The grifter is an artiste, who invests in the long con. He takes pleasure in gulling the trusting and eluding justice. The grifter wants your applause, not just your pocket watch.
The grafter, by contrast, is a run-of-the-mill abuser of the public trust.
Donald Trump is an archetypal grifter. Using the presidency to promote your golf courses, hotels, and real estate business is grifting. So is getting people to pay a premium for buildings with your name in big, gold letters. Licensing your name is what every grifter dreams about. The Apprentice, a reality show about pretending to be a huge real estate mogul, was grifting squared. Trump University—getting paid to share your secrets about pretending to be a huge real estate mogul—was grifting to the third power. Trump-branded steaks, Trump wine, Trump bottled water—bottled water is grifting, by definition.
Jared Kushner, by contrast, is a rich-kid grafter, who lacks his father-in-law’s charisma and imagination. Trying to quietly use your power to convince Chinese or Qatari investors to bail out your disastrous investment in 666 Fifth Ave.—that’s grafting. Selling EB-5 visas to Chinese investors by touting your political connections—also grafting. Kushner’s machinations recall Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt’s notion of “honest graft,” when your private interests happen to align nicely with your public office. That’s Jared K. to a T.
Jared is a grafter married to a grifter.
slate.com
The grafter, by contrast, is a run-of-the-mill abuser of the public trust.
Donald Trump is an archetypal grifter. Using the presidency to promote your golf courses, hotels, and real estate business is grifting. So is getting people to pay a premium for buildings with your name in big, gold letters. Licensing your name is what every grifter dreams about. The Apprentice, a reality show about pretending to be a huge real estate mogul, was grifting squared. Trump University—getting paid to share your secrets about pretending to be a huge real estate mogul—was grifting to the third power. Trump-branded steaks, Trump wine, Trump bottled water—bottled water is grifting, by definition.
Jared Kushner, by contrast, is a rich-kid grafter, who lacks his father-in-law’s charisma and imagination. Trying to quietly use your power to convince Chinese or Qatari investors to bail out your disastrous investment in 666 Fifth Ave.—that’s grafting. Selling EB-5 visas to Chinese investors by touting your political connections—also grafting. Kushner’s machinations recall Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt’s notion of “honest graft,” when your private interests happen to align nicely with your public office. That’s Jared K. to a T.
Jared is a grafter married to a grifter.
Grifter or Grafter? A New Parlor Game That Explains Trumpworld.
The White House can be divided between the theatrically corrupt and the quietly self-dealing.
slate.com
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