The New York Times' editorial board aimed a blistering attack at President Donald Trump Tuesday, publishing a partial accounting of his "brazen" pursuit of wealth through the first year of his second term in office.
The 79-year-old president, his family and their company have accepted gifts, signed licensing deals, settled aggressive lawsuits and scooped up hundreds of millions in crypto investments since his return to the White House. The Times editorial board found that he had already profited from his return to the White House by an amount of money equal to 16,822 times the median U.S. household income.
"It is impossible to know how often Mr. Trump makes official decisions, in part or entirely, because he wants to be richer," the board wrote. "And that is precisely the problem. A culture of corruption is pernicious because it is not just a deviation from government in the public interest; it is also the destruction of the state’s democratic legitimacy. It undermines the necessary faith that the representatives of the people are acting in the interest of the people."
Presidents have historically taken care to avoid the appearance of profiting from their public service, but Trump blatantly blurs the line between his personal and public duties, the board wrote.
"Mr. Trump’s hunger for wealth is brazen," the board wrote. "This president gleefully squeezes American corporations, flaunts gifts from foreign governments and celebrates the rapid growth of his own fortune."
Aristotle warned more than 2,000 years ago that a government whose leaders were most concerned with enriching themselves could not be a constitutional republic, because the aim of such an arrangement shifted from the public good to private gain, the Times' editors wrote. They added that Americans were learning about those dangers firsthand.
"The demands of avarice gradually corrupt the work of government as officials facilitate the accumulation of personal wealth," the board wrote. "Worse, such a government corrupts the people who live under its rule. They learn by experience that they live in a society where the laws are written by the highest bidder. They become less likely to obey those laws, and to participate in the work of democracy — speaking, voting, paying taxes."
"The United States risks falling into this cynical spiral as Mr. Trump hollows out the institutions of government for personal gain," the board added.
