The Trumps are monetising the presidency like never before. But where is the outrage?
When Hillary Clinton was US first lady, a furore erupted over reports that she had once made $US100,000 from a $US1000 investment in cattle futures. Even though it had happened a dozen years before her husband became president, it became a scandal that lasted weeks and forced the White House to initiate a review.
Thirty-one years later, after dinner at US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about first lady Melania Trump that will reportedly put $US28 million ($43 million) directly in her pocket – 280 times the Clinton lucre and in this case from a person with a vested interest in policies set by her husband's government. Scandal? Furore? Washington moved on while barely taking notice.
The Trumps are hardly the first presidential family to profit from their time in power, but they have done more to monetise the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism have been breathtaking. The Trump family and its business partners have collected $US320 million in fees from a new cryptocurrency, brokered overseas real estate deals worth billions of dollars and are opening an exclusive club in Washington called the Executive Branch charging $US500,000 apiece to join, all in the past few months alone.
Just last week, Qatar handed over a luxury jet meant for Trump's use, not just in his official capacity but also for his presidential library after he leaves office. Experts have valued the plane, formally donated to the Air Force, at $US200 million, more than all the foreign gifts bestowed on all previous American presidents combined.
And Trump hosted an exclusive dinner at his Virginia club for 220 investors in the $TRUMP cryptocurrency that he started days before taking office in January. Access was openly sold based on how much money they chipped in – not to a campaign account but to a business that benefits Trump personally.
By conventional Washington standards, according to students of official graft, the still-young Trump administration is a candidate for the most brazen use of government office in American history, perhaps eclipsing even Teapot Dome, Watergate and other famous scandals.
'I've been watching and writing about corruption for 50 years, and my head is still spinning,' said Michael Johnston, a professor emeritus at Colgate University and author of multiple books on corruption in the United States.
Yet a mark of how much Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalisation of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control. The death of outrage in the Trump era, or at least the dearth of outrage, exemplifies how far the president has moved the lines of accepted behaviour in Washington.
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Trump, the first convicted felon elected president, has erased ethical boundaries and dismantled the instruments of accountability that constrained his predecessors. There will be no official investigations because Trump has made sure of it. He has fired government inspectors general and ethics watchdogs, installed partisan loyalists to run the Justice Department, FBI and regulatory agencies and dominated a Republican-controlled Congress unwilling to hold hearings.
As a result, while Democrats and other critics of Trump are increasingly trying to focus attention on the president's activities, they have had a hard time gaining any traction without the usual mechanisms of official review. And at a time when Trump provokes a major news story every day or even every hour – more tariffs on allies, more retribution against enemies, more defiance of court orders – rarely does a single action stay in the headlines long enough to shape the national conversation.
Paul Rosenzweig, who was a senior counsel to Ken Starr's investigation of president Bill Clinton and later served in the George W. Bush administration, said the lack of uproar over Trump's ethical norm-busting has made him wonder whether longstanding assumptions about public desire for honest government were wrong all along.
'Either the general public never cared about this,' he said, or 'the public did care about it but no longer does.' He concluded that the answer is that '80 per cent, the public never cared' and '20 per cent, we are overwhelmed and exhausted'.
'Outrage hasn't died,' Rosenzweig added. 'It was always just a figment of elite imagination.'
The White House has defended Trump's actions, brushing off questions about ethical considerations by saying that he was so rich that he did not need more money.
'The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws that are applicable to the president,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. 'The American public believes it is absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency. This president was incredibly successful before giving it all up to serve our country publicly.'
But saying that he is abiding by all conflict of interest laws that are applicable to the president is meaningless since, as Trump himself has long noted, conflict of interest laws are not applicable to the president.
Moreover, he has not given it all up; in fact, he is still making money from his private business interests run by his sons, and independent estimates indicate that he has hardly sacrificed financially by entering politics. Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $US5.1 billion in March, a full $US1.2 billion higher than the year before and the highest it has ever been in the magazine's rankings.
The president's sons scoff at the idea that they should limit their business activities, which directly benefit their father. Donald Trump Jr has said that the family restrained itself during his father's first term only to be criticised anyway, so it made no sense to hold back any more. 'They're going to hit you no matter what,' he said last week at a business forum in Qatar. 'So we're just going to play the game.'
There have been some burgeoning signs of public pushback in recent days. The gift of the Qatar plane seemed to break through to the general audience in a way that other episodes have not. A Harvard/CAPS Harris poll released last week found that 62 per cent of Americans thought the gift 'raises ethical concerns about corruption', and even some prominent right-wing Trump supporters like Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer voiced objections.
Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who campaigned with Trump last year, expressed misgivings this week during a podcast with Shawn Ryan, a right-wing influencer, who mentioned all the Trump family business deals that seemed to coincide with the president's recent trip to the Middle East.
'That stuff kind of worries me,' Ryan said. 'Well, it seems like corruption, yeah,' Carlson agreed.
But while several dozen demonstrators protested outside Trump's golf club the other night, Democrats are split about how much to focus on Trump's profit making, with some preferring to concentrate on economic issues. Senator Christopher Murphy has been leading the charge in the other direction, making floor speeches and leading news conferences denouncing what he calls 'brazen corruption'.
'It is unlikely he is going to be held accountable through traditional means,' Murphy said in an interview. 'There are going to be no special counsels; there's going to be no DOJ action. And so it's really just about public mobilisation and politics. If Republicans keep paying a price for the corruption by losing special elections throughout the next year, maybe that causes them to rethink their complicity.'
Trump had long promised to 'drain the swamp' in Washington after years of corruption by other politicians. When he first ran for president in 2016, he excoriated the Clintons for taking money from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East monarchies with an obvious interest in currying favour in case Hillary Clinton won the presidency. But that money went to the Clinton Foundation for philanthropic purposes. The money Trump's family is now bringing in from the Middle East is going into their personal accounts through a variety of ventures that The New York Times has documented.
Johnston said the Trumps represented 'an absolute outlier case, not just in monetary terms' but also 'in terms of their brazen disregard' for past standards. 'While we might disagree as to the merits of policy, the president and figures in the executive branch are expected to serve the public good, not themselves,' he said.
Trump made a nod at those standards in his first term by saying he would restrict his family business from doing deals overseas. But since then, he has been convicted of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records and held liable in civil court for fraud while the Supreme Court has conferred immunity on him for official acts. In his second term, Trump has dispensed with self-imposed ethical limits.
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'He's not trying to give the appearance that he's doing the right thing any more,' said Fred Wertheimer, founder of Democracy 21 and a long-time advocate for government ethics. 'There's nothing in the history of America that approaches the use of the presidency for massive personal gain. Nothing.'
Congressional Republicans spent years investigating Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, for trading on his family name to make millions of dollars, even labelling the clan the 'Biden Crime Family'. But while Hunter Biden's cash flow was a tiny fraction of that of Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Jared Kushner, Republicans have shown no appetite for looking into the current presidential family's finances.
'The American public has had to inure itself to the corruption of Donald Trump and his presidency because the president and his Republican Party have given the American public no choice in the matter,' said J. Michael Luttig, a conservative former appeals court judge who has become a critic of Trump.
Trump evinces no concern that people funnelling money into his family coffers have interests in government policies. Some of the crypto investors who attended his dinner on Thursday night acknowledged that they were using the opportunity to press him on regulation of the industry. According to a video obtained by the Times, he reciprocated by promising guests that he would not be as hard on them as the Biden administration was.
One guest at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, that night was Justin Sun, a Chinese billionaire who became one of the largest holders of the $TRUMP meme coin after buying more than $US40 million worth, earning him a spot in an even more exclusive private VIP reception with the president before the dinner. The US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023 accused Sun of fraud, but after Trump took over the agency put its lawsuit on hold even as it dropped other crypto investigations.
As for Bezos and Qatar, each has reason to get on Trump's good side. In his first term, Trump, peeved at coverage in The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos, repeatedly pushed aides to punish Bezos' main company, Amazon, by drastically increasing its US Postal Service shipping rates and denying it a multibillion-dollar Pentagon contract. Trump also had denounced Qatar as a 'funder of terrorism' and isolated it diplomatically. He has not targeted either Bezos or Qatar in his second term.
The president has not hesitated either to install allies with conflict issues in positions of power. He tapped a close associate of Elon Musk as the administrator of NASA, which provides Musk's SpaceX with billions of dollars in contracts. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who previously worked as a lobbyist for Qatar, signed off on the legality of Qatar's aeroplane gift.
Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto firm World Liberty Financial, and son of Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy, announced a $US2 billion deal in the United Arab Emirates, just a couple of weeks before his father and Trump travelled there for a presidential visit.
Wertheimer said the accumulation of so many conflicts put Trump on the all-time list of presidential graft. 'He's got the first 10 places on that,' he said. 'He's in the hall of fame of ripping off the presidency for personal gain.' But he said the public would eventually grow upset. 'I think that's going to catch up with him. It's going to take some time, but it's going to catch up with him.'
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Asked if he would be prepared to walk away from such a meeting without a deal "if the Americans don't offer a good one", Mr Albanese said he did not want to pre-empt any conversation with the President. "I want people to be able to have a mature discussion ... without screaming headlines," he said. "On any arrangements, as we did with the European Union, we'll only sign up to things that are in Australia's national interest." Mr Albanese also received what he described as a "very warm" congratulatory phone call from the President after being re-elected with an enlarged majority on May 3. In his post-election National Press Club address, he said Australians had "voted against importing conflicts and ideologies that have no basis in our national culture or character". "They rejected policies copied from overseas that would only leave us a smaller, narrower, less generous and more divided country," he said. 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"We will always provide for capability that's needed," the Prime Minister said, leaving the door open to higher defence spending if needed to achieve this, while saying "arbitrary figures ... lead to a cul-de-sac". The Coalition went to the election with a pledge to lift Defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP within five years and 3 per cent within a decade and Opposition Defence Spokesperson Angus Taylor last week called on the Albanese government to commit to "at least" 3 per cent. After revealing that he had spoken with Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi, who was shot by police in Los Angeles on Monday while covering the protests against immigration raids for 9News, Mr Albanese said his government had raised the incident with the Trump administration. "We don't find it acceptable that it occurred. And we think the role of the media is particularly important," he said. "She was clearly identified [as] a journalist ... People should respect the role that the media play in our modern society." Asked if he would raise the issue with Mr Trump in person, Mr Albanese said he would not foreshadow "discussions between myself and the President". "That's the way I deal with people - diplomatically, appropriately and with respect," he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has given a show of strength ahead of his possible meeting with United States President Donald Trump next week, vowing to stand up for Australia's interests and hold the line on defence, trade and social media regulation. In his first major speech after being re-elected with an enlarged majority, Mr Albanese told the National Press Club on Tuesday that he would lead the nation to "compete and succeed in the world ... Our own way, on our terms, in our interests". "On things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the media bargaining code, our biosecurity in agriculture, they're not on the table," Mr Albanese said in response to a question about this approach to trade negotiations with Mr Trump. "But are there areas in which Australia and the United States can have win-wins? Yes, I believe that there are, and I will engage in those discussions respectfully." The Trump administration has called for Australia to lift defence spending and complained about strict biosecurity rules that block some beef from being imported from the US, as well as the low prices paid for US-made medicines on the PBS. Mr Trump is yet to give any exemptions to sweeping US tariffs that have hit major Australian exports like beef, steel and aluminium, despite having told the Prime Minister this was "under consideration" in February. Mr Albanese told the National Press Club that his government would not "imitate low-wage economies" or trade away "the things that make us the best country on earth". The Prime Minister will attend the G7 Leaders' Summit alongside Mr Trump in Alberta, Canada, from June 15 to 17, creating an opportunity to finally meet face-to-face with the President, although no plans have been confirmed. Asked if he would be prepared to walk away from such a meeting without a deal "if the Americans don't offer a good one", Mr Albanese said he did not want to pre-empt any conversation with the President. "I want people to be able to have a mature discussion ... without screaming headlines," he said. "On any arrangements, as we did with the European Union, we'll only sign up to things that are in Australia's national interest." Mr Albanese also received what he described as a "very warm" congratulatory phone call from the President after being re-elected with an enlarged majority on May 3. In his post-election National Press Club address, he said Australians had "voted against importing conflicts and ideologies that have no basis in our national culture or character". "They rejected policies copied from overseas that would only leave us a smaller, narrower, less generous and more divided country," he said. When asked about slow progress on the government's promised News Media Bargaining Incentive - which would impose a levy on social media companies like Meta that refuse to pay for news content on their platforms - Mr Albanese said it was "not on the table" in tariff negotiations, along with the promised under-16s social media ban. "We respect the role of, particularly, local papers," he said. "As a local here in Canberra, it plays a vital role and it is of critical importance that those media organisations are able to survive." 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News.com.au
an hour ago
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A popular American fast-food chain will launch a pop-up store in Sydney today, opening for a one-day-only event. Fans of In-N-Out Burger will have the opportunity to snag some of the chain's most popular menu items at the Coogee Bay Hotel from 9am to 3pm or until sold out on June 11. A spokesperson for Coogee Bay Hotel has told that crowds were already lining up before the opening time. 'The international In'N'Out team have flown out to run the pop-up,' they explained. So Aussies who have tried the American burgers can rest assured they'll be the same ones they know and love. The pop-up will be serving up In-N-Out's famous Double-Double burgers, featuring two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and the brand's signature sauce. Also available will be the Animal Style burger from the chain's 'hidden' menu, which features mustard-cooked beef patties, extra melted cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and an extra dollop of the special sauce. For those wishing to forgo the carbs, the Protein Style burger is also available, replacing the bun with lettuce wraps. 'For those who have not yet experienced In-N-Out Burger, be sure to come and check us out at this special promotional event,' the chain said in an Instagram post on the Coogee Bay Hotel's page. Aussies were thrilled at the news, taking to social media to share their excitement. 'This is so exciting!' said one. 'Yes, please,' another wrote. However, others anticipated that the burgers would sell out before many people had the chance to get their hands on one. 'Let us know if (when) it sells out at 10:30am so we don't waste a drive,' said one. Someone else said so many people will have 'FOMO', so will line up for hours and hours, only to be disappointed. Although there's no permanent outlet in Australia, previous In-N-Out pop-ups have proved popular and sparked calls for the chain to be introduced in the country. In-N-Out is a family-owned and operated burger restaurant, established in California in 1948. It has become renowned for not using any frozen products, meaning that all of its menu items are prepared fresh. The main menu consists of burgers, chips, and milkshakes.
