https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/17/trump-foreign-gifts-plane-gulf-states
The openness to foreign largesse was on full display this week as the US president was feted in the Gulf states during his first major diplomatic trip abroad this term, inking deals he claimed were worth trillions of dollars and pumping local leaders for investments as he says he remakes US foreign policy to prioritise “America first” – putting aside concerns of human rights or international law for the bottom line of American businesses and taxpayers.
But quite often, the bottom line also has benefited Trump himself. His family’s wealth has ballooned by more than $3bn, according to press estimates, and the reported benefits from cryptocurrencies and other investment deals such as plans for new Trump-branded family properties may be far larger. Deals for billions more have been inked by business associates close to Trump, meaning that their political support for the White House can translate into lucrative contracts abroad.
Past administrations would have run from the perceived conflicts of interest being welcomed by Trump. The former White House ethics advisers described crises such as when a Gulf state tried to present a Rolex to a national security adviser, or when the Boston Red Sox tried to gift the White House chief of staff a baseball bat signed by all the players (the addressee was forced to pay its estimated market value, said Painter). Eisen said that he forbade Obama from even refinancing the mortgage on his house in Chicago because of his capacities to influence the market.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/18/trump-turned-white-house-cash-machine/
ReplyDeleteFor those on the inside, Trump’s return to the White House represents a historic money-making opportunity – not least for the president himself and his family.
But such naked profiteering from the highest office of the state is starting to alarm even those at the heart of the Maga movement.
“This kind of shady behaviour undermines his agenda and credibility. Even if it’s not criminal, it’s bad optics,” Shapiro said this week.
“Trump has real enemies. He doesn’t need to create vulnerabilities like this. If these scandals continue, Republicans could lose Congress – and everything President Trump wants to do would be dead on arrival. It needs to stop.”
Remember all the reports that Trump was really bankrupt and living like a billionaire on accumulating debt?
ReplyDeleteWell wouldn't it be nice if the presidency just happened to help erase that debt.
Hareidi mayor.. not too different from khan of the ICC
ReplyDeletehttps://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-854463