Question: Is Donald Trump the richest person to have ever run for office?
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  Question: Is Donald Trump the richest person to have ever run for office?
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Author Topic: Question: Is Donald Trump the richest person to have ever run for office?  (Read 1351 times)
Krago
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« on: April 26, 2017, 12:52:37 PM »

Some friends and I were chatting about this, and we weren't sure about the answer.  Depending on how you calculate net worth, Ross Perot may be the wealthiest person to ever run for U.S. President. 

I don't know of any billionaires to have run for elective office in other countries (Berlusconi?).  Can anyone enlighten me?
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Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin
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« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2017, 01:11:49 PM »

The obscured and exaggerated nature of Trump's personal wealth makes the question impossible to accurately answer.
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Kalwejt
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« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2017, 01:52:35 PM »

Wasn't George Washington the richest man in the United States while elected President?
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Blue3
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« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2017, 02:00:03 PM »

I read an article showing that, yes, Trump is the richest president.

Not sure about "to ever run for office."
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Pericles
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« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2017, 05:10:02 PM »

We don't know the state of Trump's finances.  He claims $10 billion but maybe he's only $5 billion,  I don't know. He needs to release his tax returns!
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bagelman
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« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2017, 11:06:43 PM »

Perot may have been wealthier
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Santander
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« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2017, 03:31:21 PM »

I don't know of any billionaires to have run for elective office in other countries (Berlusconi?).  Can anyone enlighten me?
Uh... this is extremely common. They often win, too.
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diptheriadan
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« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2017, 03:52:12 PM »
« Edited: April 27, 2017, 03:56:19 PM by Dip The Riadan »

If you're talking about the Presidency, then no. Perot's got him beat by about half a billion. If you're talking about any office, then also no. I know Michael Bloomberg's got him beat by about 40 billion, but it is incredibly likely that some politician in ancient Rome or some sh**t has beat even that.
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SoLongAtlas
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« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2017, 02:09:46 PM »

No but he is the richest U.S. president to win office. The second richest was JFK followed by Washington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_net_worth

As to Dip's point, Rome did have many rich patricians in office, the richest by far was Crassus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus http://www.neatorama.com/2008/07/09/10-richest-people-of-all-time-and-how-they-made-their-fortunes/

As for the richest people to run and win in America, the Rockefellers beat Trump in that as well as Bloomberg. OP see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_richest_American_politicians
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SoLongAtlas
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« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2017, 02:12:31 PM »

Wasn't George Washington the richest man in the United States while elected President?

No, Hancock and Derby were during Washington's two terms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_richest_Americans_in_history#By_half_decade
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Kingpoleon
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« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2017, 02:45:19 AM »

Michael Bloomberg, William Randolph Hearst, the Rockefellers, and Ross Perot all likely have a strong claim to the title.
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Skill and Chance
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« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2017, 02:05:07 PM »
« Edited: April 30, 2017, 02:14:57 PM by Skill and Chance »

Richer people have run.  Whether richer people have been elected president really comes down to how you assign a modern dollar value to George Washington's plantation, which is not an easy question to answer.
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Dr. MB
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« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2017, 12:31:00 AM »

Vladimir Putin's reportedly worth $200 billion. And even if it's not true, Michael Bloomberg discounts Trump right there.
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TexArkana
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« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2017, 11:26:48 AM »

Ross Perot and Michael Bloomberg come to mind.
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Starry Eyed Jagaloon
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« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2017, 12:47:03 PM »

My namesake is the wealthiest person to have ever won political office. Obviously, historical political figures that weren't democratically elected were wealthier.
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Cynthia
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« Reply #15 on: December 03, 2017, 02:36:40 AM »

David Koch was the 1988 Libertarian nominee for VP.
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