Trump 4.0: “Other Sources” Will Pay For the Wall

Michael Reynolds/CNP via ZUMA

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First Mexico was going to pay for it. Then NAFTA 2.0 was going to be so awesome that Mexico would pay for it in increased trade—or tariffs—or something. Then Congress had to pay for it, but Mexico would reimburse us someday so no worries. Then it would be paid for “other ways.”

That was this morning. Donald Trump caved to his fellow Republicans who didn’t want to shut down the government over his damn wall, and Sarah Sanders announced to the press that “there are certainly a number of different funding sources that we’ve identified that we can use.” And what are those “sources”? Nobody knows. Probably the same ones that are going to fund the greatest health care system the world has ever seen.

Honest to God, Trump is the worst negotiator I’ve ever seen. Even if he wasn’t paying attention you’d think he would have learned something in his 40 years of real estate wheeling and dealing. But apparently not.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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