The Grift That Keeps on Grifting

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/113824/the-grift-that-keeps-on-grifting

The Grift That Keeps on Grifting
by Robert Reich | May 12, 2025 - 5:17am

— from Robert Reich's Substack

Friends,

Trump is overplaying his hand.

Not just by usurping the powers of Congress and ignoring Supreme Court rulings. Not just abducting people who are legally in the United States but have put their name to opinion pieces Trump doesn’t like and trucking them off to “detention” facilities. Not just using the Justice Department for personal vengeance. Not just unilaterally deciding how much tariff tax American consumers will have to pay on almost everything they buy.

Polls show all these are tanking Trump’s popularity.

But one thing almost all Americans are firmly against — even many loyal Trumpers — us bribery. And Trump is taking bigger and bigger bribes.

snip//

This week’s trip to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. is as much a personal business trip for Trump and his family businesses as a diplomatic trip.

snip//

I had assumed that Trump’s undoing would be his unquenchable thirst for power. It may yet be, but I’m beginning to think his insatiable greed will do him in. America’s Grifter-in-Chief knows no bounds.

[Javaman]

1. he'll still keep the plane. just might not be AF1 nt

[WmChris]

2. Emoluments

Just one more emoluments violation, but since the subprime court granted hin immunity I guess it's ok? Grifters gonna grift. It's really sad that the spineless GQP can't use their oversite powers to rein in this incompetent NY con-man.