The Cost of Trump's Corruption

(Text modified from a campaign email sent on May 15, 2026)

This is what corruption looks like.

ABC News is reporting that Trump is expected to “settle” his $10 billion IRS lawsuit by creating a taxpayer-funded $1.7 billion “weaponization” fund for his allies. That includes people charged in connection with January 6 and entities tied to Trump himself.

That is our tax money.

Not going to health care, housing, schools, or food assistance. Going instead to Trump’s allies. To people who tried to overturn an election. To a movement that attacked the Capitol and then cast itself as the victim.

This is not just a scandal. It is Trump trying to turn the federal government into a payout machine for MAGA loyalists.

And the same pattern is showing up everywhere.

Trump’s family has spent the past year getting richer while he uses the presidency to blur every line between public office and private profit. Right now, he is in China surrounded by billionaires and corporate executives. His middle-aged son Eric, who holds no government position, came along in a “personal capacity” while Trump-linked business interests explore opportunities tied to China.

Meanwhile, the DOJ is reportedly preparing to drop criminal fraud charges against Gautam Adani, one of the richest people in the world, after he hired one of Trump’s personal attorneys and pledged a $10 billion investment. Instead of criminal charges, the 17th-richest person in the world may face a $6 million SEC fine, per the New York Times. For him, that $6 million fine is roughly the equivalent of the average American paying for two cups of coffee.

Look closely, and it is all the same story.

Public power becomes private profit. Law enforcement bends for the rich. Taxpayer dollars flow to loyalists and insiders. And working families are told there is never enough money for health care, housing, food, or schools.

That is the real cost of corruption.

When government becomes a machine for self-enrichment, it stops solving people’s problems. The money does not disappear. It gets redirected – to slush funds, no-bid contracts, billionaire giveaways, legal favors, and special treatment for the powerful.

That is why corruption is about more than just money. It is about who government serves, who it protects, and who it leaves behind.

As a former history teacher, I know this pattern has a long history. Authoritarians do not only attack democracy with tanks and troops. They attack it by turning public office into private profit, rewarding loyalists, punishing enemies, and making corruption feel normal.

That is why affordability, corruption, and democracy defense are all the same fight. A government that sells access to the highest bidder will not lower costs for working families. A government that rewards loyalists will not protect the rule of law. And a government that turns public power into private profit will not remain democratic for long.

Trump is turning the federal government into a cash register for his allies.

Democrats cannot ignore that corruption. We should reject the false choice between talking about affordability and talking about democracy. The real task is to show people how corruption links them.

That is the case we should be making clearly: corruption raises costs, rewards authoritarian loyalty, and hollows out democracy.

Trump’s corruption is not just another Washington scandal. It is one of the reasons people are told there is nothing left for them.

Follow Alex Rikleen on Bluesky at @rikleen.bsky.social.