Ethics experts and Democrats express alarm as Trump uses office to grow his personal fortune to ‘unprecedented’ level

Donald Trump’s use of his second presidency to grow his personal fortune has alarmed legal and ethics experts and congressional Democrats as he has reaped an “unprecedented” $2.2bn in 2025 revenues by amassing big cryptocurrency holdings, benefiting from wealthy foreign interests, expanding his Truth Social business and more, while federal oversight of his actions has waned.

Trump last year raked in at least $1.4bn from his crypto ventures according to financial disclosure forms he filed in June. Simultaneously, about one million investors in a Trump crypto scheme suffered almost $3.8bn in losses as their volatile crypto holdings tanked in value.

Monetizing his presidency further this summer, Trump’s Truth Social media business is pushing a new scheme that offers wealthy buyers special early access to his posts for a fee of $100,000 a month, which top Democrats and public interest groups say pose serious conflict of interest and corruption issues.

This is some of why at least some Americans probably wish the Iran plot succeeded

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men.

  • ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.oneEnglish
    162·
    7 days ago

    There is no need to stress. The next Democratic President will issue blanket pardons, will no do investigations, or Presidential Commissions, or anything that sort.

    The Epstein Class always protects each other.

    • InputZero@lemmy.world
      92·
      7 days ago

      “Now is the time for unity, and to forgive our neighbors” Says every Democrat after a Republican president.

      “The Democrats are all antifa-terrorists and should be rounded up into a camp.” Says every Republican after a Democratic president.

      • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        2·
        6 days ago

        “The Democrats extreme left are all antifa-terrorists and should be rounded up into a camp.” Says every Republican after a Democratic president.

        Also this.

      • zbyte64@awful.systems
        2·
        7 days ago

        A bellwether is whether the politician supports abolishing ICE. If they are willing to uproot institutions then that includes presidential immunity.

    • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      2·
      6 days ago

      Politicians have been doing the exact same thing as the pedoprez for the history of USA and they will continue to do so regardless of “party” branding.

    • Yuccagnocchiyaki@lemmy.world
      21·
      7 days ago

      Sorry, no they won’t. They will be constrained by technicalities and obscure parliamentarian positions that we never heard of until a key issue.

      However, they will have new tech and immunity to attack the progressive left. That won’t be an issue at all

  • Cheebus@lemmy.world
    132·
    7 days ago

    As far as I can tell republicans chose this life for all of us because they were upset that:

    They had to wear a mask during covid. Gay people are allowed to be happy. Obama wore a tan suit that one time. Buttery emails.

    So now we all get to live shit hole life’s because the crabs at the bottom of the bucket decided to yank everyone down with them and install a king.

    If you vote republican, fuck you, genuinely.

            • BCsven@lemmy.ca
              1·
              6 days ago

              Maybe this is why. Lol.

              Grok

              Court records show more Republican politicians have been convicted of sexual offenses than Democrats. Since 2015, notable cases include Rep. Dennis Hastert ® pleading guilty to child molestation-related charges and Rep. Mel Reynolds ® convicted of sexual assault. On the Democrat side, fewer convictions exist—Rep. Bob Filner pleaded guilty to groping in 2013. Data leans heavier on Republicans historically. Check GovTrack for raw numbers.

              • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
                1·
                6 days ago

                I was thinking more about his pardons of Henry Cuellar, Rod Blagojevich, P.G. Sittenfeld, and Devon Archer who were all facing some sort of bribery or corrupt charges.

  • SwissArmyKazoo@lemmy.world
    1·
    5 days ago

    Trump is practically wasting all of our net gain and allowance just to procrastinate our civic regulations, have our privacy dismantled in high oligarchy enforcements and postpone all climate vulnerability and forestation sedimental deployment just to pressure out incriminatingly virulent fuel sources to our atmosphere.

    He’s not governing, He’s dictating!!!

    Actually outranked Hitler, Pinochet, and King Tarquin as the most inhumanely corrupt cretin ever put in leadership.

    And yet his party of gutless and insecure terrorist grifters are not doing anything to contempt his crime streak.

    GOP is officially pro corruption pro sectarianism and pro austerity

  • BenReilly23@lemmy.zip
    4·
    7 days ago

    They’re alarmed and yet nobody will do a damned thing to stop this crap . I’m so tired of this mess

  • MrSmith@lemmy.world
    22·
    7 days ago

    Good. Less money for Americans who voted for him or didn’t show up to vote against him.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    1071·
    8 days ago

    I mean . . . Yeah. We know. We’ve been watching it happen every goddamned day.

    Thanks for the reminder Guardian. Maybe you could name and shame a little more? It’s not happening magically. People with names and institutions are doing this corruption, so. Map it out. kthx.

      • danc4498@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        8 days ago

        They only trust the news that reports the things they want to hear.

        I think there’s others that think the things he does for the country are good. And they take the good with the bad. Like lowering taxes (even though mostly the rich benefitted from that). Or whatever the fuck DOGE claimed to do. Or brain worm measles you.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      31·
      8 days ago

      They believe that everyone does it, and that Trump is just better at it.

      That’s why if you point out something corrupt they point to someone else who the think did something corrupt, instead of saying both should be investigated and punished if actually guilty.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        8 days ago

        Exactly: “Hunter Biden and his laptop! And Hunter sold art, can you even believe it? Hillary’s emails! Bill Clinton gets speaking fees, how is that even possible?”

        • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
          17·
          8 days ago

          Lol remember when Hillary’s emails was this years-long scandal? And we just rolled over Signalgate in a couple weeks.

        • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          2·
          8 days ago

          Yeah the problem I have with it is I can’t tell how many of them are just excusing peoples crimes because others commit crimes or excusing their crimes because they would do the same thing if they could, and point to others doing potentially other crimes as a “well anyone would do it” type of shit. ,

    • jaaake@lemmy.world
      17·
      8 days ago

      “Look at what a good businessman he is!”

      “If it was actually illegal, he’d be in prison!”

      “He’s so savvy to not pay for things when payment is due. Why would you pay if you didn’t have to?”

      “He’s made more money while president than any other president because he’s the first non-politician president.”

      • Malyca@lemmy.zip
        12·
        8 days ago

        My personal favorite: “he donates his salary, that proves he isn’t in it to make money. That’s why we elected him!”

    • Insekticus@aussie.zone
      13·
      8 days ago

      Don’t forget to take every last cent the family has. Literally leave them with nothing as punishment.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        8 days ago

        Agreed. Because they are not likely to serve full sentences; they should have to come out and live as paupers.

    • osanna@lemmy.vgEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      And then to die while in prison. He has to KNOW he lost. It’s not enough for him to just die. He needs to die in PRISON

      • bstix@feddit.dk
        2·
        7 days ago

        I just want him to go away. Punished or not. Dead or alive. I don’t care, as long as I never have to read about him doing any more atrocities.

  • leadore@lemmy.world
    22·
    8 days ago

    And that $2.2B is just what he reported on his taxes–i.e. the technically legal income.

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
      11·
      8 days ago

      Well yes and also it doesn’t include the money his family has made from deals made after he got office. It’s on the order of 5bil+.

  • the_q@piefed.socialEnglish
    17·
    8 days ago

    We could end this in a few weeks if we acted. Everyone wants to hold on to what little they have instead of losing it for a better future.

    • thethrilloftime69@feddit.onlineEnglish
      61·
      8 days ago

      People will die. People have kids they need to raise. People have parents they need to take care of. If we burn the system down, all that is over. Your hopes of a good life in your lifetime end with revolution. You basically have to sacrifice an entire generation to burn this system down. Maybe we’ll get there soon, but people are still hoping to make it to the other side in one piece.

      • BenLeMan@lemmy.world
        5·
        8 days ago

        Yeah, let’s make our kids figure this out. It’s not like they’ll be kind of busy dealing with global warming and all those other nice challenges we’ve left them.

      • green_link@lemmy.world
        4·
        7 days ago

        we sacrificed an entire generation stopping nazis before. we can do it again. they didn’t sacrifice their lives for the rest of us years later to let these fascists rise up again. if they were still here, they’d be standing right up front, ready to do it again.

      • ViceroTempus@lemmy.world
        3·
        7 days ago

        You’re not wrong in a lot of ways, however that just means we’re kicking the can down the road, and allowing the atrocities going on in our backyards to continue.

        Feels irresponsible and lacks empathy to me.

      • kestrel7_7@lemmy.world
        2·
        7 days ago

        Your hopes of a good life in your lifetime end with revolution.

        I strongly disagree. My life is already pretty fucked up and doesn’t seem like it’ll be getting better without some massive political changes.

          • kestrel7_7@lemmy.world
            1·
            7 days ago

            I think we’ve “been there” since at least the 1930’s in terms of “the majority of people’s lives suck for preventable reasons,” but there’s a lot of propaganda convincing people that their lives are actually awesome.

    • DuncanTheDrunk@lemmy.world
      5·
      7 days ago

      I believe part of the issue is that in addition to the regulatory system being captured, the media has been as well. Sure there are some late night shows poking fun, but major news networks are being bought up one after another.

      It’s difficult to organize when half the news pretends this is normal and the other half openly celebrates this degradation of our systems. Unfortunately I fear things will get worse before they get better.

  • lukaro@lemmy.zipEnglish
    151·
    8 days ago

    Wishing tons of non viloent misfurtunes to happen to all republicans.

      • lukaro@lemmy.zipEnglish
        15·
        8 days ago

        I’m talking stuff like having bad diarrhea and a sneezing fit while stuck in traffic. Or forever having one cent less than the purchase they’re trying to make. Getting comfortable in bed starting to drift off to sleep then suddenly having to piss. Every poop is a splasher. That kinda of stuff.

        • AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@piefed.socialEnglish
          18·
          8 days ago

          And I’m talking about being confused for an inmigrant by ICE and consequently beaten/shot to death. Or involved in a violent arrest by the police and consequently beaten/shot to death, or simply caught in a road rage incident with a fellow republican nazi and consequently beaten/shot to death. That kinda stuff.

          • LostCarcosan@lemmy.today
            4·
            8 days ago

            Or needing a simple yet life saving drug/procedure done but their insuranc refuses to pay for it and they die slowly and painfully. Or get hit by a car and break their neck leading them to live the rest of their ‘life’ unable to move or communicate