Presidents are supposed to avoid even the appearance that their official power is entangled with personal gain. Trump has shattered that principle.MS NowJul. 6, 2026By Richard W. Painter, Norman Eisen, and Virginia CanterAs former White House ethics lawyers who served administrations of both parties, we upheld a clear bipartisan norm: Presidents and senior officials must avoid even the appearance that their official power is entangled with personal gain. Presidents and senior officials were expected to divest conflicting assets, use blind trusts or hold broadly diversified funds — all to avoid the mingling of their public office and their private interests.President Donald Trump has shattered that principle. His most recent financial disclosure reveals an extraordinary $2.2 billion in gains during his first year in office. The sheer scale of the sums — $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency alone — is unparalleled. The issue is not simply how much money Trump made or that he made it at all; it is that the money comes from industries his administration regulates, foreign relationships his administration oversees and markets that can rise or fall based on the policies, enforcement decisions, diplomatic relationships and public signals of the office he holds.
Meanwhile according to the July 4th New York Times headlines:
A report from a cryptocurrency analytics firm details how those who bought the Trump memecoin have fared, with most retail investors having lost money while sophisticated traders did better.
Trump and his friends are milking these conflicts for all they are worth!
The foreign conflicts are just as alarming. The shadowy nature of crypto transactions makes it difficult to understand all that is happening behind the scenes. But what we are seeing is shocking enough. To pick but one example: In early 2025, World Liberty Financial, a Trump family-backed crypto venture, issued USD1, its stablecoin pegged to the dollar. Within weeks, the United Arab Emirates-owned investment fund MGX used USD1 in connection with a $2 billion investment in crypto company Binance. (The Trump family, World Liberty and Binance deny wrongdoing.) Stablecoins can generate income through the reserves that back them, meaning wider use of USD1 may benefit World Liberty.In other words, a foreign power — a key player in an unpopular and expensive war with Iran that Trump began without the consent of Congress — is financing a business venture that is partly owned by the president and his family. Ordinary Americans pay for this war with sky-high gas prices. Unlike Trump, most Americans cannot afford to hedge their bets through the buying and selling of oil company stocks.
The same person who called the fallen soldiers at D-Day "losers" and "suckers" is making billions off of war.
You know how you always hear about Trump hosting official functions at Mar-a-Lago? Folks, he actually charges the government to use his own resort! As CREW reported regarding his first term:
The Secret Service has spent nearly $2 million of taxpayer money at Trump properties, literally paying Donald Trump for the right to protect him and his family, according to government records obtained and analyzed by CREW. Newly acquired records show roughly $1.75 million being paid to Trump’s businesses; however, these records appear to be incomplete. Previously published records, by CREW and others, which do not appear to be included in the documents, account for thousands more in Secret Service spending at Trump properties, bringing the likely grand total closer to $2 million.
What amazes me is this: what does he think will happen when he finally leaves office? Does he really believe all of this will just be ignored and swept under the rug?
What could possible go wrong!
ReutersBy Dan Rosenzweig-ZiffJuly 2, 2026Summary
- Donald Trump Jr., a GrabAGun investor, could benefit from new administration proposal allowing home delivery of firearms.
- Trump Jr. said in a statement that he had "zero involvement" in crafting the proposed gun policy.
- ATF estimates half of all gun buyers will eventually buy guns online and get them delivered.
Donald Trump Jr. helped take an online retailer known as the “Amazon of guns” public last year. Now, GrabAGun, where the U.S. president's son is a shareholder and board member, could reap a windfall from a proposed rule change at Trump's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that would make it easier to ship guns directly to people's homes.If finalized, the rule would be among the most consequential changes to the U.S. gun policy in two decades, potentially driving huge growth in online gun sales, according to ten industry officials, store owners, and gun-control advocates interviewed by Reuters.
Of course it is going to pass. Daddy's president!
The proposal would allow licensed dealers to ship firearms directly to in-state residents who undergo an online identity verification and background check, along with a seven-day waiting period after notifying local law enforcement. Currently, online buyers must pick up firearms at physical stores and undergo in-person background checks unless they have a permit.Some gun shop owners, industry officials and gun control advocates argue the direct shipping of firearms poses significant public safety and security risks and threatens the viability of small brick-and-mortar gun shops.The change could benefit Trump Jr., whose more than 300,000 shares, opens new tab in GrabAGun are worth more than $700,000 – down from more than $5 million last year.
Cha Ching!
The White House said it had no record or knowledge of any "interaction with the President's son on any of these topics."The rule is one of 34 deregulatory measures proposed by ATF this spring in response to a February 2025 presidential executive order, opens new tab to expand gun access.Marianna Mitchem, a senior firearms industry advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety, worked at ATF for more than 20 years, including about four as the industry liaison. She said the industry had never asked for a similar policy in her interactions and that physical gun shops had historically played a key role in vetting owners.“ATF always says the gun store is the first line of defense in gun safety,” said Mitchem, who opposes the proposed rule. “But now they are flipping it."
What could possibly go wrong?
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