$TRUMP President Donald Trump and his family exploited their political position and influence for significant financial and personal gains, through various channels including using the family name to enhance business, directly benefiting from the presidential office, and utilizing presidential powers for personal benefit.
🏛️ Exploiting political influence in business
Friends and family members of Trump exploited their relationships and the family name to promote their businesses and commercial projects worldwide, creating a blend of private interests and official work.
· Family friends' activities: Businessman Gentry Beach, a close friend of Trump Jr., presented himself in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan as part of the 'economic diplomacy' associated with the Trump administration, offering officials photos and text messages proving his connection to Trump Jr. to facilitate billion-dollar deals in mining and real estate.
· Marketing goods using presidential image: After a mugshot of Trump was taken, his son Donald Trump Jr. sold shirts and mugs printed with the image online, claiming that profits would be donated to support his father's legal defense.
💰 Direct benefits from the presidential office
Trump and his family took direct actions to turn the presidential office into a source of profit, benefiting from the prestige of the White House and its resources.
· Making money from cryptocurrencies: Trump launched a cryptocurrency ($TRUMP) days before taking office, earning he and his allies an estimated $320 million in trading fees. He also held an exclusive dinner at his club for buyers of this currency for contributions totaling $148 million, noting that most major investors were foreign.
· Receiving extravagant gifts from foreign governments: Trump accepted valuable gifts from foreign governments, including a luxury plane worth about $400 million from the Qatari royal family.
· Profiting from private institutions: Membership fees at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club rose from $200,000 in 2017 to $1 million after he took office. A new private club was announced in Washington with an admission fee of $500,000, co-founded by Trump Jr.
⚖️ Utilizing presidential powers
Trump exploited the constitutional powers granted to him for personal and political purposes, often bypassing the usual formal procedures.
· Use of pardon power: Trump granted clemency to a number of allies and associates, such as Rudy Giuliani and George Santos, as well as to participants in the events of January 6, 2021. Many of these pardons were granted outside the normal procedures and to those who did not submit applications through the pardon attorney's office.
· Accelerating foreign business deals: The Trump Organization and its partners announced 12 new foreign business deals after his election victory. All the countries he visited on his first foreign trip during his second term have ongoing business deals with his organization.
📊 A table summarizing forms of exploitation
Form of exploitation source example
Cryptocurrencies earning $320 million from trading fees currency $TRUMP
Foreign gifts accepting a luxury plane worth $400 million from Qatar
Commercial goods selling products bearing his mugshot
Pardon power granting clemency to allies like Rudy Giuliani and George Santos
Personal relationships exploiting Trump's son's connection in deals in Africa
These examples show how traditional boundaries between public interest and private benefit have been breached, raising widespread criticism and concerns about abuse of power.
I hope this content is helpful to you. If you are interested in delving deeper into a specific issue, such as details about the cryptocurrency case or presidential pardons, feel free to ask.$WLFI
