The Corruption Chronicles

With each passing month in the White House, President Donald Trump continues to monetize the presidency in ways that defy both the intent and the letter of Article I of the Constitution, transforming public office into a vehicle for private gain through business enterprises, including multiple cryptocurrency ventures.

The index below — which builds on Issue One’s first installment in this series and comes ahead of the nine-month anniversary of Trump’s inauguration — details many of the ways Trump has been sidestepping our nation’s longstanding, anti-corruption safeguards, pressuring major players in the private and nonprofit sectors, and selling access and influence to domestic and foreign interests alike.

“The scale and severity of President Trump’s conflicts of interest far surpass the concerns raised during his first term,” said Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman. “Trump’s disregard for the ethical responsibilities that come with being a public servant degrades the presidency and raises significant corruption concerns that Congress and the American people must take seriously.”

The evidence in this index underscores how the lines between public service and private gain have grown increasingly blurred. While the Trump administration’s conduct is particularly egregious, it also reveals structural weaknesses in executive oversight. Bipartisan solutions to strengthen guardrails must be a priority, no matter who holds the executive branch.

Key

9

Minimum number of universities whose funding was frozen by the Trump administration in apparent attempts to strong-arm them into paying settlements.

$5.6 billion

Total combined amount the Trump administration is seeking in these settlements.

$10 billion

Value of a new government contract between the Army and Palantir, a data analysis company founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, a long-time Trump supporter.

$850,000

Amount of money that billionaire Peter Thiel has donated so far this year to help Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterms.

$1 million

Price that a liquified natural gas export company could pay to get classified as “in the public interest” by the Department of Energy, under a proposal introduced in Congress.

$19 million

Amount of money the fossil fuel industry collectively contributed to Trump’s inaugural committee, representing nearly 8% of the total funds raised for his inauguration.

$3 million

Amount by which Trump’s inaugural committee initially underreported its total receipts, omitting large contributions from companies including Amazon, General Motors, Microsoft, and X (previously known as Twitter).

$200 million

Value of Defense Department contract awarded to billionaire Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm for the use of Grok, the company’s AI chatbot.

$15 million

Amount of money that billionaire Elon Musk donated in June to super PACs aligned with Trump and congressional Republicans, representing a continued investment in electoral politics on top of the $290 million he contributed to candidates and super PACs ahead of the 2024 election.

5

Number of Tesla vehicles parked outside the White House in March during a PR stunt at which Trump encouraged people to buy billionaire Elon Musk’s electronic vehicles.

$1 million

Amount of money contributed by technology firm Qualcomm to a Trump-aligned dark money group known as Securing American Greatness, which was founded last year by Taylor Budowich, who now serves in the White House as a deputy chief of staff.

$100 million

Amount of money that crypto industry interests announced, in September, that they would funnel into a super PAC to support pro-crypto candidates in the 2026 elections.

33%

Estimated percentage of Trump’s Cabinet members who have cryptocurrency investments.

90

Approximate number of wallets that hold 90% of the publicly available cryptocurrency memecoin launched by Trump in January, each of which holds $1 million or more.

60%

Portion of the wallets holding $1 million or more of Trump’s memecoin that are likely controlled by foreign nationals.

$18 million

Value of the Trump memecoin holdings controlled by 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.

$5 billion

Value by which the Trump family’s net worth increased after their World Liberty Financial crypto company began being publicly traded in September.

$100,000

Price that a watch company — which has paid Trump a licensing fee — charges for a limited edition, gold “Crypto President Tourbillon” watch.

61%

Portion of independents who say Trump is somewhat likely or very likely to accept a bribe, up from 53% in January.

$50,000

Amount of money that Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepted from undercover FBI agents last year, allegedly promising them government contracts from a second Trump administration.