Because he’s a good businessman, not a corrupt businessman.

Keep telling yourselves that, Trumplings, but try as you might, there’s no washing the stink off of this.

Donald Trump has long boasted of his self-funding, and it is one of the battle cries of his cult-like following: HE’S SELF-FUNDED! HE CAN’T BE BOUGHT!

He’s also a crook.

Trump nearly quintupled the monthly rent his presidential campaign pays for its headquarters at Trump Tower to $169,758 in July, when he was raising funds from donors, compared to March, when he was self-funding his campaign, according to a Huffington Post review of Federal Election Commission filings. The rent jumped even though he was paying fewer staff in July than he did in March.

The Trump campaign payed Trump Tower Commercial LLC $35,458 in March – the same amount it had been paying since last summer – and had 197 paid employees and consultants. In July, it paid 172 employees and consultants.

It’s not just the jacked up rent that goes to benefit Trump, personally, and not his actual campaign.

Since the RNC and Trump’s campaign struck their deal to joint fundraise in May, Trump’s campaign has paid his golf courses and restaurants around $260,000.

On May 18, in fact, the day the fundraising deal was announced, the campaign paid Trump International Golf Course, in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump National Golf Course, in Jupiter, Florida, and Trump Restaurants, LLC totals of $29,715, $35,845, and $125,080.

While the FEC filings don’t make the purpose of the payments clear, these locations were used for Trump’s ego stroking, cleverly disguised as campaign news conferences back in March.

Politics can be so lucrative.

“If I was a donor, I’d want answers,” said a prominent Republican National Committee member who supports Trump, asking for anonymity to speak freely. “If they don’t have any more staff, and they’re paying five times more? That’s the kind of stuff I’d read and try to make an (attack) ad out of it.”

Yes. So would I, because it does not pass the smell test and only the most brain-numbed acolyte would ignore this without even an inkling of discomfort in the pit of their stomach.

The inflation of rent at Trump Tower began on May 31, with a payment of $72,800. Again, on June 9, another payment of $110,684, and on July 10 $169,758.

Trump will come out of this election better off than when he entered, whether he wins the election or not.

“Nobody cares when you’re spending your own money, but when you’re spending the donors $27, that could cause problems,” the RNC member said, adding that small donors especially may not be sympathetic to Trump’s extravagance. “Most campaigns run on a much tighter budget.”

Indeed.