'Most transparent president' Trump won't meet financial transparency deadline. Again.
Donald Trump, who once declared himself the "most transparent president probably in the history of this country," appears poised to miss a May 15 federal deadline for presidential candidates to disclose details about their personal finances.
"On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I write to request a 45-day extension to finalize and file his public financial disclosure report related to his candidacy for President of the United States, due to the complexities of his financial holdings," Trump attorney Scott Gast of the Compass Legal Group wrote the Federal Election Commission in a letter today.
The FEC wasted no time in approving Trump's request, with Acting General Counsel Lisa J. Stevenson responding to Gast: "I have granted your request for a 45-day extension of time."
Trump now has until July 1 to submit details about his personal finances, including information about his assets, debts, sources of income and royalties.
Trump's personal finances have been an endless source of pride for the former president, who for decades has boasted of his extreme wealth — measured in the billions during much of his business career.
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His finances have likewise been an endless source of intrigue and controversy. For example, a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels has just this week taken center stage in the first of four scheduled criminal trials Trump is facing — while simultaneously running for president as the Republican Party's presumptive 2024 nominee.
Trump last year violated a federal financial disclosure law — without penalty — after failing to file a signed personal financial disclosure on time.
He did end up eventually filing his public financial disclosure on April 14, nearly a month past his final extension, news that Raw Story broke. Trump had then exhausted 90 days of extensions for filing his report, which was initially due within 30 days of him declaring his candidacy for president on Nov. 15, 2022.
Trump's disclosure from April 2023 listed numerous investments. Some examples of investments listed for “DJT Trust - Investment Account 2” that are valued in the $500,001 to $1 million range are with companies like Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson and tobacco company, Philip Morris International. That trust has investments in pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Novartis and defense companies like Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Technologies, all valued in the $250,001 to $500,000 range.
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The filing notes a wide range of different income sources, ranging from “golf related revenue” to “ice skating rink operation,” along with real estate investments, speaking engagements and retail sales, to name a few.
The disclosure form includes information like royalties Trump received from his 1987 book, "The Art of the Deal," classified in the $100,001 to $1 million income range. The form indicates that Trump has two pensions, one in the $15,001 to $50,000 range from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Retirement Fund and another from the Screen Actor’s Guild in the range of $100,001 to $1 million.
Trump would again delay disclosure — although not violate the law this time — several months later when required to submit his annual presidential candidate disclosure.
All presidential candidates are required to file their public financial disclosures by May 15 unless they request and receive an extension from the government, as independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also did earlier this week.
The official government certification of Trump's 2023 disclosure was also fraught, as officials at the Office of Government Ethics internally questioned the accuracy of Trump's financial numbers, according to documents obtained by Raw Story through a Freedom of Information Act request.