Trump, laden with $400 million debts, plans to cash in on his post-presidency with a book deal, media appearances, and selling rally tickets, according to a report

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Trump, laden with $400 million debts, plans to cash in on his post-presidency with a book deal, media appearances, and selling rally tickets, according to a report
US President Donald Trump golfs at Trump National Golf Club on November 21, 2020 in Sterling, Virginia.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
  • President Donald Trump is considering a range of ways to make money and advance his political brand when he leaves office in January, sources close to the president told The Washington Post.
  • Facing $400 million debts, Trump is talking about ways to cash-in through selling rally tickets, lucrative speaking gigs and media appearances, according to the report.
  • Though in public Trump has insisted he was the real winner of the election, in private his attention has focussed on what he'll do after leaving the White House.
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President Donald Trump, with top aides and allies, has discussed ways he could cash-in on his role as former president when he leaves the White House in January, The Washington Post reported.

In public, Trump has continued to stir allegations of election fraud, for which he has produced no convincing evidence, and insists that he is the real winner of the election, which media organizations called for Democrat Joe Biden more than two weeks ago. Trump has even attempted to pressure GOP officials to delay certifying the election result in a bid to subvert the result of the election.

But in private conversation with aides, the Post reports, Trump appears to have acknowledged he will be leaving office in January, and is planning his next moves.

Sources told the Post that after leaving office, Trump "wants to remain an omnipresent force in politics and the media," and cement his role as a GOP power broker.

Among the ideas touted by the president are a 2024 run for the presidency, setting up a potential rematch with Biden. But facing debts of up to $400 million, some of which will come due in the next two years, and likely substantial legal bills, making money is also reportedly at the forefront of Trump's mind.

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"Trump also has been exploring ways to make money for relatively little work, such as giving paid speeches to corporate groups or selling tickets to rallies," reports the Post."Also, he may try to write a score-settling memoir of his time as president and appear on television, in a paid or unpaid capacity."

Trump is also talking about revenge, particularly against Fox News, the conservative-leaning network whose coverage of his administration has been largely fawning, but which Trump believes has betrayed him.

There have been some signs Fox News is beginning to distance itself from Trump, which the president has fixated on. He was enraged by the network when it first projected Biden had flipped Arizona on election night.

However, sources told the Post that the president would be unlikely to attempt to start his own media empire, as some reports have suggested he will, because of the uncertain chances of success.

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