Donald Trump's Real Wealth: Book Reveals Former President Once Paid by Leaseholder in Gold Bars, Wheeled Into Trump Tower Apartment

The lease of a Manhattan parking garage that former president Donald Trump owned was once paid for with dozens of gold bars, according to a new book.

An excerpt from the upcoming book 'Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America' by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, which details the payment and other business activities, was provided to CNN.

Trump's Business Dealings

The book, which will be released on October 4, details Donald Trump's life from his early years as a businessman in New York City to his eventual ascent to the presidency. Trump's companies have gained attention as a result of the legal scrutiny they are receiving for their tax filing and property value estimations.

Wednesday saw the announcement of a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the Trump family and the Trump Organization, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who claims they defrauded investors and tax officials. The probe has been criticized by several Trump family members as being politically motivated, as per The Hill.

The rise of the Trump Organization is extensively covered in Haberman's book, including the incident in which the owner of the parking garage in Manhattan's General Motors building delivered Trump a box containing a large number of gold bars to pay the lease's cash component.

According to Haberman's book, Trump instructed his former security guard to wheel the gold bars up to his apartment in Trump Tower after telling advisers he didn't know what to do with them. When asked about the destiny of the bricks, Trump referred to it as a fantasy question, Haberman wrote.

Trump reportedly informed advisers after the 2020 election that he would stay in the White House after President Joe Biden's inauguration, according to a previously published section from Haberman's book.

NY AG Accuses Trump, Children of Engaging Numerous Fraud

At a dramatic press conference on Wednesday, Letitia James revealed the lawsuit against the former president, citing a document that charges Donald Trump and his three adult children with inflating real estate values while applying for loans to build their father's real estate enterprise.

James asserted that the president and his progeny had engaged in many acts of dishonesty in an attempt to block the president from conducting business in her state for years. She singled out Trump and his three adult children, Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump, claiming that they persistently overstated the value of their possessions.

Despite the apparent extravagance of receiving payment in gold, there were occasions when Trump was sailing close to the wind. Trump responded to James, a black woman, by labeling her racist and accusing her of bringing the matter forward to improve her very awful poll ratings.

According to Haberman, Trump once had to borrow several million dollars from George Ross, one of his own executives. Ross would only say to the author that it wasn't to pay the bills but rather to cover an issue that was disposed of very fast. Ross made an appearance on NBC's The Apprentice as one of Trump's counselors.

She also recalls a time when the magazine was preparing a story indicating that Trump's net worth was much lower than his own claims, and she was alleged to have threatened to go public with suspicions that Malcolm Forbes, the deceased owner of Forbes magazine, was gay. One of the main points of the accusations James outlined on Wednesday was the question of how much money Trump actually has, Daily Mail reported.