\u201cFollow the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was FBI agent \u201cDeep Throat,\u201d played by Hal Holbrook, advising a young<\/u><\/a> Bob Woodward\u2002<\/u><\/a>of the Washington Post, played by Robert Redford,<\/u><\/a> in the movie \u201cAll the President\u2019s Men.\u201d It premiered in theaters 49 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The advice proved to be golden. And it is golden advice now \u2014 for anyone watching the corruption taking place in President Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right now, it is hard to miss what looks like a deluge of pocket-lining as private money swirls around this president. And let\u2019s not mention the free airplane<\/u><\/a> he is ready to accept from a foreign power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The money grab is so breathtaking that it has left Trump\u2019s critics muttering expletives while the normally reliably loud critics of government corruption, especially congressional Republicans, appear in stunned silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even as Trump\u2019s administration seeks to regulate crypto more loosely, his jaunt into crypto \u2014 his $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme coins, plus his stake in World Liberty Financial \u2014 has reportedly increased<\/u><\/a> his family\u2019s wealth by billions in the last six months and now accounts for almost 40 percent of his net worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New York Times reporter Peter Baker\u2002<\/u><\/a>posted on X last week<\/u><\/a>, \u201cTrump and his family have monetized the White House more than any other occupant, normalizing activities that once would have provoked heavy blowback and official investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presidential scandals of the past seem quaint by comparison \u2014 Hillary Clinton\u2019s\u2002<\/u><\/a>cattle futures<\/u><\/a>, Eisenhower\u2019s chief of staff resigning over a coat<\/u><\/a>, Nixon stepping down over a \u201cthird-rate burglary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The magnitude of Trump\u2019s self-serving actions to enrich himself exceeds anything in our history. Nixon sought distance from wrongdoing, telling Americans that he was \u201cnot a crook<\/u><\/a>.\u201d He wanted to be clear that he did not personally gain money from any abuse of power that took place in his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump makes no effort to proclaim his innocence as he pursues wealth while in public office. And while Nixon held power during a time of relative economic calm for the middle class, Trump is acting against a backdrop of economic anxiety for most Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mortgage rates have soared past 7 percent<\/u><\/a>. Last month, Moody\u2019s downgraded our federal government\u2019s credit rating<\/u><\/a>, signaling to global investors that America is now a risky bet on the basis of its mounting debt and political instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uncertainty over Trump\u2019s push for tariffs has the stock market on a roller-coaster ride and the bond market \u2014 the basis of retirement planning for many Americans \u2014 is trembling due to record-setting federal debt. And Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (yes, that\u2019s what it\u2019s actually called), now going through the Senate, is set to push the nation much deeper into debt<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s not all. Trump is demanding<\/u><\/a> that Walmart \u201ceat\u201d the tariff-fueled added cost of products it sells, rather than passing them along to customers, even as analysts point out that retailers operate on slim margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, the U.S. Court of International Trade deemed\u2002Trump\u2019s tariffs<\/u><\/a> to be illegal, further adding to the yo-yo of uncertainty and confusion that is spooking the markets, especially the bond markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t long ago that conservative Republicans would recoil at the idea of the federal government dictating what profits businesses are allowed to earn. It was heresy. It was an affront to Milton Friedman\u2002<\/u><\/a>and Frederick Hayek, conservative patron saints of economics. For decades, corporations used \u201cfiduciary duty\u201d as an argument against government regulation and calls to increase employee pay and benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, they\u2019re so fearful of Trump\u2019s social media attacks that they are biting their tongues as they are being rolled by his bullying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his first term, Trump promised that his tax cut plans would \u201cpay for themselves.\u201d But the national debt increased by $1.9 trillion<\/u><\/a>. And that tax cut windfall for corporations was not used to create more jobs or raise pay for workers. In most cases, the money went to buy back corporate stocks and make executives and investors richer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the question is whether voters will care. There are gubernatorial elections later this year in Virginia and New Jersey, and congressional midterms next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do voters care that Trump, his family and business partners are cashing in on Bitcoin schemes and lavish quid-pro-quo dinners with wealthy patrons? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do voters care that Trump\u2019s largest campaign donor, Elon Musk,<\/u><\/a> the world\u2019s richest man, now leaving the administration, had access to personal financial information on millions of Americans, which journalists<\/u><\/a> and senators<\/u><\/a> have warned could be useful to his business ventures and harmful to national security?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do voters care that the outcome of Musk\u2019s attempt to cut government spending has had little impact, beyond fear, confusion and reduction of services?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do they care that Trump appointed the wealthiest Cabinet in U.S. history? Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick\u2002<\/u><\/a>alone is worth over $3 billion \u2014 and entered government heavily invested in crypto<\/u><\/a>, which he now helps oversee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s time for the American people to follow the money \u2014 and connect the dots. While they grow poorer, Trump and his inner circle are growing ever richer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n