The year 2022 will not come down as a good year for former President Donald Trump. The billionaire politician found the consequences of his actions following him wherever he goes, as he continues to lose support within the Republican party as well as potentially being prosecuted for his various crimes.
With that in mind, what else could be in store for the former President and current Presidential candidate in the upcoming year? His path to a return to the White House remains unclear, and here may be the reasons why.
What is Donald Trump’s net worth?
Trump’s tax returns were finally released this year by Congress, showing that the President had only paid about $1 million in taxes at most annually, putting his yearly rate at 4%--far lower than what the typical tax payer would give, and largely due to the former "Apprentice" star being shielded by special tax rules for real estate people, according to CNN.
The low amount of taxes that he appears to be paying definitely pales in comparison to the real estate empire that he had built for himself and his family. His net worth is currently valued at $3.2 billion, which is far less than the estimated $4.5 billion that he was worth in 2015 but significantly more than what his tax status suggested about his finances, Forbes reported.
Much of his wealth comes from real estate, including more than $1.6 billion attributed to his properties in New York City as well as his golf clubs and resorts around the world. Nearly $800 million of his fortune also reportedly comes from his personal brand, as he licenses his name and so-called prestige to other companies.
Weakening Republican base support
Trump’s big Republican support that he had during his Presidency appears to be weakening based on polls, with many believing that they would rather nominate someone else for the Presidency instead of Trump, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A large part of the weakening support comes from the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections. Predicted by many to be a red wave, Republicans were instead wiped out as many of the candidates that Trump supported, including Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, lost the elections in important states.
But even bigger is the Jan. 6 Congressional committee investigations into the Capitol insurrection, which found him having a big role in inspiring the rioters to attack Congress as a way of overturning the 2020 Presidential elections.
Even former supporters like advisor Steve Bannon, who was recently sentenced to four months in jail after ignoring a subpoena, said that he was tired of Trump's antics, and many of his big supporters appear to agree.
Future charges for Trump
It appears that beyond potential charges that may come out from his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection as well as the hoarding of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s businesses may also be attacked for civil charges related to its tax fraud conviction. An Atlanta-based jury is also looking into his attempts to overturn the elections in 2020.
Worse yet, lawmakers have attempted a bipartisan effort to update the Electoral Count Act in order to prevent actions like what Trump had tried to do in 2020 from happening again, signaling that even his partymates will not stand for the attempted manipulation of votes.
What will happen to Trump?
It seems like whatever consequences Trump is facing from 2022 may only intensify further in 2023, and may potentially jeopardize his stake as the Republican Presidential candidate for 2024 and a return to the White House.
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