied wrongdoing.)
Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency head, has denied his investigations are politically motivated. “If it’s a Republican who’s committing mortgage fraud, we’re going to look at it,” he has said. “If it’s a Democrat, we’re going to look at it.”
Thus far, Pulte has not made any publicly known criminal referrals against Republicans. He did not respond to questions from ProPublica about Trump’s Florida mortgages.
After reading this article, I wondered about Trump’s financing of Mar-a-Lago. It cost $7-10 million. He paid $300,000. He got a mortgage from Chase Manhattan for $8.5 million. At the time, his residence was New York City.
Did he claim Mar-a-Lago as his primary residence?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I can’t wait for The Felonious Orange to look into a camera and say, “rules are for others, not me.” Or maybe, quote Nixon by saying, “If the president does it, it is legal.” The man lies, cheats, and steals with such regularity it is a wonder he has stayed out of jail. (His strategy when he goes to court has been on display and basically he has more stamina than his prosecutors.)
LikeLike
Steve, I don’t recall when, but I think he already said that the president can do whatever he wants. Then the Supreme Court ruled that the president is above the law. Sadly, he’s right. The law doesn’t apply to him.
As for his stamina, he’s been falling asleep in Cabinet meetings. Something is going on with his health, but no one knows other than his doctor. That bruised right hand, covered with makeup or a bandaid. That unsteady gait.
LikeLike
After the 2008 financial collapse, it was clear that mortgage fraud was rampant, yet almost no major figures were prosecuted. Our system often lets wealthy people and powerful institutions skate by on financial misconduct, and it shouldn’t take someone running for president to trigger accountability — because then the prosecution looks political.
And yes — Trump’s push to indict his political opponents is the height of hypocrisy. The “fraud” he accuses them of is minor and often unproven, while his own violations were massive, systematic, and worth hundreds of millions.
Trump’s attempt to use the legal system as his own personal tool for power is so obvious that it’s almost comical.
LikeLike
David, he’s stocked the bench with flunkies. Roy Cohn taught him decades how to game the legal system. Delay, deny, accuse the other of what you did, delay some more. He has sued people or been sued literally thousands of times.
LikeLike
“Our system often lets wealthy people and powerful institutions skate by on financial misconduct,”
Yes, the US legal system is a justice system only in the sense of whoever has enough money can buy the legal outcome desired, not necessarily justice. The vast majority of the population cannot afford that kind of “justice”.
LikeLike
There can hardly be an instance where Trump is not guilty of the crime he uses on his adversaries. This is baked into the system. Time after time, the felon in chief throws out accusations that come home to roost, but his followers do not desert, for fear is more powerful than reason, and he has taught the nation to fear.
The most dangerous accusation he has made is that his opponents cheat on elections. By making this accusation, he creates the belief in his base that all elections are fraudulent, so that his own fraud will be rationalized by that brainless base. The 2026 election is vital to the country. It either restores faith in the electoral system or it dies for a generation.
LikeLike
Roy,
Exactly. The gerrymandering now going on, blessed by the Supreme Court, is outrageous. Trump urged red states to do it, then blue states responded. A prime example of a rigged system. In some states, there won’t be a single Democrat in the Cobgressional delegation.
LikeLike
I recently read this article about this now pervasive form of advertising that actually thrives on negative attention. The goal isn’t so much to convince you that the product is “good” as it is to put the product front and center into your mind and, eventually, normalize it.
One example given is AI. People are not happy with the idea that AI can be a better companion to someone than a trusted friend…but the ads keep coming. Purposely. It’s like, “Bad advertising is better than no advertising at all” on steroids.
That’s Trump. He’s everywhere. He’s an assault on our everyday lives on a global scale. It’s exhausting but we can’t succumb to the strategy.
LikeLike
Every day from his election in 2016 to his departure in Jan 21, he was a constant presence in my mind. Every day, I wondered “what new outrage? How dare he do that?” Then on Jan 22, I heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that I would never see or hear from him again. But he’s baaaacccckkkk. Hemore outrageous than the first term. Congressional Republicans do whatever he commands. Anyone who has the courage to disagree with him in public can expect death threats.
Now, with total control of both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court and a highly disciplined staff with a plan (Project 2025), nothing blocks his crazed rhetoric from becoming reality.
Can’t wait for November 2026.
LikeLike