In a large US city in the not-too-distant past, a mobster would walk into a local store. The store owner, a recent immigrant, worked hard and saved to set up his store.
The mobster opens the conversation: “Nice store you have here.”
The store owner replies: “Thank you very much”
The mobster: “It would be a shame if something happened to it, such as a fire.”
The sore owner: “What are you saying?”
The mobster: “Pay me 15 percent of your revenue, and I make sure nothing happens to it. Consider it a kind of insurance premium.”
The same conversation takes place in other stores in the neighbourhood.
In the present, a representative of the Great Leader, Donald J. Trump, calls up the CEO of a successful company. The CEO, also an immigrant, has worked hard to build up the enterprise. It is very successful.
The representative of Trump opens the conversation: “Nice company you have here.”
The CEO: “Thank you very much.”
Trump’s representative: “It would be a shame if something happened to it, such as a prohibition on the export of your products or other regulatory impediments. We could always claim it is for national security reasons.”
The CEO: “What are you saying?”
The representative: “Pay the Trump administration 15 percent of your sales revenue, and you can export your products. and we’ll forget about the national security issues. View it as a sort of insurance premium.”
The same conversation takes place at another successful company, also run by an immigrant, a distant cousin of the CEO of the first company.
Well, now we know where Trump got his business skills from. He has finally happened on a business model, that even he cannot screw up. And unlike many of his other ventures, this might not end up in bankruptcy.
There is a legal term for this business model. It is called “EXTORSION”.