Do people who inherit great wealth grow up with a sense and expectation of entitlement?
Yes, they do.
In a interview with the publisher of the New York Times, A. G. Sulzberger, Donald Trump complained quite openly of not getting sufficient praise for his electoral victory and great job as president. And, simply because of that, and that fact that he comes from Queens and is something of local boy made good, he is entitled to at least one good story. At the end of the interview he said so very plainly, “I came from Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica Estates, and I became president of the United States. I am sort of entitled to a great story - just one - from my newspaper.
He’s entitled to a least one great story - from his newspaper. An ordinary person would hope to get a great story, or be disappointed if they did not get a great story. But when you grow up with great wealth and learn that it entitles you to many things, you expect to get it from your newspaper. Of course.
And lest you think that this sense of entitlement is generational only, believe me it is not.
In Chris Christie’s new book, Let Me Finish, Christie makes his claim that it was Jared Kushner who was responsible for him being pushed out of the Trump administration.
According to Christie Jared felt that he had been wrong to prosecute his father, Charles, for the felonies of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering. He felt that instead of bringing indictments against his father he should have instead, “let the family or rabbits handle it.”
Who in the world believes that he, or a family member, is entitled to some form of private justice instead of the kind of justice that everyone else gets when there is evidence of serious crimes? Does he really believe that his wealth entitled his father to have his crimes adjudicated in a theological forum rather than a public court?
Unless Christie is lying, and I don’t that he is, then yes, that is exactly what Jared Kushner thinks his father was entitled to have - a private hearing among his family’ rabbis, with no court, no trial, and no public accountability of the serious crimes he was credibly alleged to have committed.
And Jared also felt entitled to have Christie kicked out of the Trump administration for that transgression.
The entitlement of rich people!