Most are familiar with the story of King Midas. Midas was already a wealthy man but when Dionyssus granted the king one wish for the kindness he had shown to the satyr, Silenus, King Midas’ greed was such that he wished that everything he touched turned to gold. Dionyssus cautioned Midas about this wish, but Midas insisted that was what he wanted, and the wish was granted by Dionyssus. Midas quickly realized the folly of his wish and begged for Dionyssus to free him of the curse. Dionyssus did release him from the curse only after Midas atoned for his greed and avarice. In the end, Midas, his daughter, and the subjects in his kingdom lived happy and prosperous lives.
The main similarity between King Midas and Donald Trump is that they both start off their respective stories being consumed with greed. However, the story lines quickly part from there. It is true that Trump wishes and continues to propagate the lie that everything he touches turns to gold. The facts, however, portray a far different reality. The fact is, almost everything Trump touches turns into a court case! It produces gold for an army of attorneys but disaster, bankruptcy, disbarment, fines, jail terms and chaos for most of those who are ‘touched’ by Trump both directly and indirectly.
Trump has been engaged in legal battles of one form or another his entire life. He has filed for bankruptcy several times. According to an article in the ABAJournal1 in April 2020, Trump had been involved in 3,500 lawsuits up to that time. That doesn’t even include all the lawsuits and litigation he is currently involved in. According to another article by APNews2, he has spent $76 million over the last two years in legal fees given all the legal actions he is currently involved in.
Many of Republicans decry ‘Bidenomics’ as a misguided and disastrous economic policy despite the way the economy is currently booming, and inflation is abating. Perhaps they are assuming that Trump’s ‘legalnomics’ will continue to power the economy once Trump is elected. The philosophy being that if you pay enough money to attorneys, it will trickle down to the rest of the people and generate increased spending. Of course, the ‘trickle down’ economics favored by Reagan and many Republicans has already been debunked so it is unlikely Trump’s ‘legalnomics’ will produce the desired results as well.
Regardless of political philosophy, the real question is, “Can the country afford Donald Trump?” The national debt increased by over $7 trillion under Trump. His tariff policies cost the American consumers an estimated $80 billion. And his ongoing legal fees will probably equal the GDP of a small country. There are huge costs associated with supporting Donald Trump and, unfortunately, the American people will bore the brunt of those costs one way or another.
The story of King Midas ended happily when Midas saw the error of his ways, repented, and changed. There will be no such ending with Trump. The only question will be, “How much damage will he cause before the story ends?” There will certainly be no “happily ever” after with Trump.
