{"id":368,"date":"2026-07-17T16:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=368"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:14:22","slug":"the-average-american-is-paying-the-price-for-trumps-corruption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=368","title":{"rendered":"The average American is paying the price for Trump\u2019s corruption"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A federal judge this week rightly rebuked President Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0outrageous $10 billion lawsuit against his own country, which originally ended in a bogus settlement that created a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund for his allies and would have granted him and his family sweeping immunity from IRS audits. In ruling that Trump manipulated the judicial process for his own benefit, the judge reinforced what many Americans had concluded long ago: Trump has transformed the presidency into one giant grift.<\/p>\n

Read more The omissions from Trump\u2019s primetime address tell their own story<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s shameless attempts to cash in on the U.S. presidency are why I have introduced legislation to establish basic safeguards that should apply to every president, regardless of party. My proposals would require presidents to place their assets in blind trusts and prohibit sitting presidents from owning or trading individual stocks. I have fought to prevent presidents from receiving blanket immunity from federal tax law, and I have introduced a constitutional amendment that would let Congress review the most egregious abuses of the presidential pardon power.<\/p>\n

Most of these proposals have been flatly rejected by the Republican-controlled Rules Committee along party lines. My constitutional amendment has gained the support of one lone Republican, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who\u2019s retiring.<\/p>\n

But these aren\u2019t partisan ideas. Nor are they radical. They\u2019re commonsense protections rooted in a simple principle: Public office exists to serve the public \u2014 not enrich the officeholder.<\/p>\n

Because corruption isn\u2019t just unethical. It\u2019s also expensive.<\/p>\n

Americans know what it feels like paying more for groceries, gas, housing, healthcare and energy. Families are stretching every paycheck and making impossible decisions about what they can afford. At the same time, Trump and his family are becoming wealthier \u2014 obscenely so.<\/p>\n

According to newly released financial disclosures, Trump\u2019s personal fortune grew by roughly $2 billion last year. From cryptocurrency ventures and foreign business deals to stock trades involving companies affected by government policy, the Trump family is amassing wealth because he\u2019s president.<\/p>\n

Take cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s\u00a0own financial disclosures show\u00a0he and members of his family made $1.2 billion through a network of cryptocurrency ventures last year. At the same time, his administration aggressively rolled back regulations and championed a crypto-friendly agenda that directly benefits those investments.<\/p>\n

Those ventures have also attracted foreign investors seeking influence with the administration \u2014 including Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, whom Trump later pardoned for a federal money-laundering conviction.<\/p>\n

In fact, an entire pardon-shopping industry has sprouted up around the president, with lobbyists reportedly charging as much as $1 million to seek clemency from the White House.<\/p>\n

Those pardons have erased more than $1 billion in fines and restitution owed by duly convicted defendants. That money was intended to compensate victims and repay taxpayers. Instead, it disappeared with the stroke of Trump\u2019s pen.<\/p>\n

Then there is the president\u2019s personal stock trading.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s financial disclosures show him \u00a0making an average of 80 stock trades a day, often involving companies with business before the federal government.<\/p>\n

Read more Declassified documents undercut Trump\u2019s \u2018rigged\u2019 election claim<\/a><\/p>\n

He purchased substantial holdings in Palantir, a major federal software contractor, and then publicly promoted the company on social media. He bought shares of Nvidia a week before his administration approved the sale of advanced microchips to China, a market the company\u2019s CEO has said could ultimately generate $50 billion annually.<\/p>\n

Trumprum made more than 300 previously undisclosed stock purchases just one day before unexpectedly announcing that he would pause many of his import tariffs.<\/p>\n

When the president can trade stocks and simultaneously move markets through official government actions, Americans have every reason to question whether public policy is serving the country or his personal investment portfolio.<\/p>\n

When Trump isn\u2019t enriching himself, he appears to be ensuring that family members and political allies benefit too.<\/p>\n

\u00a0One of his Mar-a-Lago neighbors \u2014 and a major political donor \u2014 received a no-bid contract to remediate algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Donald Trump Jr. holds a multimillion-dollar stake in a drone manufacturer that recently secured a major Pentagon contract.<\/p>\n

Different schemes. Same basic story.<\/p>\n

Every taxpayer dollar diverted through favoritism, every contract awarded based on political connections and every market distorted by self-dealing carries a cost to the taxpayers.<\/p>\n

It means fewer resources to lower housing costs, strengthen public schools, improve infrastructure, expand healthcare and help working families make ends meet.<\/p>\n

The government should work for the American people, \u00a0not for whichever politician occupies the Oval Office.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the reforms I have introduced matter.<\/p>\n

Reforms that are not about one individual, but instead about restoring public trust in our democracy and ensuring that no future president \u2014 Republican or Democrat \u2014 can use public office as a personal profit center.<\/p>\n

Read more Rep. Ro Khanna: Why I voted against further U.S. aid to Israel<\/a><\/p>\n

Corruption isn\u2019t just immoral. It isn\u2019t just illegal.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s expensive.<\/p>\n

And American families are paying the price.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Americans are struggling to buy groceries and afford other basic expenses, but President Trump’s personal fortune grew by roughly $2 billion last year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nThe average American is paying the price for Trump\u2019s corruption - Long Distance Movers USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=368\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The average American is paying the price for Trump\u2019s corruption - 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