Commentary by Jerry Lanson
The Trump family has increased its holdings by nearly $3 billion in the last six months due to the president’s investments in crypto products, CBS News reported last week. At the same time, his administration continues to loosen controls on the digital currency industry.
(Scroll down this column for reader comments regarding a constitutional crisis.)
Last weekend, the administration announced plans to accept a “donation” from Qatar of a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury plane that will become the new Air Force One, the presidential plane.
As The New York Times subhead noted: “the plane raises substantial ethical issues, given the immense value of the lavishly appointed plane and that Mr. Trump intends to take ownership of it after he leaves office.”
The paper also noted that the plane would be “one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government.”
But then the art of the deal (or should I say steal) has defined Donald Trump’s life and career.
In this second term in office, finding greater profits is standard operating procedure for him and his billionaire friends as headlines mount weekly if not daily. This week, he’s in the Middle East on a trip in which he hopes to make more deals – for the country and himself.
Ironically, the announcement of the Qatari plane came just a day or two before Republicans in Congress released more outlines of the president’s “big beautiful bill,” which will extend the tax cuts for his buddies, paying for them to significant degree on the backs of the poor and the lower-middle class. In its current form, the bill would eliminate the health care coverage of what the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would be 8.6 million people over the next decade, ABC News reported.
“Hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes,” warned Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is reviewing health care spending.
Republicans intend to race the bill to the finish line by Memorial Day, though some divisions within the GOP make its passage in the current form somewhat uncertain.
Trump, meanwhile, has begun a four-day tour to the Middle East monarchies.
“Trump loves this stuff – really loves it,” writes Politico. “White House aides say these grand regal ceremonies are a key part of the appeal of Middle Eastern trips, along with the chance to unveil some big-ticket investment deals. …
“Don’t forget, this is a president who, rather than rejecting accusations that he wants to run America as an all-powerful king, chose to lean into them instead. And it’s not just about ignoring constitutional norms, but the trappings of regal power. Trump has installed gilded edging throughout his Oval Office.”
His personal version of the street-corner shell game, Three-card Monte, helps fog public perception.
This week he’s distracted the public from paying attention to the health care cuts by announcing vague plans to lower drug pricing. And, after essentially freezing imports from China and grinding West Coast ports to a halt with his massive tariffs on China, he is now temporarily easing these tariffs enough to make it appear everything is getting better.
As the drumbeat of royal grift pounds on, only time will reveal whether the MAGA faithful even notices. In the meantime, sharp cuts in healthcare are drawing nearer.
Lanson’s Substack page is @fromthegrassroots.
Posted Wednesday, 5/14/25
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Reader: Yes, It's a Constitutional Crisis
Count the Lawsuits -- I think we are. Well over 300 lawsuits have been filed in response to Trump's actions. In addition, Courts have halted the administrative action in over 100 of those lawsuits.
Trump has issued executive orders that blatantly defy the Constitution. The order revoking birthright citizenship is a case in point. He has invoked the Alien Enemies Act which courts have also put a temporary halt to.
He has flippantly dismissed and violated due process for undocumented immigrants. He has withheld constitutionally appropriated funds, he has also abused his power in targeting his political opponents with baseless investigations.
There is more, but that's just off the top of my head.
We have an administration that has substituted the rule of law with rule by law, the hallmark of authoritarian systems. And sadly, Congress is providing zero oversight or interest in restraining Trump's authority, making it all the more imperative that the Democrats take control of the House in the 2026 mid-terms.
--Andrew Boufford
via Moral Ambition Community
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