Episode 142
Why This $6.25B Gift Won’t Age Well
Summary:
I unpack the Michael & Susan Dell $6.25B pledge and why partnering with bad-faith actors is a branding and moral landmine. Is there any world where backing a Trump-adjacent vehicle is a good idea? Short answer: no. From lawsuits and bankruptcies to the history of financial deception, I argue that the Dell donation is a textbook case of misreading character risk—and why the “help 25M kids” promise is likely to end in disappointment.
Chapters:
00:00 — The “Would You Ever Back This?” Cold Open
00:30 — Character Risk in 20 Seconds
01:00 — The $6.25B Pledge, Minus Controls
01:30 — Final Take: Values > Vibes (and why I’d never fund it)
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Music Credit: Good_B_Music
Mentioned in this episode:
Left in Exile Outro
Left in Exile Intro
Transcript
] Is there any scenario where you could be convinced to invest or donate to any charitable or investment vehicle that's backed by the Trump regime? There is no scenario where I would think that's a good idea. After all, this is somebody who's been sued over 4,000 times in his career, usually for breach of contract and most commonly for non-payment of services.
On top of that, he's declared bankruptcy and a number of times, and he's a 34 time convicted felon with a known history for cooking his books in his financials to get all sorts of tax breaks. On top of all of that, he ran a literal, fake charity. There's nothing about contributing to an investment.
Or charitable foundation associated with Trump that can turn out well. It's nothing but bad news, but apparently Michael and Susan Dell did not get the memo. They are donating 6.25 billion to contribute to the Trump kids accounts, which are designed to help 25 million American kids get a headstart on life by creating investment accounts for them.
I admire the Dell's [:
