Karen Stoehr

State College

Donald Trump’s legal debts are a danger to national security. He has demonstrated clearly that he will not use his own checkbook to pay for them. Instead, he solicits money from his supporters and others. This leaves him open to leverage from any billionaire, government, oligarch or deep-pocketed special interest.

Most recently, he secured a $91.6 million bond from Swiss-based insurer Chubb to appeal the verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault case. What terms were given for this bond? The Washington Post says it’s “… not clear from court records what collateral Trump presented to obtain the bond from Chubb.”

We do know that Chubb’s CEO, Evan Greenberg, was appointed by then-President Trump to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and served on that committee from 2018 to 2022. And we know that Chubb operates in 54 countries including Russia.

Trump’s worldview is entirely transactional. You give him something and he gives you something. Quid pro quo. This is a terribly vulnerable position for a highly leveraged candidate for president to be in. And should he win, he places the United States squarely in that zone of vulnerability.

Next up, Trump must find about $450 million to pay the fine for the real estate fraud judgment against him in New York. He will get that money from somewhere. Who will give it to him? And what will they want in return?