Could Donald Trump's wealthy daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner help protect the former president's assets from his looming deadline to fund a $464 million civil fraud case bond?
If Donald Trump cannot secure enough cash to settle the bill facing him in New York, or secure a bond from a private company by next Monday, March 25, his local real estate assets will be seized and liquidated by the state.
Earlier this week, Donald Trump's lawyers said he faced "insurmountable difficulties" trying to raise the necessary cash. But Ivanka Trump and Kushner are estimated to have a combined net worth of over $1 billion, based on the pair's real estate holdings and other investments based on ethics filings. The couple's net worth is not publicly known.
In 2017, financial disclosures showed that Ivanka Trump and Kushner were the beneficiaries of a $740 million real estate and investment business. The businesswoman's 2018 disclosure reported $55 million worth of assets.
But why has the couple not stepped in to support the former president?
"The key question is the degree to which there are liquid assets available, and thus looking at the wealth of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner needs to take into account the availability of liquid assets," Todd Landman, professor of Political Science at the U.K.'s University of Nottingham, told Newsweek.
Liquid assets can be rapidly converted into cash while keeping their market value. A lot of Donald Trump's money is reportedly tied up in real estate holdings, making him unable to suddenly raise the necessary cash to pay the huge bond. Much of Ivanka Trump and Kushner's money is also likely tied up in investments that cannot quickly be converted into cash, like property (the two bought a property in Miami for $30 million in December 2020).
"The second challenge is that these funds are sought for a bond pending an appeal. If he loses the appeal, then the funds would form part of the civil judgment payment," Landman said.
That means that the money would essentially be lost. Other options to raise money are just as unappealing.
"There are also capital assets, which are more complex as many of these are leveraged, such that any sales revenue collected from liquidating capital assets would be discounted by subtracting principal and penalty payments for early exit from loans and mortgages," Landman explained.
"There is also the probability of the less than ideal price any asset may garner owing to the need for a quick sale," he continued. "This means that the total money generated from the liquidation of capital assets would be much lower than the sale price."
Donald Trump's lawyers have not yet mentioned the former president's intention to sell any of his assets, or ask any of his family members for help. Newsweek contacted Alina Habba's office and Ivanka Trump's lawyer Bennet Moskowitz for comment by email on Wednesday.
In a March 18 court filing, Donald Trump's lawyers said that he had tried to raise money from at least 30 different companies, unsuccessfully. Donald Trump said that the bond required by the court is "impossible for any company, including one as successful as mine."
On Monday, Donald Trump's lawyers filed a document in court saying they are unable to secure the bond amount, which has increased from $454 million because of interest, in the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James
"The amount of the judgment, with interest, exceeds $464 million, and very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude," Donald Trump's lawyers said.
Last month, Donald Trump was ordered by Judge Arthur Engoron to pay the fine in a judgment that said he inflated the value of his assets and properties on financial statements to banks and insurers while trying to get loans and make deals. The former president and his two eldest sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., were also barred from conducting business in New York for two to three years.
The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate has suggested he was the victim of political persecution. Donald Trump added that his real estate company helped "rebuild" New York City and that "maniac" prosecutors are trying to "wrongfully and illegally" take his property empire away from him.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
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