The Door to Corruption Has Been Flung Wide Open Under Trump's Presidency
In a stunning display of brazen corruption, former US President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to turn the White House into a den of graft and cronyism. With an unprecedented level of impunity, Trump has set a new standard for corrupt behavior in Washington, leaving opponents scrambling to keep up with the sheer volume of scandals.
Trump's break from tradition was evident from day one: instead of entrusting his vast business empire to a blind trust, he chose to let his children handle it. This decision opened the floodgates to conflicts of interest that sparked lawsuits and cries of #Resistance from activists. But after Trump left office in 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed the cases, and Attorney General Merrick Garland's lackadaisical approach allowed Trump to continue flouting ethics guidelines.
The presidential transition process was delayed because the Trump campaign failed to file internal ethics guidance for the team, while the inauguration fund was flooded with millions from donors eager to curry favor. This panhandling set the tone for the administration, which has continued to prioritize corporate interests over public policy.
In October, a Trump benefactor donated $130 million to stave off a major liability and cover service member paychecks during the government shutdown. The office space once occupied by Eleanor Roosevelt was bulldozed to make way for a gargantuan ballroom funded by corporate donations from BlackRock, Booz Allen Hamilton, and tech giants like Apple and Amazon. The project's cost has ballooned from $200 million to $350 million.
What's truly alarming is that this level of corruption has become routine under Trump. It's not just the frequency or scale of these incidents but also their predictability, as if the administration is deliberately flouting the law to test its limits. As The Intercept's own research suggests, this "flood the zone" strategy is a hallmark of Trump 2.0.
Critics point out that simply electing more reasonable politicians won't be enough to restore rule of law; the system itself needs overhaul. The Biden administration's failure to tackle corruption has allowed bad actors like Elon Musk to continue flouting the law with impunity. To truly dislodge the hold that corruption has on government, Democrats will need to decide who they're fighting for – not just against.
The consequences of inaction are stark: court orders are being ignored, MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of key agencies, and news outlets that challenge Trump have been silenced or investigated. The line between politics as usual and authoritarianism has grown perilously thin. As The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments and corporate cronyism around the world, we understand the gravity of this threat to democracy.
The question on everyone's lips is: what will it take for Democrats to truly challenge this system of corruption?
In a stunning display of brazen corruption, former US President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to turn the White House into a den of graft and cronyism. With an unprecedented level of impunity, Trump has set a new standard for corrupt behavior in Washington, leaving opponents scrambling to keep up with the sheer volume of scandals.
Trump's break from tradition was evident from day one: instead of entrusting his vast business empire to a blind trust, he chose to let his children handle it. This decision opened the floodgates to conflicts of interest that sparked lawsuits and cries of #Resistance from activists. But after Trump left office in 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed the cases, and Attorney General Merrick Garland's lackadaisical approach allowed Trump to continue flouting ethics guidelines.
The presidential transition process was delayed because the Trump campaign failed to file internal ethics guidance for the team, while the inauguration fund was flooded with millions from donors eager to curry favor. This panhandling set the tone for the administration, which has continued to prioritize corporate interests over public policy.
In October, a Trump benefactor donated $130 million to stave off a major liability and cover service member paychecks during the government shutdown. The office space once occupied by Eleanor Roosevelt was bulldozed to make way for a gargantuan ballroom funded by corporate donations from BlackRock, Booz Allen Hamilton, and tech giants like Apple and Amazon. The project's cost has ballooned from $200 million to $350 million.
What's truly alarming is that this level of corruption has become routine under Trump. It's not just the frequency or scale of these incidents but also their predictability, as if the administration is deliberately flouting the law to test its limits. As The Intercept's own research suggests, this "flood the zone" strategy is a hallmark of Trump 2.0.
Critics point out that simply electing more reasonable politicians won't be enough to restore rule of law; the system itself needs overhaul. The Biden administration's failure to tackle corruption has allowed bad actors like Elon Musk to continue flouting the law with impunity. To truly dislodge the hold that corruption has on government, Democrats will need to decide who they're fighting for – not just against.
The consequences of inaction are stark: court orders are being ignored, MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of key agencies, and news outlets that challenge Trump have been silenced or investigated. The line between politics as usual and authoritarianism has grown perilously thin. As The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments and corporate cronyism around the world, we understand the gravity of this threat to democracy.
The question on everyone's lips is: what will it take for Democrats to truly challenge this system of corruption?
you know what really gets me about all this corruption stuff? its not just about trump or his admin, its like the whole system is designed to be corrupt from the start 
think about it, we have campaign finance laws that allow corporations and rich people to buy influence, and politicians who take money from these same sources... its a vicious cycle where everyone gets paid off except the people we elect to represent us 
and then when you try to expose this stuff, like with The Intercept's research, you get pushed around by ppl with deep pockets 
. It's easy for the current administration to call out Trump when they're the ones getting handouts from corporate America too 
. Not to mention, some of these "scandals" are just misinterpreted 
. And let's be real, the system is already broken 
. We need to focus on real corruption like in other countries not ours 
.
it's crazy that ppl are just chillin' with it 
i mean whats next? corporations running gov? it sounds like he's trying to see how far he can push the limits before someone stops him 
. I mean, who else could turn a presidential transition into a free-for-all fundraiser and get away with it? 
. And let's not forget about Elon Musk - if he can flout the law with impunity, what hope do the rest of us have? 
and now there's a huge ballroom in the White House funded by big corporations... it's like they're trying to buy their way into power 
.
like seriously the thought of trumps kids running his empire and just doing whatever they want without any accountability is just insane 
. It's like he's deliberately pushing the limits to see how far he can go, and if Democrats don't speak out, things will only get worse 
. The Biden administration needs to take bold action to tackle corruption head-on, and Democrats need to decide who they're fighting for – not just against 
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. We need to be vigilant and demand accountability from our leaders 
. The stakes are too high to just sit back and watch as democracy erodes away 
because they're all too scared to do the right thing. like, trump's kids are just winging it and making stuff up as they go along, it's embarrassing 
. What's really concerning is that it seems like the system itself needs a complete overhaul, not just electing more politicians who will try to clean up the mess 
. Like, we can't just vote in people who are gonna be "good" and expect everything to magically change 
. We need to actually address the root problems with corruption and cronyism in our government 
. We can't just keep electing politicians who are going to surround themselves with friends and family who will do their bidding, it's gotta be about doing what's best for the country, not just their own pockets 
. We need more transparency and less corporate influence in politics, that's the only way to ensure we're truly fighting for the people 
.
. And the worst part is, it's not even like anyone's doing anything about it - the system's too corrupt already 
. What's needed here is a total overhaul, not just some token gestures 
. We need to fundamentally change how our government works and make it impossible for people like Trump to abuse their power without consequences. I mean, the fact that he's making millions off corporate donations while Americans are struggling is just sickening 
.
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. He's like a virus that just keeps spreading and infecting everyone around him. The thing that really gets me is how easily he just disregards all the rules and norms, like they're not even a thing anymore 
. And what's up with all these corporate donations flowing into his admin like they're doing him a solid? It's like he's sold out or something 
the way he just ignored ethics guidelines and let his fam run the show was wild 
the system needs to be completely overhauled before we can even think about fixing this
. We need to fundamentally shift how our government operates and ensure that it's truly of the people, by the people, and for the people 
. Anything less would be a cop-out, imo 
. And now the White House is literally being turned into a corporate playground with corporations like Apple and Amazon pulling the strings behind the scenes 
. It's like, what happened to ethics and integrity in politics?