History for Fun, Profit, and Insight: September 2020

Donald Trump and the Central Park Five --Calling for the Death Penalty for Innocent People

Another excerpt from the cut chapter of my upcoming book "Scams from the Great Beyond -The Presidential Edition."

Donald Trump calls for the death penalty

in the "Central Park Five" case

They were later found innocent and sued the city.

Donald Trump ran this as a full page advertisement in several New York City newspapers after six minority youths were arrested in connection with the rape of a jogger in Central Park. Five were given lengthy prison sentences, and one entered a plea bargain. They were all cleared several years later, when the real rapist confessed and DNA evidence connected him to the crime.

One of the uglier incidents involving Trump in the 1980s involved a criminal case called either “the Central Park Five Case” or “the Central Park Jogger Case.” Briefly, in April of 1989, a 28 year old White female investment banker jogging in Central Park was raped and brutalized and left with head trauma. Police soon arrested a group of primarily minority youths who were present near the crime scene.

Donald Trump, who was reportedly considering a run for Mayor at the time, took out full page ads in several of New York City’s most popular newspapers saying “Bring back the death penalty” and including statements like “they should be made to suffer” and “Yes, Mayor Koch, I want to hate these murders and I always will,” and more. ^{^[1]}

When questioned if this hatred (his word “hatred”) might be in-part racially motivated, he spoke of the many advantages he felt educated African Americans had in America at time. This further angered many prominent African American leaders who had already accused Trump of both racism and opportunism.

Five young men served 6 to thirteen years for the crime. The four under 16, served six years, the one over 16 served 13 years, and a sixth, tried last, entered a plea bargain and received a lesser charge. Four were Black, two Hispanic.

Years later, in 2002, after the statute of limitations ran out, the real criminal, a serial rapist who was incarcerated, confessed and DNA evidence linked him with the crime.

The five men’s convictions were overturned, they sued the city, and were awarded $41 million in damages.

Trump called the settlement “a disgrace.” He told the press, he wouldn’t have paid them a dime, adding that they owed “the taxpayers of the City of New York an apology for taking money out of their pockets.” ^{^[2]}

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

[1] This newspaper story contains an easy to read image of the newspaper ad Trump took out.

“Trump called for death penalty after Central Park jogger attack, and still has no sympathy for accused despite convictions overturned,” by Leonard Greene. July 19, 2018. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-news-trump-death-penalty-central-park-five-20180713-story.html

[2] Page 278-280. Kranish, Michael and Fisher, Marc. “Trump Revealed -The Definitive Biography of the 45th President.” (2016, Scribner, New York)

Pages 192-193, 261-262. D’Antonio, Michael. “Never Enough -Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success.” (2015. Thomas Dunne Books. New York.)

“Trump called for death penalty after Central Park jogger attack, and still has no sympathy for accused despite convictions overturned,” by Leonard Greene. July 19, 2018. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-news-trump-death-penalty-central-park-five-20180713-story.html

Trump's 1970 Racial Bias in Housing Lawsuit.

Another excerpt from my upcoming book. Consider this an introduction, nothing more, and if the subject interests you please research further. This was intended to be a concise brief portion of a biographical chapter that has now been cut. If you wish to learn more, remember internet search engines are your friend.

Donald Trump and his 1973 Federal Lawsuit in Racially Biased Discrimination in Housing

Donald Trump and his father in the 1970s,
the period in which they were both co-defendants in a federal lawsuit about racial bias in housing.

During this time, Donald Trump managed the subsidized housing properties his father had built. These were rented primarily to working class and lower income people.

In 1973, the United States Justice Department sued Donald Trump, his father and Trump Management of violating the Fair Housing Act and discriminating against Blacks and Hispanics in 39 of their properties. The evidence against them was very solid. Most people would have advised them to settle with the Justice Department, pay a fine, and fix the practices and comply with the Fair Housing act, giving all citizens equal access and rights to rent from the Trumps. But young Donald Trump, then 26, represented, advised, and encouraged by Roy Cohn, decided to respond in a different way. They denied all charges despite the evidence and counter-sued against the Justice Department for 100 million dollars. Then they dragged the case out for two years, occasionally holding press conferences where they mischaracterized the suit as being over housing people on welfare and not about racial discrimination, hoping the Justice Department would agree to settle. In 1975, an agreement was reached, the counter suit from Trump and Cohn was dismissed as groundless, the Trumps and their company had to change their discriminatory policies. A government press release announced that the suit had been “one of the most far reaching ever negotiated” and local papers announced that the Trump properties were now open to be rented by minorities. Trump continued to deny that the government never proved its case and continued to mischaracterize the suit and its conclusion from

Primary Sources

Johnston, David Cay. 2016, 2017. The Making of Donald Trump. Melville House: Brooklyn.

Kranish, Michael, and Fisher, Marc. 2017. Trump Revealed -The Definitive Biography of the 45^th President. Scribner: New York.

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, and Early Life After College in Manhattan.

Another excerpt from the cut biographical chapter of "Scams from the Great Beyond --The Presidential Edition." My upcoming book intended to explain the techniques Donald Trump uses to sway crowds and influence people. It should be helpful to people who wish to understand "the Donald Trump phenomena."

Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, and Early Life After College in Manhattan

Roy Cohn, an unethical lawyer, was one of Trump's most important mentors and influences.

Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, the aggressive and often unethical lawyer
who was his mentor in many ways.

After graduation in 1968, Trump went to work for his father, helping to manage his rental properties.

In 1971, he fulfilled a dream and moved to Manhattan. He had always been ashamed to have come from Queens and sometimes lied about it, as his father had, telling people he was born in New Jersey. Soon after, seeking both women and to be able to move in the chic, trendy Manhattan elite social circles, he applied to join “Le Club.” “Le Club was a then-popular night club located in Manhattan whose membership included many wealthy and powerful people. Trump described it as “perhaps the most exclusive” members night club in New York City and said “its membership included some of the most successful men and the most beautiful women in the world,” ^{^[1]} an interesting and notable illustration of how Trump views interactions and roles for the two sexes.

Here he met many rich and important people, but the most important among them was undoubtedly Roy Cohn. Roy Cohn, 20 years older than Trump, was a New York City lawyer known for his aggressive and frequently bullying tactics. In many ways, Cohn became a mentor to young Trump. ^{^[2]}

Which is a shame as Cohn’s career showed a certain lack of adherence to moral principles that some would say he passed on to his de facto protégé. Cohn had at one time been Chief Attorney to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Senator’s notorious anti-Communist witch hunts. He was known to pursue expensive lawsuits against people designed to intimidate and harass them with little thought of the justice or morality behind the suit. Trump took up this practice. Cohn often bought expensive things and hired people to provide expensive services and then didn’t pay for them until taken to court at which point he tried to drag out the proceedings and ultimately settle the debt for a fraction of what it was worth. Trump also has made a career out of doing this. Cohn served as a “fixer” for many people, quietly fixing problems and hushing up consequences of poor choices for wealthy clients. Cohn is also the person who introduced Trump and Rupert Murdoch, former owner of Fox News. In 1986 Cohn was disbarred for unethical and unprofessional conduct. Much of these misconduct accusations stemmed from actions taken with Roger Stone, later Trump associate, on behalf of Ronald Reagan during his 1980 campaign.^{^[3]}

Cohn was not known as a terribly ethical man or as someone who took ethical stances. He was gay, largely in the closet aside from bringing handsome young men to Le Club, of the belief that if people knew he was gay they’d think he was gay, and known for publicly opposing gay rights. He died of AIDS in 1986. Like Trump, he loved to appear in the press and the New York City papers gossip columns.^{^[4]}

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

[1] Schwartz, Tony and Trump, Donald “The Art of the Deal” (1987. Warner Brothers, New York.)

[2] Pages 33-39, Johnston, David Cay. “The Making of Donald Trump.” ( 2016. 2017. Melville House. Brooklyn.)

[3] “Roy Cohn: The Toughest, Meanest, Most Brilliant Lawyer in New York,” by Peter Carlson. NO DATE Historynet.
https://www.historynet.com/roy-cohn-the-toughest-meanest-most-brilliant-lawyer-in-new-york.htm

[4] “THE LIFE AND TIMES of Roy Cohn,” by Geoffrey C. Ward. July/August 1988. Volume 39 Issue 5 American Heritage.
https://www.americanheritage.com/roy-cohn#1

Donald Trump's Immigrant Roots -Scams from the Great Beyond --The Presidential Edition

Donald Trump's Immigrant Roots

The Trump Family in America

I am currently working on a book on Donald Trump. A sequel to my earlier, Scams from the Great Beyond books, this one will focus on the skills and techniques Donald Trump has used to sway crowds and achieve his amazing accomplishments. (Trump is the first US President ever elected without any public service experience.) While the original outline included a biographical chapter, the editor recommended it be cut (it was taking up a third of the book and still growing.) Therefore, these blog posts.

Family and TRUMP’S IMMIGRANT ROOTS

Trump with an immigrant from a sh*thole country to his left,
and the child of immigrants who came through chain migration on his right.
In other words, his mother and father.

For a man who has a thing about immigrants, Trump sure seems to have a lot of them in his family. And for a man whose slogan is “Make America Great Again,” “again,” as in in the past, his family really hasn’t been here very long. And for a man who reframed and renamed “family based immigration” as “chain migration” and told his base it was a threat to everything good and pure in the USA, there’s a lot of that, too. Make of that what you will.

Donald Trump’s mother was an immigrant. She came, basically, through so-called “chain-migration,” and arrived in New York City in 1930 at age 18 where she stayed with three sisters who came first. She arrived from a place that could easily be called a “sh*thole.” She was the youngest of ten children and from a desolate, impoverished, and Gaelic speaking section of Scotland where the first world war had killed a large number of the town’s men. She left, seeking a better life overseas.

She found work as a domestic servant. Six years later in 1936, she married Fred Trump, Jr., Donald Trump’s father.^{^[1]} Six years after that, she became an American citizen. ^{^[2]}

Three generations of Trump men.

On Donald Trump’s father’s side of the family, both his grandparents were immigrants, too. Friedrich “Fred” Trump arrived from Germany, dodging the draft, in 1885. Another chain migration case, he stayed with his sister in New York City upon arrival. He soon moved out and did well for himself running restaurants and low-cost brothels in Washington state and the Yukon during the gold rush. ^{^[3]} He then attempted to resettle in his homeland, but the authorities would not forgive his draft dodging.

He returned to the USA and settled in New York City where he managed a barber shop, then a hotel. At the time in New York City, these businesses were often fronts for illegal activities. A German in New York City, during world war one, he undoubtedly experienced what it was like to be an immigrant hated by bigots.^{^[4]} He died of the Spanish flu during the epidemic of 1918. ^{^[5]} Since this was before Trump was born perhaps it explains why he never seemed to have learned about either the evils of bigotry or the dangers of epidemics.

In “The Art of the Deal,” his ghost written bestselling biography, Trump claims on page 66 that his father came from Sweden. Trump’s father, Fred, start this lie about his own father, because it made it easier to sell and rent property to the New York City Jewish population.

Donald Trump’s father, Frederick Trump, Junior,

Donald Trump’s father, Frederick Trump, Junior, made his fortune in real estate. His major project was low rent housing built with government subsidies. In the post world war two baby boom era, there was a great demand for such housing. ^{^[6]} Although Born in the Bronx, he told people he was born in New Jersey. Despite being the son of immigrants, he was involved in the KKK and showed racist tendencies throughout his life. He was investigated for profiteering. [7]

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

[1] Some sources say 1934. I’ve chosen 1936 as it matches more easily with other statements made regarding her marriage.

[2] Primary source: 20th May 2016

An inconvenient truth? Donald Trump's Scottish mother was a low-earning migrant

By Martin Hannan for The National (the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland)
https://www.thenational.scot/news/14903147.an-inconvenient-truth-donald-trumps-scottish-mother-was-a-low-earning-migrant/?fbclid=IwAR3hSYAtQadS9lx3LOubYouq8dhM9uj-xoAd1OKDtu6-B8bjPtA05cwzKgk

Secondary source: Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, from Wikipedia. Accessed on August 9, 2020

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anne_MacLeod_Trump

[3] Page 4. Johnston, David Kay. The Making of Donald Trump (2016, 2017. Melville House, Brooklyn) He cites a biography written by Gwenda Blair as his source.

[4] “Frederick Trump.” Wikipedia. Accessed on September 1, 2020

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Trump

[5] “Frederick Trump.” Wikipedia. Accessed on September 1, 2020

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Trump

[6] Page 75. Kranish, Michael and Fisher, Marc. “Trump Revealed” (2016, Simon and Schuster, New York)

[7] Page 27-30,. Kranish, Michael and Fisher, Marc. “Trump Revealed” (2016, Simon and Schuster, New York)

Melania, Trump Wife # 3. Oh how we love those grimacing scowls!

Melania,

Trump Wife # 3

Another patented "TRUMPinfoDUMP" from the

cut biographical chapter of the upcoming

"Scams from the Great Beyond --The Presidential Edition."

Melania, is, of course, Donald Trump’s third and current wife. Of all the things about living under the Trump administration, watching Melania interact with her husband is my favorite. Melania is, of course, a former model from Eastern Europe who knowingly married a self-absorbed millionaire who she had to know had cheated on his two previous wives and divorced them with as much publicity as possible. She knew this. Put everything she does in that context.

I know it’s evil, I know it’s wrong, and I promise I do feel guilty about it, but watching her is one of my favorite things about having Trump in the White House now. Those “don’t touch me” hand slaps in front of the airplane ramps, those “I hate being here and I hate this man too” expressions at public events when he’s not looking, the alleged plagiarism of Michelle Obama, a woman her husband can’t stand, in her 2016 speech,[1] and the same suspicion a few months later that she plagiarized Marla Maples, Trump’s second wife and another woman he can’t stand, in a later speech.[2] And those choices, like choosing cyber bullying awareness and prevention as her cause she would promote when first lady despite her husband being a notorious cyber bully himself. Or the 2020 Republican National Convention where spoke about how America deserves an honest president and the importance of understanding our history in order to achieve racial harmony, two statements that made many listeners wonder which convention they were listening to and which presidential candidate she was really advocating for. Or those clothing choices. The “I don’t care. Do you?” jacket. The amazing “green screen” dress at the convention that enabled meme making in such an amazing way.[3]

The fact is that their marriage had troubles long before he won the presidency,[4] and I know she lies and doesn’t really speak all those languages she claims to, [5] or those weird claims she made about bathing Barron in caviar, [6] but that really seemed designed to promote a line of skin care products she was going to sell on QVC and did promote on The Apprentice. [7] I mean, she did wait six months to move into the White House which kind of hints at something going, (some argue she was renegotiating the pre-nuptial agreement before doing so), but, regardless, she’s there now, and, well, like I said I know it’s wrong, but it’s just so much fun to watch.

Melania, an immigrant in the family of our most anti-immigrant president, is from Slovenia in the former Yugoslavia. She gained the right to live in the USA through an EB-1 or “Einstein Visa” for people who show talent in a special field. If you’re wondering, she began the application process in 2000, when she was dating Donald Trump. Part of the process for applying for this is to demonstrate or show evidence of extraordinary talent in a field. Many have wondered how Melania demonstrated “extraordinary” talent as a model. Lacking demonstrable evidence of extraordinariness, this was probably done through endorsement letters from people in the modelling field. It is likely that her then boyfriend, now notoriously hard on immigration president, Donald Trump, a man with many connections and contacts in that field, pulled some strings and asked for some favors to get her such letters. [8] She, like Ivana, is claimed to have done modelling work, working illegally in the USA, on the wrong visa, but, in fact, it appears that Melania did more of it while here on a tourist visa in 1996. Which, it has to be said, is a bit ironic considering that she’s the second wife of America’s most anti-immigrant, anti-undocumented illegal foreign worker president to, in fact, be an immigrant who worked here illegally. [9] And, as for that “chain migration” thing, well, she brought her parents here using it. [10]

Melania and Donald Trump had a big fancy wedding with many celebrity guests. The guest list included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie, politicians, billionaires, and countless celebrities including several of the Liberal Trump despising actors, actresses, and musical performers that now publicly criticize Trump. Some have commented that a large segment of the swamp he promised to drain has attended his three weddings over the years. [11]

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

[1] “Melania Trump and Michelle Obama side-by-side comparison,” uploaded on July 18, 2016 by CNN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcbiGsDMmCM

“Comparing Melania Trump’s Speech With Michelle Obama’s | The New York Times,” uploaded on July 19, 2016 by The New York Times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz375GoHaMk&list=LLPeXKAAiecwg3uHOU2a6Uvg&index=656

[2] “Melania Trump leaves the media scratching its head — again,” by Callum Borchers. November 3, 2016. The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/03/melania-trump-leaves-the-media-scratching-its-head-again/

[3] “Melania Trump's Green Dress At The RNC Became An Instant Meme -"Melania's fashion choices always send a message," by Stephanie K. Baer. August 28, 2020. BuzzFeed News.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/melania-trump-green-screen-dress-rnc
“Melania Trump's Bright Green Dress On Final RNC Night Screams Meme,” by Andrew Limbong. NPR
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/28/906986560/melania-trumps-bright-green-dress-on-final-rnc-night-screams-meme
“HaHA! Melania Trumps Green Dress gets green screen madeover - Seeall the styles Trump RNC Convention,” uploaded on August 27, 2020 by Tony Dortie - 24/7 Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCs6S7uWn2k

[4] “What's Really Going On With Donald Trump's Marriage,” uploaded on May 24, 2017 by Nicki Swift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbUMTF8X3E8

[5] “Is Melania Trump really fluent in five languages?” uploaded on August 3, 2017 by John Aravosis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxbeaFgDS_o

[6]

“Donald Trump's 7-Year-Old Son, Barron, Uses Caviar Moisturizer Every Night” April 11, 2013, Updated January 20, 2017. Huffington Post.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trumps-son-barron-caviar-moisturizer_n_3063299

[7] “The Real Story of Melania Trump's Defunct Skincare Line,” by Karen Bennett. May 1, 2018. The CheatSheet.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/the-real-story-of-melania-trumps-defunct-skincare-line.html/

[8] “What is the Einstein visa? And how did Melania Trump get one?” by Joel Gunter. March 2, 2018.

BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43256318

[9] “Melania Trump modeled in US prior to getting work visa,” by Alicia A. Caldwell. November 4, 2016 AP News

https://apnews.com/37dc7aef0ce44077930b7436be7bfd0d/Melania-Trump-modeled-in-US-prior-to-getting-work-visa
“The huge questions about Melania Trump’s immigration history nobody will answer,” by Aaron Blake. February 21, 2018 The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/02/21/the-huge-questions-about-melania-trumps-immigration-history-nobody-will-answer/

[10] “Melania Trump’s Parents Become U.S. Citizens, Using ‘Chain Migration’ Trump Hates,” by Annie Correal and Emily Cochrane August 9, 2018 The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/nyregion/melania-trumps-parents-become-us-citizens.html

[11] “Trump's wedding to Melania was 15 years ago. It explains so much about our cultural moment,” by Steve Krakauer January 22, 2020. NBC News.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-wedding-melania-was-15-years-ago-it-explains-ncna1120236

Marla Maples, Donald Trump Wife # 2 -- Scams from the Great Beyond -The Presidential Edition

Another patented "TRUMPinfoDUMP" from the cut parts of "Scams from the Great Beyond -The Presidential Edition."

Marla Maples, Donald Trump Wife # 2

Trump met his next wife Marla Maples and they began dating in 1989, which is kind of a shame as he was still married to his first wife, Ivana, mother of three of his children, at the time. The relationship, the affair, the scandal, the divorce was all astonishingly public, in part because Donald liked giving interviews to the press about it. To me, the most interesting thing about this relationship was the way the tabloids covered it.[1] According to Wikipedia, the scandal made the front page cover of The New York Post eight days in a row. ^{^[2]} I urge you to follow the links below and check out some of these covers. Once you see these, you will learn why the phrase "President Donald Trump" is tough to take seriously for most people in his home state.^{^[3]}

The couple got married three months after Tiffany was born. Their wedding was, like most Trump functions, attended by several celebrities, including strangely enough, Rosie O’Donnell, the comedian who he has publicly insulted.^{^[4]}

They had one daughter named Tiffany, reportedly named after “Tiffany’s,” a famous, upscale Manhattan jewelry store ^{^[5]} where Trump bought Marla a very expensive ring, apparently getting a discount if he promised he would mention the store each change he got, and then Trump spoke of buying.

Which kind of explains why I am really curious to know why Trump's second son is named "Eric." I confess, I still have no idea.

They divorced about six years later amidst issues involving Marla Maples and her bodyguard being discovered alone together under a lifeguard stand. They have both denied having an affair. Apparently, they both just wanted to climb under a lifeguard stand at the same time. ^{^[6]}

Finally, my books . . .

Yeah, I've written books. Please check them out and see if they interest you.

[1] “A complete collection of the best Donald Trump New York Post covers,” by By Emil Lendof January 20, 2017 The New York Post.
https://nypost.com/2017/01/20/donald-trump-in-new-york-post-covers/

[2] “Marla Maples.” Accessed on September 13, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marla_Maples

[3] “Donald Trump’s Very 1990s Tabloid Scandal -The storyline is the same, but the technology changes,” by Adrienne LaFrance. January 18, 2018. The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/donald-trumps-very-retro-tabloid-scandal/550754/
“Tabloid covers from the '90s show the insanity of Trump's divorce from ex-wife Ivana,” by Sarah Jacobs Oct 10, 2017. Business Insider.
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-ivana-divorce-tabloid-covers-2017-10#billion-dollar-blowup-she-wants-the-plaza-hell-take-manhattan-americas-gaudiest-couple-square-off-in-an-old-fashioned-battle-over-babes-and-bucks-direct-from-aspen-palm-beach-and-new-york-city-heres-the-latest-dish-4

[4] “Marla Maples.” Accessed on September 13, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marla_Maples

[5] Personal communication. Ian Randall Strock, author of several books on the presidents and their families.

[6] “Marla Maples.” Accessed on September 13, 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marla_Maples

History for Fun, Profit, and Insight

Donald Trump and the Central Park Five --Calling for the Death Penalty for Innocent People

Finally, my books . . .

Trump's 1970 Racial Bias in Housing Lawsuit.

Finally, my books . . .

Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, and Early Life After College in Manhattan.

Finally, my books . . .

Donald Trump's Immigrant Roots -Scams from the Great Beyond --The Presidential Edition

Finally, my books . . .

Melania, Trump Wife # 3. Oh how we love those grimacing scowls!

Finally, my books . . .

Marla Maples, Donald Trump Wife # 2 -- Scams from the Great Beyond -The Presidential Edition

Finally, my books . . .

Mike Paine's "Hanghai " 1930s Pulp Adventure Game

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