Let’s not fool ourselves. When Donald Trump bought Ed McMahon’s house ultimately saving an old man from foreclosure, it was not an act of compassion. Donald Trump is a businessman with great sense of seeing hidden value where others fail to see it. He does not donate money, he invests. And this may have been one of the best investments he’s made. I’m sure he’s done his due diligence and this new property he’s bought will pay for itself many times over. But on top of that, he’s also portrayed by the media as a savior, a prince on a white horse, a man of warm heart who did not hesitate to cash out $4.6 million dollars to save Ed McMahon from getting the boot. I’m surprised none of the media posted a picture of Mr. Trump with a halo around his head. But let’s not lose touch with reality – Donald Trump is not a hero. He’s an investor and this act was also an investment. Mark my words!
What exactly happened?
85 year old American actor, TV announcer and producer Ed McMahon managed to waste all of his millions he swaged throughout decades of his active and successful acting career, to the point that his Beverly Hills home was about to go into foreclosure. Come June 2008, Ed was already $644,000 behind on payments. His excuse was that he wasn’t able to get any jobs since he broke his neck 18 months ago. His 6-bedroom home in the gated community of The Summit – the same area where Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani live – has been for sale for two years at $6.25 million but no bites. Some say Britney Spears was to blame, because each time a potential buyer showed up, there were hundreds of paparazzi around and that’s not exactly the idea of quiet neighborhood people would expect when buying a $6 million house.
It didn’t look very well for Ed McMahon and his wife and the threat of being evicted was becoming real, when out of the blue the news came that Donald Trump stepped in and saved them from dangers of being homeless. The billionaire is to buy the house and is letting the couple live there. Donald Trump is not friends with Ed McMahon as they’ve never met, but he claims he grew up watching him on The Tonight Show and considers this deal “an act of honor”.
Conclusion:
I seriously question Donald Trump’s motives. He’s a real estate guru so it is possible he has used this as PR to help him boost the price of other properties he’s looking to sell. It’s also possible Ed McMahon is no longer in immediate danger of being homeless, but instead of owing Countrywide Financial Corp. a sum of $4.6 million, he now owes Donald Trump a sum of $5.6 million. Either way, this was not a kind gesture. Men of his stature don’t make kind gestures. There was definitely an ulterior financial motive. Donald Trump does not spend a penny unless there’s a guarantee of getting two back.
I’m sure everything’s working out as planned for Donald Trump. The media definitely ate his Mother Theresa prank, but who’s gonna laugh last?