Trump Is Rooting Around in the Public Trough

"Authoritarians tend not to consider the public purse or the well-being of the public. They regard themselves as the state-modern embodiments of Louis XIV's "l'État, c'est moi" -and we shouldn't pretend otherwise. What they do care about is their own wealth, and so they are mindful to nurture the purses of those whose support they rely on to consolidate their power-and protect their fortunes. It's no accident that corruption and authoritarianism are so often a hand-in-glove combo."

"Sometimes, however, authoritarians have the good sense to camouflage their greed behind pronouncements about the public good; that's been the historical model for, say, the caudillos of Latin American strongman rule. But in the United States, Trump is even dropping the public bromides. Earlier this week, in what is surely going to feature in every Democratic attack ad between here and the midterms, Trump, in talking about the Iran conflict, blurted the quiet part aloud."

"telling reporters that he " doesn't think about Americans' financial situation " and that this wasn't even a "little bit" of a factor when considering how to negotiate an end to his war-of-choice with the Iranians. While creepy Veepy Vance tried to deny that the boss had said what the boss had clearly said, the damage was already done. The president had overtly stated his lack of concern for the pain Americans are feeling because of sky-high gas prices and a broader burst of inflation."

"While Trump is swanning around telling people he doesn't care about Americans' economic hurt, he is also rooting around in the public trough with ever-greater abandon. A few months back, Trump announced a lawsuit against the IRS for $10 billion, for damages purportedly incurred when an independent contractor, back in 2020, leaked details of his tax returns to The New York Times."

Authoritarian leaders tend to ignore the public purse and public well-being, treating themselves as the state’s embodiment. They focus on their own wealth and cultivate the resources of those whose support helps them consolidate power and safeguard their fortunes. Corruption commonly pairs with authoritarianism because it serves those aims. Some authoritarians disguise greed with claims about the public good, a pattern seen in strongman rule. In the United States, Trump is portrayed as discarding public justifications, openly stating he does not consider Americans’ financial situation when negotiating an end to a chosen war. The piece also describes actions that allegedly involve seeking money from public institutions, including a lawsuit against the IRS for damages tied to leaked tax-return details.

Read at The Nation