The Tyrant Billionaire

Johnson, however, remained calm and shook his head, saying, "No, I'm still at a disadvantage. Since the last poll, the major media outlets have started vigorously promoting Dewey. Have you seen the recent issues of The New York Times and The Washington Post?"

Hardy nodded, indicating he had seen them.

The New York Times published an article suggesting Johnson should concede immediately to save money.

The Washington Post published an article in which major polling institutions like Roper, Gallup, and Crossly analyzed that although Johnson's approval rating had risen, it still hadn't threatened Dewey. They all believed Dewey was the sure winner.

Johnson took a sip of wine and said, "I still need to work hard. My approval rating is not stable and still at a disadvantage."

He then thought of something and angrily added, "Even some foreigners think I'm sure to lose. It's infuriating."

Hardy knew that Johnson was referring to the Chinese. He smiled but said nothing. Johnson had already developed a deep resentment towards China, this was no longer a matter of differing political views but had become a personal grudge because Johnson felt the Chinese President's actions were a betrayal and an insult to him.

And this was good thing for Hardy. If U.S. aid isn't going to China, it will either be going to improve the domestic infrastructure or go to Japan, both sectors aligned well with Hardy's interest.

Be it the domestic infrastructure since most of his money is already invested in the U.S. or the Japanese market, which the Hardy group is currently targeting with very huge and ambitious acquisition plans.

"We still have over three months to go, and we can increase our support step by step. I believe the people will know who the right choice is," Hardy said.

Johnson looked at Hardy and sincerely said, "Hardy, thank you for your support. Because of my issues, Dewey's schemes might affect your business."

As he said this, Johnson subconsciously lowered his voice, "I've already called the Chief Justice. We had a discussion, and I made my stance clear. I believe they will take it into consideration."

Johnson was also being very tactful since this sort of power deal is something that should remain private. Johnson didn't want anyone to get a hold of any evidence against him.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Hardy said, raising his glass slightly.

After taking a sip, Hardy continued, "Actually, we do have a way to fight back. There's something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?" President Johnson asked.

Hardy told Johnson about Dewey receiving foreign aid from the Chinese.

"Receiving donations from foreigners is a violation of federal law. Dewey, as a prosecutor, should be well aware of the seriousness of this matter." Johnson's eyes suddenly brightened.

"Did they reach any agreement?" Johnson asked.

"When they met, it was at a golf course. No one knows what was said, but it's not hard to guess. Dewey must have promised to support the Eastern War after he takes office," Hardy replied.

Johnson's face turned a bit grim. The previous day, seeing the Chinese openly support Dewey, and now knowing that they are using the money Johnson aided them with to support his competitor, made Johnson even more furious.

Initially, he thought about privately stopping any U.S. support for China, but now he feels he must teach them a lesson. He will let them understand what messing with the world number one superpower election is.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. So many U.S. sanctions started coming to Johnson's mind before he decided to focus on the immediate problem first.

"Hardy, do you have any evidence regarding Dewey?" Johnson asked.

"There are some photos taken secretly when the two met. As for the bank transfers, they wouldn't be difficult to trace," Hardy replied.

Johnson thought for a moment and said, "I'll have the FBI investigate this matter. Obtaining evidence shouldn't be hard. Once this comes to light, Dewey violating federal law by secretly accepting foreign campaign funds will be a significant blow to him."

Hardy had already thought of a plan and said, "Mr. President, exposing Dewey for accepting foreign funds would indeed tarnish his reputation, but if he chooses to refund the money and apologize, it would mostly just result in some damage to his reputation, not enough to be devastating."

"Oh, do you have a plan, Hardy?" Johnson asked.

"If someone tried to cover up a crime by murdering a journalist, wouldn't that be quite a sensational story? And if this incident was related to the presidential election and involved one of the candidates, wouldn't it be even more sensational?"

"I'm planning to drag Dewey into this mess. For the next few months, he won't have time for campaign activities but will instead be constantly investigated."

"A presidential candidate involved in a murder case to cover up a crime, how do you think voters would view him? Would voters elect a murderer as president? Would lawmakers support a candidate under suspicion?" Hardy said softly.

President Johnson was shocked.

"Hardy, are you planning to kill that journalist?"

Hardy shook his head. "No, no, no, just create an assassination attempt, not actually kill him."

Only then did Johnson breathe a sigh of relief.

Hardy looked at President Johnson and smiled, saying, "This matter has nothing to do with you, sir. I'm doing this entirely for myself. Dewey sent people to investigate my casino and tried to ruin my business. It's only normal for me to retaliate, right?"

"Mr. President, from now on, just pretend you know nothing about this, and you won't be implicated. You just need to focus on your speeches. I'm confident that with your efforts, public support will continue to grow."

Johnson nodded slightly.

Hardy said, "Let's continue discussing your speech. Tomorrow, I will arrange for a live broadcast of your speech in Las Vegas. Although the Las Vegas TV station doesn't have ratings as high as ABC, it's still a national station. Many people who enjoy watching game shows will be very interested in this channel."