Kamala Harris faced off against Donald Trump, the twice-impeached, criminally charged ex-president, in their presidential debate Tuesday night. She quickly went on the offensive, zeroing in on one of Trump’s weak spots: the money he received from his father to kickstart his business empire when they started talking about fracking.
“As it relates to my values, let me tell you, I grew up a middle-class kid raised by a hard-working mother who worked and saved and was able to buy our first home when I was a teenager. The values I bring to the importance of home ownership knowing not everybody got handed $400 million on a silver platter and then filed bankruptcy six times.”
Trump brushed off the loans, preferring to change the subject, though not before boasting about turning it into a ābig business.ā
“Well, first of all, I wasn’t given $400 million. I wish I was. My father was a Brooklyn builder. Brooklyn, Queens. And a great father and I learned a lot from him. But I was given a fraction of that, a tiny fraction, and I built it into many, many billions of dollars. Many, many billions. And when people see it, they are even surprised.”
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But Mary Trump wasn’t having it. In fact, she was streaming the debate on her YouTube channel and commenting on it live when she took to X (formerly Twitter) to set the record straight on her uncleās financial history.
Over the course of my grandfather’s lifetime, he gifted and “loaned” Donald $413 million. And Donald still declared bankruptcy 6 times. He failed so badly that the banks needed to put him on a $425,000-a-month allowance.
ā Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 11, 2024
Some of the comments to the Tweet.
I really wish they’d have called him out on the “tiny” loan comment, but that would have gone downhill fast.
ā Fully Vaccinated Auntie B šš„„š“ (@MrsMike921) September 11, 2024
He wants to keep that part quiet. Letās get LOUD.
ā Deborah Simmons (@DeborahSimmon) September 11, 2024
@realDonaldTrump, you just lied again this evening. Here’s first hand truth that your father gave you money $413 MILLION. Just investing it in SPX index fund would have made BILLIONS more than you made, you idiotic fooooo
ā PolOwl (@owl_pol) September 11, 2024
According to one report, the filing for bankruptcy totals up to 6 times, which is also backed by PolitiFact.
Harris had clearly struck a nerve in the debate, highlighting Trumpās financial history as a major vulnerability. While Trump tried to spin the narrative, his own niece, Mary Trump, delivered a scathing fact-check, exposing the truth behind his supposed business success.
Her revelations, echoed by online commenters, cast a harsh light on Trump’s self-made claims. With bankruptcy filings and inherited millions defining his financial legacy, the night left one lingering question: how long can Trump keep avoiding the facts in his quest for the White House?
Featured image via screengrab.