Whether President Donald Trump and those around him are corruptly enriching themselves during his second term is a matter of personal judgment. Many Americans seem to think the president at least is.
But what is incontrovertible is that he and his team are doing almost nothing to disabuse people of that notion. Indeed, they seem to be increasingly leaning in on the idea that Trump can do whatever he wants — and that apparent conflicts of interest just don’t matter.
Thursday was a case in point for how in-your-face this dynamic has become, with several stories about potentially profiting from the presidency, or proximity to it.
The first was a CNN investigation finding Trump has used his Truth Social account to promote more than 20 companies just days after buying stock in those same companies. He sometimes even announced government action that would benefit the companies.
The second was that, for the first time, we got details on a White House aide potentially engaging in insider trading using prediction markets. Trump’s teleprompter operator made more than $90,000 by betting on what Trump would say in speeches and at events, according to a source. The news follows months of suspiciously well-timed trades making big money ahead of major Trump moves.
