Buddy, can you spare a dime? And three pennies?
Things are nowhere near that bad for Donald Trump, but the fabulously wealthy developer recently cashed a 13-cent check to become co-winner of Spy magazine's search for "America's cheapest zillionaire."Trump and fellow multimillionaire Adnan Khashoggi - a man with his own problems - were the only two of 13 well-to-do sorts stung by the satirical magazine.
Spy created a legally incorporated company, the National Refund Clearinghouse, and opened a checking account. The magazine then zipped out refund checks of $1.11 to 58 "well-known, well-heeled Americans."
Twenty-six people - including Khashoggi, Trump, Cher, Harry Helmsley, Michael Douglas, Shirley MacLaine and Kurt Vonnegut - cashed the checks. Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman, Billy Joel and John McEnroe were among those who did not.
The magazine went back to the people who cashed the check, then sent each one a 64-cent check to cover a "computer error." Thirteen people cashed these, including Trump and Khashoggi, prompting a showdown for the title.
All 13 received a third check, this one for 13 cents; only Trump and Khashoggi cashed them. Khashoggi, who is on trial with Imelda Marcos in federal court, personally endorsed his check.