The only thing that Donald Trump has ever been consistent about in his life is his devotion to money, so it should surprise no one that his private take on marriage equality has nothing to do with rights, dignity, or love.
In this week’s New York Times piece on the A-Gays, one Trump associate was quoted as saying that Trump once summed up his thinking on same-sex marriage this way: “I love the gays. They pay the most for the weddings.”
That is vintage Trump. You can take away politics, religion, constitutionality, but for him, it all comes down to the checkbook. But don’t kid yourself thinking, “Wow, Trump is for marriage equality,” because he surely didn’t open Mar-a-Lago’s doors to gay couples out of principle.
Instead, he did it because those pricey, ca-ching, ca-ching Palm Beach weddings for same-sex couples were highly profitable. The gilded ballroom doesn’t discriminate when there’s an AMEX Black Card involved.
But here’s where the irony comes in. The Supreme Court has been asked to overturn its 2015 Obergefell case, thanks to a petition filed on behalf of that homophobe Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who made a name for herself out of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
If the Court uses that case to weaken or even overturn legalized marriage equality nationwide, the issue could be tossed back to the states. And in Trump’s world, that’s where things get dicey.
Trump has already shown with abortion rights that he loves the rhetorical dodge of “leave it to the states.” It sounds reasonable to his base, it gives him an easy way to duck responsibility, and it satisfies the extreme right’s desire for their twisted view of morality. They know exactly what “states’ rights” mean.
But if the same logic were applied to marriage equality, the results would be devastating. Dozens, if not all, of red states would almost certainly rush to outlaw same-sex marriage again and uphold state constitutional bans on marriage equality. Florida, home to Mar-a-Lago and Trump’s financial lifeline, would be at the front of that parade.
Governor Ron DeSantis mouth waters when he thinks about banning those “indoctrinating” gay weddings.
Which leads to the million-dollar question, or more accurately, the multi-million-dollar question, and that is what happens to Trump’s beloved gay wedding revenue stream if Florida bans marriage equality?
That would mean no more over-the-top receptions in his golden ballroom. No more inflated catering fees. No more cashing in on “the gays who pay.” By siding with the MAGA crowd on marriage, Trump would be cutting off a revenue stream which is antithetical to the only thing he stands for.
For a greedy man who views every single issue through the lens of personal profit, that’s the real existential threat for him. It’s not democracy (well, it’s never about democracy.) Not civil rights (ditto). Not the dignity of LGBTQ+ couples and their families (never ever).
The nightmare scenario is that Trump’s clubs might lose a lucrative slice of the wedding market.
Of course, Trump has already shown that when politics and profit collide, he’s happy to invent a workaround, that is otherwise known as executive orders. Who’s to say he wouldn’t just sign one exempting Florida from a ban so that Mar-a-Lago can keep cashing in? So when we are knee-deep in autocracy, DeSantis would be forced to comply with the Dear Leader’s wishes. In that scenario, while queer couples in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and elsewhere could once again be stripped of their right to marry, Trump would find a way to keep the champagne flowing and the invoices padded in Palm Beach.
And he could charge the obtuse A-Gays in his administration, 1,000% or 1,500%* (Trump loves these percentages.) over the estimate to hold their snooty weddings at Mar-a-Lago.
*Does not include Melania’s $250,000 appearance fee, which is billed separately.
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This article originally appeared on Advocate: If Trump loves gay weddings so much, what’s he going to do if SCOTUS takes them away?