The billion-dollar boaster: Trump’s taste for hyperbole
The former president’s ‘superpower’ could now be his undoing

Donald Trump built his brand on shameless exaggeration – or what he prefers to call “truthful hyperbole”, said Gwenda Blair on Politico. It was a feature of his first Manhattan project in the mid-1970s, when he refurbished the Grand Hyatt Hotel. To make the hotel sound even grander, he relabelled the floor numbers (the sixth became the fourteenth) and claimed, repeatedly and falsely, that it had the biggest ballroom in the city.
He repeated the trick with Trump Tower, which rises to a 68th floor, despite only having 58, and was billed – again falsely – as the tallest concrete structure in the world. But Trump’s “superpower” could now be his undoing.
Last week, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, announced a $250m civil lawsuit against him and his company, alleging fraud on a “staggering” scale: that for years he has inflated the value of his assets by billions, in order to secure cheaper loans.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some of the examples cited are “jaw-dropping”, said the New York Post. Trump claimed, for instance, that his apartment in Trump Tower spanned more than 30,000sq ft and was worth $327m, yet it was only a third of that size and worth a fraction of that. But Trump’s boastful ways were hardly a secret. If big banks gave him favourable rates on the basis of his claims, more fool them.
Trump would hardly be the first business leader to engage in this sort of spin, said Andrew C. McCarthy in National Review. James is making a mountain out of a molehill. She has yet to identify any victims, and it’s unclear whether her allegations “will come to much in the way of proof or consequence”.
Trump is facing two federal criminal investigations – into the storing of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago, and the efforts to overturn the 2020 election – that could result in serious charges. By comparison, this civil case is a pesky sideshow.
It’s true that the lawsuit itself won’t put Trump at risk of prison time, said Matt Ford in The New Republic. But it could do fatal damage to his company. If James’s suit prevails, it will not only lead to costly fines and penalties; it will also severely undermine The Trump Organisation, by effectively stopping it doing business in the state of New York. The fact that it is a state-level proceeding means that, even if Trump reclaims the presidency in 2024, he won’t be able to make the case go away. This makes it perhaps the most potent threat facing Trump right now
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The full moon calendar for every month.
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Meta on trial: What will become of Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire?
Today's Big Question Despite the CEO's attempt to ingratiate himself with Trump, Meta is on trial, accused by the U.S. government of breaking antitrust law
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Is the American dream still in reach?
In Depth Generations of immigrants have come to America seeking a better life. Can they still do so?
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The Resistance: Is it finally taking off?
Feature Mass protests erupted across all 50 states during the 'Hands Off!' demonstrations against the Trump administration
By The Week US
-
Loomer: Feeding Trump's paranoia
Feature Trump fires National Security Council officials after the conspiracy theorist attended a meeting in the Oval Office
By The Week US
-
Inflation: How tariffs could push up prices
Feature Trump's new tariffs could cost families an extra $3,800 a year
By The Week US
-
DOGE: Have we passed 'peak Musk'?
Feature The tech billionaire suffered a costly week after a $25 million election loss in Wisconsin and Tesla's largest sale drop on record
By The Week US
-
Tariffs: Time for Congress to take over?
Feature Senators introduce a bill that would require any new tariffs to be approved by Congress
By The Week US
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US