When former President Donald Trump visited the iconic Versailles restaurant in Miami after being indicted on 37 federal charges, he announced that there would be “food for everyone.” There was just one problem: according to a report in Miami New TimesMr. Trump never picked up the bill.
Mr. Trump’s visit to the Cuban restaurant functioned largely as a campaign stop after he spent the morning in federal court on charges that he mishandled classified documents and obstructed government efforts to retrieve them.
Mr Trump received a warm welcome at Versailles, a frequent stop for Republican candidates in the city, where diners sang him a rendition of “Happy Birthday” and prayed over him. But Mr Trump only saw fit to stay at the restaurant for a few minutes after announcing there would be food for everyone, leaving no time for people to order, let alone pay the check.
Mr. Trump flew to New Jersey that afternoon to give a speech from his Bedminster golf club, telling the crowd that he had refused to return boxes of classified documents in part because he had clothes in the boxes.
The fact that Mr Trump failed to pay the bill to Versailles clients after telling them he would will not surprise many who have followed his career in public life.
In fact, the former president has a long history of stiffing people who work for him. During his 2016 presidential campaign. USA today reported that Mr. Trump had refused to pay in full hundreds of different people hired to work for him, from dishwashers to lawyers. TruthSocial, the social media network favored by Mr. Trump to compete with Twitter, did as well it is reported was engaged in a battle with his web host over unpaid bills.
Mr. Trump, who has often boasted of his wealth and is estimated to have a net worth of more than $2 billion, currently has far bigger legal headaches than unpaid bills. He was indicted in New York for his alleged role in a secret payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and was also indicted federally over his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
These prosecutions are playing out as Mr. Trump races to retake the White House. He is currently the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination for a third straight term, leading a large field of contenders that includes both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.