Someone note the date: CNN actually reported on what it called potentially “good news” for former President Donald Trump.
After The Washington Post reported last week that the Securities and Exchange Commission had approved a proposed merger between the Trump Media and Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition — an approval that the Post referred to as “a victory for Trump” — CNN took a look at what that merger might mean for the former president’s net worth.
It’s unlikely that they were happy about what they found about the value of the shares of Truth Social held by Trump, although I have to admit that they did a fairly good job in this short clip of keeping the most obvious symptoms of their Trump Derangement Syndrome tamped down.
“Back in 2022 it was about $700 million,” CNN senior political data reporter Harry Enten said. “Last year, it was less than $100 million.
“But, there’s this idea essentially that Truth Social will in fact be able to go public. And how much would Trump’s shares be worth if it does in fact go public?
“It could be upwards of $4 billion — that’s billion with a b, not million with an m,” he said.
He pointed out that Trump, 77, would be unable to sell the stocks for six months after the merger — a period explained by the Post’s original article as a “lockup” that could potentially be waived by Digital World Acquisition.
The Post speculated that the merger could take place in April, meaning Trump would have the ability to sell his shares in October, potentially, if not earlier.
Do you think Trump should sell his shares of Truth Social when he can?
Yes: 66% (351 Votes)
No: 34% (177 Votes)
The Post did not speculate — at least not in writing — about how that $4 billion might be used to pay for last-minute presidential campaign expenses, or to repay lenders who were willing to view Trump’s Truth Social holdings as collateral.
Of course, there is always the possibility that the stock could lose value over those six months.
“The fact is,” Enten concluded, “we’ve had all this bad news for Trump. This could be good financial news for Donald Trump.”
CNN analyzes Trump’s Truth Social merger
“How much would Trump’s shares be worth if it does in fact go public? It could be upwards of $4 billion. That’s billion with a B—not million with an M”
The Post’s piece was, of course, filled with caveats about how Trump’s wealth wasn’t real money — they found one professor of finance, for example, who told the outlet that the potential $4 billion amounted only to “paper wealth … with the emphasis on ‘paper,’ since his [Trump Media] shares cannot currently be sold.”
They also mentioned a number of potential obstacles still remaining before the merger can go through, which is not exactly uncommon in such a complex transaction.
All things considered, however, this is potentially very good news for the former president — so good, in fact, that even the TDS-afflicted folks over at CNN felt obliged to report it.
And that’s a rare event worth taking note of.
A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:
I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.”
That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.
Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.
The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.
Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control.
A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.
We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight?
Sincerely,
Josh Manning
Deputy Managing Editor
The Western Journal
George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of “WJ Live,” powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
