Washington (CNN)America is about to get a tantalizing look into the hidden fortune on which Donald Trump made his name but is at the root of some of the most mysterious unresolved questions about his presidency.
The expected release of the President’s latest financial disclosure forms on Thursday will trigger a now annual controversy about Trump’s wealth, including the question of whether he is adding to it while in office.
The former real estate baron anchored his political appeal on his multi-billion dollar pile, claiming it showed he had the kind of ruthless deal maker’s instincts that insulated him from political pressure and enabled him to thumb his nose at elites.
“I am smarter than they are, I am richer than they are,” Trump said at a rally in 2018, showing how he uses money as a barometer of his own success and as a badge of honor to wield against an establishment that has never really accepted him.