Chills, by Lauren Wolfe

Chills, by Lauren Wolfe

Share this post

Chills, by Lauren Wolfe
Chills, by Lauren Wolfe
Trump: The prodigal profligate son has come home

Trump: The prodigal profligate son has come home

His return is personal for all of us New Yorkers.

Lauren Wolfe's avatar
Lauren Wolfe
Apr 03, 2023
∙ Paid
25

Share this post

Chills, by Lauren Wolfe
Chills, by Lauren Wolfe
Trump: The prodigal profligate son has come home
6
Share

Journalism is too opaque and misunderstood. Chills gives a behind-the-scenes look at how dangerous investigative journalism gets made. 

Share


Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City today. He is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow at a Manhattan courthouse. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Tawny gold and lots of glass — a monument to money for money’s sake. This is what I remember as a child who walked past Trump Tower too many times: the glimmer of greed.

Nothing and everything has changed since the hideous building opened on 5th Avenue in 1983. As a businessman, Donald Trump was a disaster then, as he is now — he’s filed for a minimum of six bankruptcies. As a former president, he retains a hold on the world and seems to want to use that to validate and encourage armed groups and their bigotry. But before all that, there was “The Donald,” the guy who would do anything for a buck or a headline.

In his early days as a daddy-funded realtor in Queens, he carried on the family’s dirty real estate dealings. The Justice Department even sued father and son over their discriminatory policies at Trump residential buildings, where Black people were often banned.

“My legacy has its roots in my father’s legacy,” Trump told The Washington Post in 2015.

It sure does.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Chills, by Lauren Wolfe to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Lauren Wolfe
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share