Viral new anti-Trump ad shows how gobs of taxpayer PPP money were handed to his family and his cronies

A photograph of Donald Trump with money shown falling down around him.

Screenshot / YouTube

The new Meidas Touch PPP ad reveals Trump’s friends and relatives who pocketed billions in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money. The PPP was part of the CARES act, the first coronavirus relief package passed by congress. The bill included mechanisms for congress to track CARES act funding, but the president and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin pushed back against congressional oversight. Trump said, “I’ll be the oversight.”

$400 billion in PPP loans is unaccounted for. But Meidas Touch can show us where some of the money went. No surprise to find it in the pocket of the president’s buddies.

WATCH:

Who should have gotten the PPP money?

A photograph of a few pennies in a jar, with a few coins next to it.

Canva

Under the PPP, businesses with fewer than 500 employees could apply for a loan to cover up to 2-1/2 months of payroll. Loans will be forgiven if the company keeps its employees on the payroll.

The PPP rollout was plagued by problems. The money was given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Some truly small businesses were left out in the cold because they did not have a relationship with a bank that allowed them to navigate the loan process. Finally, the money just ran out.

No waiting list was maintained, which meant that as more money came in to renew the PPP program, the free-for-all just started over again.

Who did get the PPP money?

Piles of money

Pixabay

Meanwhile, as the Medias Touch PPP ad shows, some larger, stable, not-so-small businesses took advantage of the program, although some of them were eventually shamed into returning the money.

Grover Norquist took PPP money.

A photograph of Grover Norquist.

Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Grover Norquist is known in Washington DC for getting Republicans to promise not to raise taxes. But when the PPP rolled around, his company, Americans for Tax Reform, cashed in for between $150,000 and $350,000.

Meidas Touch also reveals that there is in fact, a spoon.

Tucker Carlson got some PPP money.

A screenshot of Tucker Carlson from his Fox News show

Screenshot / Youtube

Tucker Carlson, one of the on-air personalities on Fox’s team of conservative lackeys, says, “Handouts are depressing.” Or at least that’s what he said. But The Meidas Touch ad reveals that Tucker’s company, the Daily Caller, trousered as much as a cool million bucks.

Devin Nunes’s WINERY got $1 or $2 million.

A photograph of Devin Nunes.

Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Trump lapdog Devin Nunes spent the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic telling people it was “a great time to just go out.” In addition to his busy DC schedule, Nunes owns a side stake in Phase 2 Cellars. The new Meidas Touch PPP ad shows the winery scored $1 to $2 million in pandemic assistance money.

Jared Kushner & Trump family

A photograph of Jared Kushner at an event

Flickr / Gage Skidmore

Jared Kushner’s never-ending chain of grift now includes $1 to $2 million in PPP cash, according to the new Meidas Touch ad. That includes an investment firm and a Kushner-named academy. ProPublica reports that plenty of other Trump-related businesses scored some PPP as well.

Kanye West. (I ain’t sayin’ he a gold digger…)

A photograph of Kanye West.

Wikimedia

Making the charts of the Meidas Touch PPP list, let’s take a quick look at this guy, who thinks he should be president. Kanye West’s company walked off with a couple million.

Televangelists and Pence’s favorite megachurch

A doctored photograph shows the Statue of Liberty holding a cross rather than a torch.

Flickr / Kathy Drasky

There are even more recipients than the new Meidas Touch PPP ad has time for. Televangelists have received over $7.3 billion, including $2 to $5 million for a megachurch that hosted Mike Pence.

Mitch McConnell’s wife

A photograph of Mitch McConnell sitting with his wife Elaine Chao

Screenshot / YouTube

Mitch McConnell might be willing to let states go bankrupt, but his wife’s family is another matter.

And who else?

An image shows a pile of question marks.

Canva

“There is still another $400 billion not accounted for. Where did it go?” The Meidas Touch PPP ad ends by asking where nearly half a trillion dollars went. Steve Mnuchin was already okay with bailout rules that let companies “turn around and fire workers.”Now he’s even trying to hide where the money went.

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