Donald Trump reportedly used a bail bondsman after being arrested at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, paying $20,000 of his bond set at $200,000 and taking out a loan for the rest of it. The fact that the former president resorted to such a measure has sparked questions on social media about the state of his finances.
Bail is essentially the court saying “give us this money, and when you show up for court you will get that money back.”
A bail bondsmen takes 10% as payment, giving the court the bail money. They will go so far as to hire bounty hunters to hunt you down, making sure you show up to court. When the court gives back the bail, they get to keep both the bail money (obviously) but also the 10% payment.
There’s no loan involved, the bail is more of a hold, and the bond is more of a payment. Trump isn’t paying less, he is literally paying a 10% bond to not have the full bail held. (Though it could be argued that the $180k could be used to make back the $20k but that’s a different discussion.) The bondsman has already received payment, there’s no concern of non payment by Trump.
That’s how it’s supposed to work, but in many counties the bondsman doesn’t actually front any cash to the court, and they don’t get charged if the suspect runs. They operate as a sort of slush fund for the owners, the officials, and the cops.
So these companies are often just another way to siphon money from people accused of a crime.
Super shady stuff.
Cool. So why would a billionaire use a bail bondsman service?
Honest but unpopular answer? He might believe he can make more money holding on to the $180k. It’s the same reason why I would take a 2% car loan even if I had enough to buy the car outright. I can make more than 2% just keeping that money in a mutual fund.
It’s not so much that this would be a valid (if boring) financial strategy.
It’s the fact that Trump is actually a terrible fucking businessman. To the extent that he makes any money at all, he makes it by borrowing money and resources and then never giving back anything in return. And he STILL lets casinos go bankrupt. He’s completely incompetent, which makes it hard to believe he would take the valid (if boring) strategy of reinvesting the 180k.
$200,000 for him (if he is real billionaire) should be like $20 for us.
That’s possibly what he’s thinking, but making back 20k on 180k (11%) before his trial ends seems like a bit of a tall order. Especially for someone who’s business accumen is a bit suspect. Not necessarily impossible, depending on how long the trial takes.
Of course he may just feel that keeping the capital fluid is a more prudent decision right now. Or he’s broke. No way to be sure ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Because he will use other people’s money rather than his own at every chance he can get.
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He’s trying to become potus again as a Heil Mary
If he feels that he really goes to jail I don’t think he will care about 2024 anymore. And he doesn’t have to leave in his own plane. He still has people who are willing to help him.
In any case I’m sure the bondsman is also his fan and probably wouldn’t even mind losing the money.
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I think we are greatly underestimating him. The fact that he still isn’t in jail shows that he isn’t that dumb (I don’t believe in luck). In fact playing dumb is what helped him get out of many difficult situations.
Maybe he is still useful to some people, so they don’t let him land on his face… Yet.
That is the real question.