Donald Trump achieved what might otherwise be thought of as a noble accomplishment – had he given so much money away that he dropped precipitously from the Bloomberg 500, it might be celebrated – as it would be with nearly anyone. We can’t know the number who have given their fortune away, nor whether Donald Trump does give large sums away. Well, I think it’s fair to say that Trump hasn’t given away anything…at least not with his own money.

USA Today is responsible for first reporting that Trump dropped off the Bloomberg list – he has had a lot of expenses of late, some of which he can’t help, some of which he could’ve.

It is worth reviewing the Bloomberg 500 because you can learn a lot about life. There are some on the list who developed products that might save the world – or at least contribute to it. Bill Gates changed software, though not as much as Steve Jobs. Sergey Brin changed the way the net searches for information. Elon Musk has made more and lost more than many and yet has a long list of accomplishments.

There are people who simply make money off other people’s money – they are called “financiers,” and their contribution is primarily making the rich richer and keeping a nation’s wealth steadier and safer. (Ideally)

And then there are the “sperm lottery winners,” of which Trump is primarily one. There are those who believe Trump would still be on the list had he stuck his inheritance into a solid but relatively safe mutual fund. The Waltons outdo Trump in the lottery by a factor of, well – we don’t know. Trump is now off the list.

There is one more category: The accidental billionaires, people who set out to tinker (think Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, even Musk in a way) and simply succeeded such that they are high on the list without ever intending to get rich – or at least, that rich.

But is falling off the list a bad thing?

A place on the Bloomberg 500 might mean that one is hoarding a lot of wealth. But the Gates Foundation – joined by Warren Buffet, proves that one can do both, and it’s hard – perhaps impossible – to determine who is doing both. Maybe some seek more money to have more to give away at the end.

Bernard Arnault, a Frenchman Bloomberg lists as being in the “consumer” industry is worth $226B. John Sall, worth $5.81 billion, who works in tech is number 500.

Obviously, hundreds dot the list in between.

It kind of makes one wish there was a 75% tax on all wealth over $100 million. In today’s world, if you cannot live like a king on $100 million, well – you have problems. Additionally, one would still have an incentive to beat out the competition. The accumulation of wealth does play an important role in changing the world. One has to leave some incentive.

None of this really matters. The numbers change daily, and money is power. Some think Vladimir Putin is really the richest person on Earth if his money could be accounted for. His money can buy armies and change world policy – personal priorities, if it’s true.

However, there is a sense that this matters to Donald Trump, but one cannot prove it… yet. As of this writing, Trump hasn’t spoken out on Truth Social – it’s possible that he won’t. It’s possible it no longer matters now that he’s consumed with politics.

With respect to wealth, vanity seems to slip in, seemingly from nowhere. It is possible that Trump is now consumed with politics.

Speaking of Truth Social, many blame the company’s problems, not Trump’s criminal or civil issues, for the fall. Again, from USA Today: 

Shares [of Truth Social] dipped 12% on Friday, 8% on Monday and were down another 2% late Tuesday morning to trade at $36.35. That’s down more than 50% since its peak of $79.38 in late March.

Perhaps if the list was compiled two months ago, Trump would – comfortably clear the bar.

As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The rich are different than us.” On any regular day, the ultra-rich can make $10 billion or lose $10 billion, a billion here, there, and everywhere… It’s different, alright.

There is something Jesus said about a camel through the eye of a needle that makes one stop and breathe. What is “rich,” anyway? One might ask someone starving in the Sudan and get an answer very different from that of most Americans.

Trump will likely give us an idea soon. Maybe not. That would be a surprising but redeeming non-reaction.

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