Trump, once again, continues to be his own worst enemy.
Politically speaking, he seems to have surrounded himself with a bunch of idiots.
How else can you possibly explain how anyone thought it would be a good idea for Trump to pose with a known Philadelphia mobster?
What Are You Thinking?
So, if you read BND and CJR regularly, you already know I grew up in Philadelphia.
That being said, I am very familiar with the notorious, Joseph ‘Skinny Joey’ Merlino.
In fact, I used to work at a restaurant where he and his crew would come for dinner once or twice a month.
Merlino, at one point, took control of the Philly mob, having also led a bloody war against the Scarfo and Stanfa crime families.
Merlino was technically the Underboss of the family when Ralph Natale was leading the Philly mob scene, but everyone in the area knew who was really calling the shots.
Merlino was indicted in 1999 and convicted on multiple charges in 2001. He managed to avoid the murder and attempted murder charges he was facing, but he did get convicted for racketeering related charges.
He moved to Florida in 2011 and has been there since, claiming he no longer has any affiliation with the crime family.
He is just a wonderful human being, and there is Donald Trump mugging it up for the camera standing right next to him…
The photo is likely to renew concerns that Trump still lacks the sort of protective political infrastructure that would prevent a candidate for president from taking a picture with a convicted mobster whose last stint in federal prison ended in mid-2020.https://t.co/ngigx6rW8Y
— Chris Brennan (@ByChrisBrennan) January 23, 2023
This is now the second high-profile scumbag that Trump has been around since announcing he was running for the presidency, the other being Nick Fuentes, a known white nationalist and Holocaust denier.
After the photo was published and the obvious questions were asked, Trump’s campaign responded, “President Trump takes countless photos with people. That does not mean he knows every single person he comes in contact with.”
I can guarantee you that Trump knows who Merlino is, with both basically rising to power in their respective niches in the same area at the same time. And Trump having been in the casino business and dealing with unions, you better believe that he had dealings with Merlino at the time.
This was idiotic, at best, and it just goes to show that either Trump does not care or he is surrounded by a bunch of idiots.
Regardless, the man continues to be his own worst enemy.
Source: New York Post
