Trump's corruption is worse than anyone imagined: NYT analysis

President Donald Trump's corruption, especially in his second term, is hardly a secret to anyone, but according to a new analysis in the New York Times, it represents a "profound violation" that is worse than almost anyone has imagined so far.

"To say that President Trump is corrupt is to somehow understate the size, scope and magnitude of his corruption," columnist Jamelle Bouie wrote in a piece published Wednesday morning. "It is as if you were to describe a modern thermonuclear device as a 'bomb.' That is true enough, but it is not quite the truth. It does not capture the nature of the thing in full."

As Bouie argued, Trump's level of corruption, which has netted him and his family $4 billion in his second term, is "so vast as to be a new phenomenon in American politics." This includes investments and gifts from "large corporations, foreign nationals and state actors," all blatantly attempting to gain his favor, as well as unprecedented amounts of money made from "branded cryptocurrency assets."

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother and national security adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, "purchased a half-billion dollar stake in the Trump family’s crypto fund, World Liberty Financial, just days before Trump’s second inauguration," by way of the investment fund he controls. Seemingly as a result, the White House later granted the U.A.E. access to advanced AI chips. Changpeng Zhao, founder of the crypto firm Binance, donated software to World Liberty Financial and was successfully able to lobby Trump for a pardon after he was convicted for allowing criminal actors to utilize his service.

"Trump’s various projects — his monuments to himself — also appear to be little more than state-sanctioned opportunities for graft," Bouie wrote. "The president has collected hundreds of millions of dollars from wealthy donors and large corporations for his proposed ballroom, presidential library and triumphal arch. Tens of millions of dollars marked for the library are unaccounted for, according to a report in The New Republic."

Bouie lastly highlighted Trump's new attempt to sue his own IRS, demanding $10 billion in damages "for leaking his tax returns to the public in 2019 and 2020," with lawyers already reportedly in talks for a settlement. The columnist called this move "a profound violation of the spirit of public service — to say nothing of the oath of office," no matter if Trump actually suffered any harm, and argued that it showed "total contempt for the American people."

"With Congress in the hands of a prostrate Republican majority, there is little the opposition can do, at this moment, to strike back at the president’s corruption," Bouie concluded. "But this may not be true for much longer, and when the time comes, Democrats should work to take back his ill-gotten gains and hold his enablers and co-conspirators responsible for their actions. The other option, to look forward, let bygones be bygones and ignore the transgressions of the recent past, is a one-way road to ruin."

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