Trump is engaged in extensive amounts of self-dealing while Americans struggle to make ends meet

Donald Trump is using the presidency as a personal piggy bank to enrich himself and his family and benefit his rich friends. From frivolous lawsuits to shady business deals to the misuse of taxpayer dollars, Trump will do just about anything to line his family’s pockets and build vanity projects for himself. 

Meanwhile, as the Trump family’s net worth continues to explode by hundreds of millions of dollars, everyday Americans are struggling to get by in Trump’s economy: core inflation in April surged to 3.8%, the highest level in years, and consumer sentiment sank to its lowest level ever recorded for the second month in a row — lower than during the Great Recession in 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump has sought taxpayer dollars to reap rewards for himself, his family, and his political allies:

• Trump submitted a claim to pocket $230 million of taxpayer funds in compensation from the Justice Department (DOJ) for an FBI search of his home in Florida into whether he took classified records from the White House.
• Trump, his sons, and his family’s business filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department, seeking $10 billion of taxpayer dollars.
  • Before Trump’s DOJ backed away after bipartisan political backlash, in a settlement agreement, Trump’s own DOJ created a $1.776 billion political slush fund of taxpayer dollars for Trump’s political allies, including January 6 rioters. 

Trump’s stock trading represents a blatant conflict of interest as he takes action to benefit companies: 

• Trump made more than 3,600 stock trades, in the first quarter of 2026 alone, potentially valued at more than $100 million.
  • Many of those trades included tech giants like Nvidia, Dell, and Palantir. 
• Trump also bought more than $300 million in bonds issued by companies, states, and municipalities as he repeatedly pressed the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, which would help drive up the value of his bonds.

The Trump family businesses are booming as his family members engage in countless shady business dealings: 

• Eric Trump joined his father on an official state visit to Beijing while a company linked to Eric and the Trump family’s crypto business explored a deal with a Chinese firm that American lawmakers have warned poses a national security threat.
• The Air Force has agreed to purchase interceptor drones from Powerus, a company linked to the Trump family. 
• The Pentagon agreed to loan at least $620 million to Vulcan Elements, a startup linked to Donald Trump Jr.
• Trump has made several deals with Saudi Arabian officials after the country invested billions in Trump family ventures.
• Trump struck a deal with the UAE after the Trump family business landed a crypto investment from the country. 

Trump is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on his vanity projects: 

• Trump was gifted a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar and is forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for up to$1 billion for upgrades to the jet.
• Trump and Republicans requested $1 billion for Trump’s White House ballroom project after months of Trump vowing that the renovations would be “taxpayer-free.”  
• Trump is seeking $100 million from taxpayers for his “Arc de Trump.”
• Trump wants over $13 million from taxpayers to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool  — over seven times what Trump initially promised the renovation would cost and overcharging Americans by nearly $1 million.
• Trump is spending $5 million in taxpayer funds to coat four horses near the Lincoln Memorial in gold.