(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

It’s not likely that Donald Trump knows Bob Dylan’s “A hard rain's a-gonna fall”. Even if he does, unless someone explains it…he probably doesn’t know what it means. The song is about an inevitability...something that has to happen.

And I have no doubt that Trump is going to feel the full weight of Dylan’s words…very soon. You see, I - like millions of people worldwide - are tired of his lies, his alternative facts, his fraudulent life.

Last week, The New York Times published a story that told the truth about how Donald Trump attained his wealth. Unlike the hundreds of times he has lied…bragged about being a self-made man…a mountain of evidence from the newspaper’s investigation proves he’s nothing more than a self-made son.

As regular readers of my column know, I’m no fan of Donald Trump. I’ve known him since 1980. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with him…I’ve been a guest at Mar-a-Lago. So, my perceptions of Trump aren’t based on hearsay and second-hand anecdotes…and certainly not on his self-inflicted myths. They are based on personal observation and facts.

“I started with a small $1 Million loan…and paid it back with interest…and built it into a business worth more than $10 Billion,” Trump bragged dozens of times on the campaign trail.

In this single, 25-word sentence - a direct quote of Trump - there are three lies. He borrowed $60+ Million in 1976, he never paid any interest or even re-paid the principal of the loan, and his net worth has never been anywhere close to $10 Billion.

Indeed, Trump has lied - countless times - that he and he alone built his wealth. During the campaign, he also promised Americans he would run the country like he ran his business. There’s a scary thought.

I’ve written here more than once in the past year and a half that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation would find enough dirt on Trump and his gang that couldn’t shoot straight to send a lot of his minions to prison…and forever disgrace him. And mark my words, this will come to pass.

But the unvarnished truth is Trump is a scam artist…a con man…a man whose businesses have failed more often than not. The New York Times 14,000-word article is based on thousands of pieces of evidence…his father, Fred’s, personal and corporate tax returns, invoices, legal documents, mortgages, deeds, financial disclosure forms and more.

The investigation leaves no doubt that the Donald Trump legend is mere myth, a smoke-and-mirrors tale built on tax evasion and fraud and unscrupulous business practices that he participated in…willingly. Despite Trump’s strategy of “deny, deny, deny,” every accusation - whether sexual, unethical business or dirty politics - the Teflon is wearing thin on Donald. Things are beginning to get sticky.

Donald Trump actually received the equivalent today of at least $413 Million from the time he was three years old…and continuing over nearly 70 years.

The Trump children - Donald, his two brothers and two sisters - formed a bogus company to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-free gifts from their parents. Instead of paying $550 Million in gift and inheritance taxes, the Trumps paid just $52.2 Million.

The most obvious act of fraud first occurred in 1992 when the entire Trump family formed All County Building Supply & Maintenance, which siphoned money from the parents tax-free to the Trump children by grossly overstating expenses for equipment like boilers and air conditioners. Fred, the father, then used the padded receipts to justify rent increases…for poor people.

I doubt that Fred would be very pleased with his children, especially Donald. You see, in 2004, after Fred had died, the children sold off every last piece of Fred’s real estate empire. It netted Donald his biggest payoff ever…$177.3 Million.

They say, fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. Fred taught his children well…he showed them how to cut corners, not just to take advantage of every business deal, but how to win by cheating...cleverly.

There are so many reasons not to like Donald Trump. Cheating is just one. Bob Mueller is hard at work finding evidence that demonstrates just how corrupt Trump is.

The lies, the cheating, the womanizing, the lack of any moral compass…it all means something. Sometimes, out of the blue, I find myself singing, “A hard rain’s a-gonna fall”!

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines. His essays are a blend of news reporting and opinion.

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