Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

How Trump Rides on Waves of Other People's Money

His father's. His investors'. His campaign contributors'. Will every taxpayer be next?

September 26, 2016 at 9:00 AM EDT

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

Cashing in.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

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During a campaign stop in North Carolina last week, Donald Trump described the logic behind his plans for billing other countries for U.S. military support should he become president:

By "takes the risk," Trump means that using other people's funds reduces his risk of losing any of his own money on deals. Trump has spent a lifetime using other people's money – and losing piles of it along the way.

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