'Begging for money': Trump biographer blows up ex-president's wealth claim

Can Trump back up his boast that he's worth $10 billion?

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author David Cay Johnston, who has been covering Trump for decades, thinks not.

Rather, he contends that the 45th president's pocketbook will get exposed and that his true net worth may prove to be substantially less.

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"Remember Donald used to tell us he was worth $10 billion," he asked while appearing on Anderson Cooper's CNN show "Anderson 360." "He should be rolling in money if that's the case."

Back in 2015, Trump did boast about being a billionaire ten times over.

"TEN BILLION DOLLARS” and his income last year was $362 million, excluding dividends, interest, capital gains, rents and royalties," reads a press release from his presidential campaign.

But Johnston, who penned the book "The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family" remains highly skeptical.

Mainly because Trump appears to be doing anything to scrape together funds to pay his lawyers.

"Evidently, he has to depend on begging for money from people," said Johnston.

He pointed to a Reuters report where hotelier Robert Bigelow confirmed he has doled out an eight-figure sum to The Don.

"I gave him $1 million towards his legal fees a few weeks ago. I made a promise to give him $20 million more, that will be to the super PAC," said the head of the Nevada-based owner of Budget Suites of America. "I was just sympathetic. They didn't solicit anything from me. The $20 million would be spread out but 'starts right away.'"

Johnston wonders why a billionaire that Trump professes to be would bother accepting dough from other donors to keep his legal defense bills remitted.

"If you have $10 billion, this wouldn't be a big deal," he said. But if you don't have $10 billion and you just claim it, that's a whole other story."

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