Once upon a time, some überwealthy individuals who’d previously supported Donald Trump declared that they were done with the 45th president of the United States. After January 6, 2021, billionaire GOP donor Nelson Peltz called the insurrection a “stain on America” and publicly apologized for voting for Trump in 2020. Real estate and aerospace mogul Robert Bigelow said Trump “lost me as a supporter” and showed, during the attack on the Capitol, that “he was no commander.” Billionaire donor Howard Hamm told Trump point-blank not to run for office again, saying the Republican Party needed a chaos-free candidate, and gave money to his competitors instead.
So it may or may not surprise you that those exact people, and others whose net worths include roughly nine zeros, are now singing an extremely different tune. Which, and we don’t want to shock anyone, might have something to do with Joe Biden pledging to raise their taxes. As The Washington Post reports, Peltz hosted Trump for breakfast this month at his Palm Beach mansion, later telling the Financial Times he will “probably” vote for him in November. Bigelow told Reuters in January he donated $1 million to help cover Trump’s legal fees and promised to give $20 million more to a Trump-aligned super PAC. According to the Post, Hamm is headlining a fundraiser next month—hosted by fellow billionaire John Paulson—for which the maximum contribution is $814,600.
Do you think the average lottery winner gives their winnings away to charity?
It’s easy to be moral when it’s not a choice you actually have to make.
Money is the bottom line and nobody gives a fuck!
The average lottery winner isn’t playing the lottery for any reason other than greed. Of course they don’t give their winnings away.
On the other hand, MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, is giving away billions of dollars to charities with no strings attached.
Seems like the morality was not in question in her case. It also seems like it would be if you were in her shoes.
We have a great saying in Danish for people like you: “Thief thinks everyone steals”. Just because you think money’s all that matters doesn’t mean that applies to everyone.
Absolutely right. I don’t want to be rich. I want to be comfortable, but I don’t want to be rich. I don’t need a giant house. I’d be happy with a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in a nice neighborhood. I don’t need a Ferrari, but I wouldn’t mind being able to afford a nice EV or PHEV. I certainly don’t need a butler or a chef or whatever. I’m happy doing all of that myself. But I wouldn’t mind being able to afford a plumber.
That’s really all I need in terms of money. Sure, it’s richer than I am now, but it’s nowhere near rich.