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DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL hopes suffered a punishing new setback as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while Hillary Clinton seized the offensive to brand him an unscrupulous businessman.
With just five weeks to go before the 8 November election, Trump is seeking to climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign as his vice presidential pick Mike Pence goes toe to toe against Democratic Senator Tim Kaine late Tuesday for their only debate of the campaign.
Already weakened by damaging revelations about his taxes, the real estate billionaire was hit with an order by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that the Donald J. Trump foundation must “cease and desist from soliciting contributions” in New York.
The notice informed the charity that it had engaged in fundraising activities not permitted under the law because it had not been registered with the state authorities.
With Team Trump on the defensive after leaked documents suggested he may have paid no income tax for two decades, his Democratic rival rounded on him as a business bully who cares little for his fellow countrymen.
“While millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that,” a fired up Clinton said in Toledo, Ohio.
“He has been ‘dissing’ America in this whole campaign,” she charged, riding high on a surge in polling carried out after the bruising first presidential debate.
The pair face off in their second showdown on Sunday.
Personal attacks
Trump used an appearance before military veterans in Virginia to pound the former secretary of state once more for handling classified information via a “basement” private email server.
But he appeared to stumble when he addressed veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, suggesting some were returning from battle ill-equipped to cope.
“When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump said.
Clinton pounced on the comment in the evening, posting a fact-checking page on her website muddying Trump’s record on veterans.
“A person who implies that veterans suffering from PTS are not ‘strong’ is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief. Period,” she said on Twitter.
Trump’s strongest line of attack has been personal in recent days, and of a degree of brutality rare even for this year’s bare-knuckles campaign. He mocked Clinton over the weekend for coming down with pneumonia and even questioned her fidelity to her husband.
“Hillary Clinton’s only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself,” he said.
“I don’t even think she’s loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?” said the Manhattan tycoon, who revived talk of Bill Clinton’s past infidelities following his lackluster debate performance.
His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway meanwhile accused Clinton on CNN of working to “blame and shame the women who had consensual sex with her husband over a number of years.”
Trump has defiantly dodged mounting questions about his tax record.
His top allies praised their candidate’s business acumen following a weekend bombshell revelation by The New York Times that he declared a loss of $916 million on his 1995 tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.
If true, the report based on documents leaked to the Times is proof of the tycoon’s “absolute genius,” former New York mayor and Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani said.
Trump reportedly took massive, albeit legal, tax breaks on failing businesses, earning millions for himself while shareholders and investors swallowed the losses and contractors went unpaid.
Clinton seized on the Times report to blast her rival not just for refusing to pay his share, but as a business failure.
“How anybody can lose a dollar, let alone a billion dollars, in the casino industry is kind of beyond me,” she said.
Here’s my question: What kind of ‘genius’ loses a billion dollars in a single year?
Trump parried the accusations during a rally in Pueblo, Colorado, saying he has long railed against “unfairness” of US tax laws.
“Honestly, I have brilliantly used those laws,” he said.
“As a businessman and real estate developer, I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit, and to the benefit of my company, my investors and my employees.”
Donald J. Trump / TwitterI know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2016
After closing in on Clinton in national polls before the debate, Trump has drifted again with polls released by Politico/Morning Consult and CNN/ORC show Clinton with a six-point and five-point lead, respectively.
A fresh Quinnipiac battlegrounds poll also showed Clinton leading in the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, but trailing Trump in Ohio.
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Kenny has a nice EU commissioner role awaiting him in Brussels, which is his 30 pieces of silver for not burning the bondholders but burdened the Irish taxpayers with debt.
@Permo Dermo: that wasn’t him. Blame that lying bast@rd Brian Cowan for that
@jason bourne: Actually jason it was Enda “its not our debt” that put us on the rack,
@Permo Dermo:
Please. The people who burdened the Irish taxpayers with debt were the public sector unions, who’s refusal to give an inch on their bloated pay and pensions during the recession led to a €20 billion annual deficit, every year. The bank bailout was small change compared to that.
@Fred Jensen: €20 > €64?? oh ya I forgot you’re probably using leprechaun economics.
@Fred Jensen: You are some moron aren’t you if you believe that. Aside from the incontrovertible fact that every public sector employee took a fairly hefty pay cut, one which is only now beginning to be only slightly undone, and had a public sector only pension levy applied, how could anyone forget that it was the failure of private sector organisations – banks and property developers among others – that caused the recession and economic collapse. Don’t be so daft
@Fred Jensen: Fred would you ever cop on to yourself.
Why wasn’t tosser listed.
Well this gombeen ever exit the stage.he sold out his own people in favour of the EU,has to be the most embarrassing leader ever
The sheer arrogance of the man, did the same when it came to announcing the date of the last General Election, flip-flopping around for months, unwilling to inform the Irish people when they would be allowed to cast their vote, forgetting that he is nothing more than a PUBLIC SERVANT. Should be in jail for treason.
Surely Seannachi-in-chief. I know a homeless fella on a bench in merrion square with a pint in each hand who will second him for the role, as soon as he’s finished phoning everyone to tell them how much extra water is in his taps thanks to fine gael.
He wasn’t good enough to be taoiseach never mind any of the other jobs. The fact that the EU people see him as a soft touch to advance their own objectives (hence all the EU praise) will rule him out for all of those jobs. I can’t remember one important decision he’s made in the 6 years he’s been taoiseach, except that announcement for the immigrant vote referendum a few months back which will mean nothing to most of us.
@Adrian: The Aqueduct?
“Recently, there has been speculation that Kenny should be kept on as Brexit minister.”
Why would we want “its not our debt” any were near important discussions…..
40 years as a TD, stayed under the radar for 30 odd years collecting his wages and then spent the past few years keeping his masters in Brussels happy to make sure he gets a plum job in Europe. He’s done very well for “himself” and will be looked after while phase two austerity continues to be implemented under stealth taxes and lack of investment in public services. That’s his legacy and as long as the Irish people continue to FF/FG, many more entitled TD’s will enrich themselves on the back of the gullible Irish voter.
While he collects his Taoiseach’s massive pension pot and then the 100k lump sum and the 30k a year teachers pension, he can think about it.
Prison cell
@Jonathan Yeo: so it’s a crime to save a country from economic ruins?
@Negan: lol
@Negan: what planet are you on, I’d like to visit for a few hours.
What about absolute waster?
Quentin Tarantino is looking for a new gimp for Pulp Fiction 2
Would his incompetence be put up with anywhere else.
@William Clay: Only in the EU…..
He could get a job working for Dinny?
Like Cowan did.
Who would have him the circus wouldn’t take him!!
@vinnie Monaghan. Cos he already holds that job title.
He should be booted out of politics.
Why doesn’t he volunteer and dosomething worthwhile ? Why a job with a big salary and yet another pension?
A bog in his beloved mayo,,bury him in it
@Shane O Malley: Shane with a name like O Malley at u sure u wouldn’t like to be buried with him.
Backbencher?
Go back teaching-ar u. Joking-he couldn’t teach a donkey.He will b over in the canaries rubbing the sun cream onto Finnullas back.
Enda wants the private lick arse job to Merkel.
have your say