US President Donald Trump and his inner circle have turned political power into personal profit through a web of controversial financial dealings, with experts warning these may represent just the beginning of systemic corruption.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has blurred ethical lines through million-dollar presidential dinner tickets, cozy fossil fuel industry ties, relaxed cryptocurrency regulations, and lucrative Middle Eastern real estate ventures - including a recently announced Trump-branded golf course in Qatar negotiated by his son just weeks before a presidential visit to the region.
The money trail extends back to Trump's transition period, when the First Lady Melania Trump secured a US$40 million documentary deal with Amazon. At the same time, the president-elect pressured social media giants to reinstate his accounts in transactions worth millions. The pattern continues with Trump's latest "Trump Mobile" venture, marketed as American-made while capitalizing on his political brand. Meanwhile, key cabinet members face scrutiny for undisclosed conflicts, from the Commerce Secretary's crypto billions to the Health Secretary's quiet transfer of vaccine company stock to family members while publicly criticizing immunization. Legal analysts describe these dealings as potentially unprecedented in scale, with one British newspaper bluntly characterizing the administration's financial operations as "the looting of America." As Trump campaigns to return to power, these unresolved ethical questions loom larger than ever over American democracy.
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