Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally prohibited from running for president again, has raised over $400 million through his super PAC, MAGA Inc.
Yeah, this isn't exactly grassroots organizing lining MAGA Inc.'s coffers. It's individuals and entities with money and influence speaking the transactional language Trump knows. It's also precisely why we need to get money out of politics, though that seems like a herculean task at this point.
The greatest tragedy is that this didn't begin with Trump, nor will it end with Trump. Citizens United is the single largest Federal program in existence. To our detriment, it's not going anywhere despite the talk from its benefactors.
Yes, although we should add decisions limiting federal corruption law enforcement. The ruling said payments after an act were basically “gratuities” like an apple for the teacher at the end of a school year. (The case was over a $10K payment.) It also said this:
“And after a 2016 Supreme Court decision overturning a public-corruption conviction of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell, it would require an explicit quid pro quo for a specific government action in direct exchange for a contribution to be viewed as illegal, Noble said….”
Modern day indulgences performed presently by the president of the USA instead of the Roman Catholic Church. As wrong now as it was then. My only hope is that it leads to a complete Reformation of all three branches of government and the US Constitution.
The only entities that can discipline Trump's out-of-control corruption are the DOJ--which he controls--and Congress; via yet another impeachment.
Guess we know now why he's pulling out all the stops to rig the midterms against the Dems. Well, there's also the as yet unreleased FBI transcripts regarding the fourteen year old model he allegedly raped at one of Jeffrey's NYC pedo parties.
Epstein moved a *billion* dollars through his accounts in the last year of his life. Drug money laundering? Extortion payments? Sex trafficking of women and girls? Does the fact that Trump's DOJ hasn't bothered to investigate, mean that Donald is involved in that, too?
The vote for Massie’s current bill on releasing Epstein files is on pause during the recess. This could be interesting. Massie has claimed he has 218 signatures.
I heard a neighbor say about W during his second election in 2004 that we needed to vote him back into the White House because he broke the Middle East and he needed to fix it.
More recently, I heard it said by a neighbor, all politicians are corrupt so at least Trump is honestly doing his corruption out in the open.
And it used to be that our democratic republic had enough guardrails and resiliency built in to the system, our famous three branches and checks and balances, to stop any one president from running our country into the ground.
And it used to be that we had enough sane and educated voters during the last 100 years to make it so.
This is why the midterms of 2026 are so important. I need to know that my country is still mostly populated by sane, educated people.
Good v. Evil. How does one fight this? Bernie goes on Joe Rogan to convince an audience of stoners that Twump is evil (but so is everyone else around campaign reform). The minority party in the house, led by tepid Jeffries and aging Schumer talk on the floors of Congress to no one? The SCOTUS seems to be tilted in favor of corruption as long as abortion is made difficult to impossible for a woman to choose? We need a hero, but mostly we need a revolution. These men, these corporations, these billionaires will not stop at getting what they want which is money and power. No one gives up money and power willingly. There must be a fight. Ten million Luigi Mangiones.
Roy was the lawyer for mob bosses like John Gotti and Paul Castellano. I think donald had a lot of “mob boss” in him before he met Roy, just like he had a lot of desire to rape young girls, before he became good friends with Jeffery Epstein. As president he likes foreign leaders who are naturally evil like himself, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Roy Cohn and Jeffery Epstein were a couple of his professors on his path to a PHD in EVIL.
We have become who we are supposed to hate; Russia. I do not normally like to predict the future but my guess is that once Trump is done all of his money will stay in his pocket while our net crop of political leaders announce "its time to move on". Maybe the next president will use the same strategy and buy health insurance for everyone? Ha, Brother can you spare a dime?
This article, unfortunately, is indicative of the very real problem facing American voters. Yes, we're outraged by this reporting but, speaking for myself only, voters also recognize their outrage is somewhat pointless. It leads nowhere. The whole Citizens United Maga sphere is far too entrenched to be disassembled. Both political parties' benefit from it and the Citizens United infrastructure consists of tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of Billions of dollars. Pragmatism, not cynicism, inform us that little, if anything, will be done to end this. This particular genie is out of the bottle, and nothing will put it back. If one disagrees, please educate me. I'm listening.
It is not only the infrastructure, it is the Citizens United SCOTUS and earlier rulings that set us on the path & protects. — [Citizens United] … doubled down on a 1976 decision, Buckley v. Valeo, which was the first case to say that campaign expenditures, or money spent to influence voters, was a type of “speech” and that the only permissible justification for most limits on money in politics was to prevent outright bribery, or as the Court’s opinion called it, “quid pro quo corruption.” — https://popular.info/p/how-maga-inc-raised-so-much-money/comments?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=post_viewer
I don’t see it changing without a Constitutional Amendment and those efforts usually take years — if successful.
When this guy ran in 2016 he said he was so rich he didn’t need to raise money for his campaign. OK, it was a lie. He wasn’t all that wealthy & his Campaign Committee raised $333,127,164 (including $66.1 million from Trump $$ self-funding)
“Tom Pyle, a former oil industry lobbyist who leads the American Energy Alliance, said there is still enormous uncertainty about the possible change of the guard in the White House. "It's Donald Trump — you never really know," he told Politico.”
Yeah, this isn't exactly grassroots organizing lining MAGA Inc.'s coffers. It's individuals and entities with money and influence speaking the transactional language Trump knows. It's also precisely why we need to get money out of politics, though that seems like a herculean task at this point.
The greatest tragedy is that this didn't begin with Trump, nor will it end with Trump. Citizens United is the single largest Federal program in existence. To our detriment, it's not going anywhere despite the talk from its benefactors.
Yes, although we should add decisions limiting federal corruption law enforcement. The ruling said payments after an act were basically “gratuities” like an apple for the teacher at the end of a school year. (The case was over a $10K payment.) It also said this:
“And after a 2016 Supreme Court decision overturning a public-corruption conviction of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell, it would require an explicit quid pro quo for a specific government action in direct exchange for a contribution to be viewed as illegal, Noble said….”
https://electionlawblog.org/2024/trump-makes-sweeping-promises-to-donors-on-audacious-fundraising-tour/
Trump has always been open about his transactional, corrupt nature.
I fear the open, rampant corruption will not go back under cover once he's gone.
For 11 years now, he has set the tone of public conversation. Half a generation knows no differently.
Modern day indulgences performed presently by the president of the USA instead of the Roman Catholic Church. As wrong now as it was then. My only hope is that it leads to a complete Reformation of all three branches of government and the US Constitution.
Zoe, excellent analogy. Maybe we will all get to heaven...sooner rather than later
The only entities that can discipline Trump's out-of-control corruption are the DOJ--which he controls--and Congress; via yet another impeachment.
Guess we know now why he's pulling out all the stops to rig the midterms against the Dems. Well, there's also the as yet unreleased FBI transcripts regarding the fourteen year old model he allegedly raped at one of Jeffrey's NYC pedo parties.
Epstein moved a *billion* dollars through his accounts in the last year of his life. Drug money laundering? Extortion payments? Sex trafficking of women and girls? Does the fact that Trump's DOJ hasn't bothered to investigate, mean that Donald is involved in that, too?
The vote for Massie’s current bill on releasing Epstein files is on pause during the recess. This could be interesting. Massie has claimed he has 218 signatures.
“It would allow state attorneys general, victims and members of Congress to sue the Justice Department for failing to disclose documents as required under the law he championed last fall.” https://rollcall.com/2026/09/03/second-epstein-petition-looks-for-republican-support/
Unbelievable corruption.
I heard a neighbor say about W during his second election in 2004 that we needed to vote him back into the White House because he broke the Middle East and he needed to fix it.
More recently, I heard it said by a neighbor, all politicians are corrupt so at least Trump is honestly doing his corruption out in the open.
And it used to be that our democratic republic had enough guardrails and resiliency built in to the system, our famous three branches and checks and balances, to stop any one president from running our country into the ground.
And it used to be that we had enough sane and educated voters during the last 100 years to make it so.
This is why the midterms of 2026 are so important. I need to know that my country is still mostly populated by sane, educated people.
Jan, I hope you are right but Good luck with that! We will get the government we deserve.
I hope you are right because we are all weell on the way to perdition!
Good v. Evil. How does one fight this? Bernie goes on Joe Rogan to convince an audience of stoners that Twump is evil (but so is everyone else around campaign reform). The minority party in the house, led by tepid Jeffries and aging Schumer talk on the floors of Congress to no one? The SCOTUS seems to be tilted in favor of corruption as long as abortion is made difficult to impossible for a woman to choose? We need a hero, but mostly we need a revolution. These men, these corporations, these billionaires will not stop at getting what they want which is money and power. No one gives up money and power willingly. There must be a fight. Ten million Luigi Mangiones.
Judd, Fabulous criminal reporting!
Yes, keep shining that spotlight on these arrogant narcissistic crooks!
Just as A Sarcastic Prophet pointed out! The midterms will tell us all!
Just gotta believe this country is still populated by sane, educated people and even uneducated people can spot a CON just takes a little longer. So…
Wake Up America!
This is how a crime boss operates.
Learned it all from Roy Cohn.
Roy was the lawyer for mob bosses like John Gotti and Paul Castellano. I think donald had a lot of “mob boss” in him before he met Roy, just like he had a lot of desire to rape young girls, before he became good friends with Jeffery Epstein. As president he likes foreign leaders who are naturally evil like himself, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. Roy Cohn and Jeffery Epstein were a couple of his professors on his path to a PHD in EVIL.
Roy was also his dad’s attorney. He sort of inherited him instead of having to find him. A biography of Drumpf says he learned all he needed to know about bullying (and practiced) at the private military-style school he attended. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/trump-the-bully-how-childhood-military-school-shaped-the-future-president/
SCOTUS says it's all good. Let's see what the next Congress says.
We have become who we are supposed to hate; Russia. I do not normally like to predict the future but my guess is that once Trump is done all of his money will stay in his pocket while our net crop of political leaders announce "its time to move on". Maybe the next president will use the same strategy and buy health insurance for everyone? Ha, Brother can you spare a dime?
This article, unfortunately, is indicative of the very real problem facing American voters. Yes, we're outraged by this reporting but, speaking for myself only, voters also recognize their outrage is somewhat pointless. It leads nowhere. The whole Citizens United Maga sphere is far too entrenched to be disassembled. Both political parties' benefit from it and the Citizens United infrastructure consists of tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of Billions of dollars. Pragmatism, not cynicism, inform us that little, if anything, will be done to end this. This particular genie is out of the bottle, and nothing will put it back. If one disagrees, please educate me. I'm listening.
It is not only the infrastructure, it is the Citizens United SCOTUS and earlier rulings that set us on the path & protects. — [Citizens United] … doubled down on a 1976 decision, Buckley v. Valeo, which was the first case to say that campaign expenditures, or money spent to influence voters, was a type of “speech” and that the only permissible justification for most limits on money in politics was to prevent outright bribery, or as the Court’s opinion called it, “quid pro quo corruption.” — https://popular.info/p/how-maga-inc-raised-so-much-money/comments?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=post_viewer
I don’t see it changing without a Constitutional Amendment and those efforts usually take years — if successful.
To those paying into the fund it’s “pocket change.” And it is not really “skin in the game.”
It’s MAGA world -we hold a temporary parking permit… need an earthquake in November to begin the reversal…
The bribe list kept going and going!!! And I’m sure there’s more we don’t know about. Good work uncovering it all, PI.
When this guy ran in 2016 he said he was so rich he didn’t need to raise money for his campaign. OK, it was a lie. He wasn’t all that wealthy & his Campaign Committee raised $333,127,164 (including $66.1 million from Trump $$ self-funding)
Fast forward to the T2 campaign. He made pledges he actually kept. Give his campaign enough money & you get access, input into policies & expedited permitting. Of course there was the all time favorite - tax cuts for the rich. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-woos-wealthy-donors-promises-223504701.html
“Tom Pyle, a former oil industry lobbyist who leads the American Energy Alliance, said there is still enormous uncertainty about the possible change of the guard in the White House. "It's Donald Trump — you never really know," he told Politico.”
It continues in preparation for the midterms. How about that promise of “private National Security briefings”? https://people.com/trump-promises-donors-access-national-security-briefings-11925725
Well, now we know and people aren’t liking it. But no one should be surprised.