The crypto conmen got conned by the grifter in chief. Poetic justice at work 🙂

    • xyzzy@lemm.ee
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      8 hours ago

      In my experience, extreme wealth is a sign of one or more of: inherited wealth, lack of morality, lack of empathy, lack of humility, lack of self-reflection, or luck. In most cases these people are simply so broken that they’ll justify exploiting other people to get what they want in ways that people with morals simply refuse to.

      Intelligence isn’t a major factor.

      Also they’re willing to spend millions of dollars on a dinner like this because what’s the downside? Losing that money won’t affect their lifestyle in any way. Worst-case scenario, they get a story out of it. Best-case scenario, they get face time with the most powerful person on the planet and maybe a sympathetic ear if they get in trouble with the law (since all of them are privately breaking the law in some way).

    • Kirp123@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Despite what rich people want you to believe you don’t actually have to be that smart to be rich. You just have to be lucky and ruthless. Being lucky enough to be born into the right family for example has a disproportionately bigger impact to becoming wealthy than your personal achievements. What you lack in luck or smarts you make up by being ruthless and steal and exploit. Your employees, your community, your government and so on.

    • mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      People are acting like this man got conned or like they’re stupid. This was a bribe for a get out of jail free card. If you’re rich and make your money in black market ways this is the best possible decision you can make. Your name is on a list in front of the president even if you didn’t meet him. That means a pardon in the future.