You should vote for Donald Trump because he's rich. Also, because he's Not PC, and he will get rid of scary immigrants and bad trade deals. But mostly because he's rich. His refusal to do as every other candidate since Watergate has done and release his tax returns has left his exact richness in doubt, but it's still a question of whether he's quite rich or shockingly so.

Forbes says he is rich, but less rich than a year ago. $800 million poorer:

FORBES' new investigation into Trump's wealth pegs his fortune at $3.7 billion, down $800 million from a year ago.

Now, no one in Trumpland is going hungry—except the beauty queens, if they want to keep their crowns; classy—but $800 million is a year-over-year loss anyone would notice. Do the losses have anything to do with his recent behavior? After all, he lost The Apprentice to fellow Shocking Political Success Story Arnold Schwarzenegger soon after he called Mexican illegal immigrants "criminals" and "rapists."

Not so, apparently. According to Forbes, the 9-figure hit has nothing to do with his transformation into the Tangerine Generalissimo:

A softening of New York City's real estate market, particularly in retail and office, where valuations are trending down, has diminished his estimated net worth. New information was also a factor. Of the 28 assets or asset classes scrutinized by FORBES, 18 declined in value, including his trademark Trump Tower on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, his downtown jewel 40 Wall Street and Mar-a-Lago, his private beachfront club in Palm Beach.

Forbes added he's also sunk $7 million, plus $48 million in loans he's unlikely to get back, into his campaign. Of course, because this is a report on Trump, a fact check was necessary:

The bombastic Republican presidential candidate said on Monday night that his FEC filing showed income of $694 million for the past year. It doesn't, because in the document he freely mixed revenue with income, and it covers a period of 17 months.

Those FEC filings are what Trump has been telling people to check in lieu of his tax returns. Guess we'll just take him on his word.

Jack Holmes Politics Editor Jack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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