There are the $5 million one-to-one dinners at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, or the $1 million group meetings with the president available to the very wealthy with the money said to going towards - don’t laugh - the Trump library. This is a man who has barely read a book in his life and needs briefings reduced to simplified pictures. I mean, it's literally incredible, but that's only one small scandal.
The crypto currency he launched in January that he “doesn't know much about” was set to make him $350 million, the FT reported recently. His family’s share in the $TRUMP meme currency (no, me neither) came from essentially for doing nothing. Now we learn that was an underestimate.
The FT are claiming his crypto payday might actually be even bigger. The FT sarcastic subtitle is: Finally, hard work pays off. They have revised that $350 million upward by another $165 million ‘at least.’ Trump is richer by half a billion dollars!!!
"All of that [$515mn] for tokens that do . . . nothing? According to the official website, they exist as 'an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol ‘$TRUMP’ and the associated artwork'. But, the terms and conditions tell us, they are 'not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign or any political office'."
"Most of the money involved is still parked in a liquidity pool: it is still supporting the price of the coin, which is currently trading at $11, but it is theirs [Trump and his family]."
Nobody knows where the money came from or who is buying his crypto currency. There are laws preventing a president accepting money from foreign sources to prevent him or her being bribed, but Trump just ignores all that and does it out in the open without a peep from the press.
This is the sitting president, making a tonne of money while in the oval office and using his position to do it. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Have a look at this video by Democrat senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut outlining what Trump is brazenly doing to make money for himself of for his mates. Mr Murphy takes a while to get to the meat so you can skip the first six minutes:
He says anyone, foreign governments included, who wants a favour from Trump just need to funnel money into his $TRUMP crypto currency to boost the price and hence his share of it.
During the campaign he took a billion dollars from fossil fuel companies and on 20 Jan Trump announced his "energy strategy" which, you guessed it, preferences oil and gas and punishes renewables.
And hear this, Trump has donated $800,000 of stock in Trump Media and Technology, the legal entity that owns his Truth Social platform, to members of his own cabinet including FBI director Kash Patel and Education Secretary Linda McMahon. What!!!!
The president has announced he intends to "limit the applicability" of the Foreign Agents Registration Act which is specifically aimed at people who accept money from foreign governments or sources to lobby or influence US policy. Why? It can only mean more malign foreign interference in American politics.
Charges of corruption against the mayor of New York Eric Adams (a Democrat) have been dropped in exchange for him agreeing to help border enforcement officials round up illegal immigrants working in the nation's capital. Or as Murphy says, in return for his loyalty to Trump. When the deal was announce (on TV no less) several Department of Justice (DoJ) officials quit rather that drop the case against Adams.`
On 10 February, Tump ordered DoJ officials to 'pause' enforcement of US laws preventing American businessmen and companies paying bribes to foreign forms or officials. Bribery is now legal in America.
Murphy has a chart showing a total of 20 examples of what on the surface looks openly corrupt in the first six weeks!! Trump has apparently had lessons from Viktor Orban in Hungary and of course, the man he most admires, Vladimir Putin.
The United States is now officially a kleptocracy.
