The New Republic | Kleptocracy Is Trump’s Most Lucrative Business Venture by Timothy Noah
AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.
The article argues that Donald Trump’s presidency has become his most profitable venture, turning the office into a “rentier” enterprise that generates billions without traditional labor. According to his 2025 financial disclosure, Trump earned over $2.2 billion, largely from crypto‑related deals and a 60 percent stake in World Liberty Financial, despite those ventures losing money for other investors. The piece compares his earnings to top CEOs, noting that only Elon Musk’s Tesla compensation surpassed Trump’s haul. It describes how Trump’s family acquired stakes in crypto firms and Trump Media without paying for them, profiting from settlements and pardons tied to his political influence. The author contends that the president’s ability to monetize policy, extract “protection money,” and leverage foreign deals—such as the United Arab Emirates’ investment in World Liberty—illustrates a new, lucrative form of political kleptocracy that dramatically inflated Trump’s net worth from $2.6 billion in 2024 to $6.5 billion by early 2026.
Read more:
https://newrepublic.com/article/212644/kleptocracy-trump-lucrative-business-venture
#DonaldTrump #cryptocurrency #kleptocracy #politics #worldlibertyfinancial #ElonMusk #ChangpengZhao
