Analysis
One year of Donald Trump profiteering from public office and selling access and influence
One year into his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump has reshaped the presidency to drastically blur the lines between government and business, abetting unprecedented levels of pay-to-play political corruption and blatantly exploiting our nation’s highest office to enrich himself and his family.
The index below — which builds on Issue One’s previous two installments in this series — highlights many of the ways that Trump has sidestepped anti-corruption safeguards, defied both the intent and the letter of Article I of the Constitution, and transformed public office into a vehicle for private gain through business enterprises, including multiple cryptocurrency ventures.
“A president profiting from public service and selling access to the highest bidder should outrage Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike,” said Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman.
He continued: “President Donald Trump’s continued disregard for the ethical responsibilities of public office raises concerns not only about the next three years of his administration but also about the structural weaknesses for executive branch oversight. This moment in U.S. history calls for bipartisan resolve to check the executive branch and enact safeguards that can protect future generations of American democracy.”
Amount Trump’s presidential library is hoping to raise over the next two years, almost 50 times as much money as President Barack Obama’s presidential library raised in its first three years.
Value of a luxury jet gifted to Trump in May 2025 by the royal family of Qatar to be the next Air Force One and then to be used by Trump’s presidential library after Trump leaves office.
Number of times the Senate, in 2025, voted down proposals to block taxpayer money from being used to convert the gifted Qatari luxury jet into Air Force One.
Number of Cabinet-level members of the Trump administration who previously held consultancy or lobbying positions on Qatar’s behalf.
Estimated cost of the new White House ballroom, paid for by more than three dozen companies and wealthy individuals, some of whom received invitations to dinner with Trump himself.
Estimated cost of the renovations to the White House’s Rose Garden to remake it into an imitation of the patio at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, paid for by private interests who could be seeking access and influence with the White House.
Cost of a new “Trump gold card” investment visa launched by Trump in December that gives wealthy foreigners permanent residency status in the United States, a path to citizenship, and the ability to make political contributions.
Ticket price to attend either of the two super PAC fundraising dinners that Trump has scheduled at his properties in early 2026, making at least seven super PAC fundraisers that Trump has attended since being elected to his second term.
Approximate amount of taxpayer dollars spent by the Secret Service at Trump properties during the first few months of Trump’s second term alone.
Minimum amount that Republican political committees have spent at Trump properties during Trump’s second term.
Number of former U.S. politicians who have received pardons or clemency from Trump after being either charged with or convicted of crimes including campaign corruption, bribery, insider trading, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and lying to law enforcement.
Amount of money that Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, reportedly offered to pay lobbyists to secure a successful pardon of its founder.
Approximate number of wallets that hold about 90% of the publicly available cryptocurrency memecoin launched by Trump in January 2025, each of which holds $1 million or more.
Approximate portion of the wallets holding $1 million or more of Trump’s memecoin that are likely controlled by foreign nationals.
Value of the Trump memecoin holdings controlled by wallets associated with Chinese-born crypto billionaire Justin Sun, whom the SEC, during the Biden administration, accused of fraudulently manipulating a cryptocurrency market and whose crypto exchange has been accused of facilitating criminal activity.
Number of days that billionaire Elon Musk worked as a special government employee for the Trump administration, overseeing the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which slashed government services and programs, leading to a barrage of legal challenges and charges of executive branch overreach.
Amount of money that billionaire Elon Musk contributed to Republican candidates and political groups during the 2024 election cycle, most of which flowed to pro-Trump super PACs.
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