Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump loves to pretend he knows the business world better than anyone else. He wins, you know? And he’s going to teach small business owners around the country how they can join him on the train of winners.
But first, he’s going to direct his train right into your store and f**k up every single thing inside. During Monday night’s debate, Trump was called out for his shady business history. He’s been accused of failing to pay hundreds of contractors throughout the years.
His response at the debate?
“Maybe he didn’t do a good job and I was unsatisfied with his work.”
Retired music store owner, J. Michael Diehl, takes that comment personally. In a guest column in The Washington Post, Diehl tells the story of how his small store in New Jersey got cheated by Trump back in 1989. The Donald had placed an order for $100,000 worth of pianos for his Trump Taj Mahal casino.
It was one of the biggest sales the store had ever made. Diehl had been running his business for more than 30 years at that point, and he never had anyone fail to pay him.
So when he got the ~yuge~ order from the filthy rich Trump, he decided against asking for the payment upfront:
“I asked my lawyer if I should ask for payment upfront, and he laughed. ‘It’s Donald Trump!’ he told me. ‘He’s got lots of money.’”
He does have lots of money, but unfortunately he does not have any compassion or values. After the order was filled, Diehl requested payment. Multiple times. The Trump corporation ignored his calls, and then a few months later, they sent him a letter claiming they were short on funds:
“They would pay 70 percent of what they owed me. There was no negotiating. I didn’t know what to do — I couldn’t afford to sue the Trump corporation, and I needed money to pay my piano suppliers. So I took the $70,000.”
The $30,000 loss was a massive blow to the small store. The profit from the deal was going to act as Diehl’s salary for that year. Their advertising budget was empty, thanks to the failed deal, which made it hard for the business to grow.
It set the store back a few years:
“Today, when I hear Trump brag about paying small business owners less than he agreed, I get angry. He’s always suggesting that the people who worked for him didn’t do the right job, didn’t complete their work on time, that something was wrong. But I delivered quality pianos, tuned and ready to go. I did everything right. And then Trump cheated me. It’s a callous way to do business.”
It’s important to remember that this is just one story. There are dozens of them out there. Trump does not care about you. He does not care about this country. He only cares about himself, and even that is in question because he’s constantly shoving fast food down his throat.
A vote for Trump is a vote for giving up.
Featured image: Screenshot Of YouTube Video.
