The Corruption Chronicles: July 2026 Edition

President Donald Trump has sold access and influence to domestic and foreign interests, and used the presidency to enrich himself and his family, including through multiple cryptocurrency ventures, in violation of both the spirit and the letter of Article I of the Constitution.

“The White House is increasingly being run like a criminal enterprise,” said Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman. “President Donald Trump’s scandalous behavior poses a serious threat of corruption, degrades the presidency, and leaves the public paying the price. A president who personally profits from public office and sells access not only undermines the public’s trust but also creates a dangerous precedent that could be further exploited by future presidents of either party, unless Congress strengthens accountability measures.”

The index below — which builds on Issue One’s previous installments in this series — highlights a dozen ways that Trump has sidestepped long-standing anti-corruption guardrails, engaged in pay-to-play politics, and transformed the presidency into a vehicle for personal financial gain.

Key

$2.2 Billion

Minimum amount of money President Donald Trump has earned since assuming office in 2025, largely bolstered by his cryptocurrency memecoin (from which he and his family have earned at least $2.3 billion and from which investors have lost at least $2.3 billion) and his World Liberty Financial crypto firm, which is also partially owned by a firm tied to the United Arab Emirates.

July 1, 2026:

Date on which President Trump first uses a $400 million luxury jet gifted to him last year by the royal family of Qatar to be the next Air Force One, which Trump plans to take with him to be the centerpiece of his presidential library after he leaves office. Qatar depends heavily on U.S. military protection and diplomatic backing to secure its regional interests, yet has faced scrutiny for human rights abuses, ties to extremist groups, and lack of political accountability.

51%

Portion of wallets with cryptocurrency investments of $500,000 or more in Trump’s memecoin that appear to be controlled by foreign nationals. These roughly 75 wallets control roughly 87% of the publicly available Trump memecoin. In late April, President Trump invited roughly 300 Trump memecoin investors to a private gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, with top holders receiving a special audience with the president.

84%

Percentage of the cryptocurrency stablecoin created by Trump’s World Liberty Financial that is held by Binance, a crypto exchange founded by Changpeng Zhao, who Trump pardoned last fall after a money laundering conviction. This business deal effectively enriched the Trump family to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

22

Minimum number of enforcement cases involving cryptocurrencies that the Trump administration has dismissed or withdrawn since the beginning of Trump’s second term.

21,000

Approximate number of securities trades President Trump disclosed during the first year of his second term in office, including more than 300 stock trades made a day before the first pause of his tariff policy. By contrast, President Joe Biden made a total of 13 stock trades during his entire tenure as president. Trump holds stakes in dozens of companies that have contracts with the federal government, including defense contractors Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Nvidia, Palantir, and Raytheon, as well as private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group.

$10 million

Minimum combined value of Amazon and Microsoft stock that President Trump failed to promptly report selling in February. This tardiness resulted in multiple fines for failing to meet mandatory stock transaction disclosure deadlines. Such disclosures are only required to list broad ranges rather than exact amounts. Each sale was valued between $5 million and $25 million.

12

Minimum number of big-dollar fundraising events President Trump has attended for his main supportive super PAC since he was elected in November 2024. These events have typically been advertised as candlelight dinners held at one of his properties, with attendees paying $1 million or more. The most recent $1 million per person super PAC fundraisers attended by Trump was held at the Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia on June 13, a day before his 80th birthday.

$5 million

Size of a political contribution that tobacco company Reynolds American made to Trump’s super PAC just a week before the Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance to allow major tobacco companies to begin selling flavored vapes.

$400 million

Amount of money that social media company TikTok has proposed to pay the Trump administration in exchange for resolving an ongoing lawsuit over alleged child privacy violations. The Trump administration reportedly plans to use these funds for “beautification” projects in Washington, D.C.

$1.776 billion

Amount of taxpayer dollars the Trump administration proposed to use for reimbursing those who believe they have been unjustly prosecuted by the U.S. government, including rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The proposal has been blocked in court and sparked bipartisan outrage, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) calling it “a payout pot for punks.”

$14.7 million

Amount of money that Atlantic Industrial Coatings has been paid to repair and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, after receiving a no-bid contract. President Trump reportedly chose the company because they had previously performed swimming pool work at his Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia. This sum is more than seven times more than Trump’s initial projected cost.