Donald Trump’s second term is shaping up to be a financial empire unlike anything seen before. The scale of self-enrichment has expanded far beyond his first presidency, with billions now flowing into Trump-affiliated ventures from foreign governments and private investors. This is not just business as usual. It is a transformation of political power into personal wealth at an unprecedented level.
During his first term, Trump’s businesses collected at least $13 million from foreign governments while taxpayers covered nearly $2 million in Secret Service costs at his properties. His campaign also accepted millions from Republican candidates seeking his favor. These figures were staggering at the time, but they pale in comparison to what is happening now.
Trump’s second term has seen a $2 billion investment from a United Arab Emirates state-owned enterprise into the Binance crypto exchange, using the Trump family’s stablecoin asset. Qatar has reportedly placed billions into a Trump-family real estate development, alongside gifting a 747 luxury jet for Trump’s personal use both in office and afterward. These transactions raise serious ethical and legal concerns, particularly regarding foreign influence on U.S. policy.
Trump’s business interests have also extended to Vietnam, where his golf course received government-approved support while Vietnamese leaders negotiated for relief from Trump’s tariffs. Just last week, Trump hosted over 200 purchasers of his meme coin, many of them foreign nationals, for a private dinner, with no disclosure of who paid for access to the president. This level of financial entanglement between a sitting president and foreign entities is unprecedented.
The Air Force One deal with Qatar remains unresolved, despite claims that the aircraft transfer was finalized. The Pentagon has yet to complete security assessments and retrofitting, leaving questions about whether the plane will ultimately serve as Air Force One. The uncertainty surrounding this deal only fuels speculation about its true purpose and long-term implications.
https://www.propublica.org/article/political-and-taxpayer-spending-at-trump-properties-16-1-million