Who benefits? Who pays?

West Virginia knows what corruption looks like. It is when powerful people use government to help themselves instead of helping people and our communities. Corruption anywhere hurts people everywhere, but in West Virginia, where trust in government is already low, it lands like a punch to the gut. 

• The Trump family is making money on drone manufacturing, a golf club in Qatar, a resort in Saudi Arabia, and crypto deals with foreign billionaires- as well as sales of bibles, sneakers, and guitars.1

• Trump’s net worth is now $6.3 billion, as estimated by Forbes - an increase of 60% since he returned to office.2

• When asked about potential conflicts of interest, Trump responded: “I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.3

• The New York Times estimated that Trump pocketed at least $1.4 billion during the first year of his second term.4

• The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family has generated at least $4 billion in profits from new business ventures since Trump was reelected.5

• Hundreds of government events were held at Trump hotels and golf clubs - meaning taxpayer money flowed straight into his businesses.6

• Trump bought stock in companies right before (or during) government actions that helped those companies. Those stocks then go up in value and Trump cashes in. The Brennan Center called it “epic corruption in plain sight.”7

The New York Times estimated that Trump pocketed at least $1.4 billion during the first year of his second term. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family has generated at least $4 billion in profits from new business ventures since Trump was reelected.4, 5

At whose expense?

• A poultry processing company donated $5 million to Trump’s inaugural fund then received a “production speed waiver” from the Agriculture Department, as well as SEC approval for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.8

• Foreign governments and political groups spent big money at Trump hotels.9 

• Elon Musk gave $288 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Trump created the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), put Musk in charge, then made policy decisions that benefit Musk’s companies’ financial interests.10

• A poultry processing company donated $5 million to Trump’s inaugural fund then received a “production speed waiver” from the Agriculture Department, as well as SEC approval for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.8 

• The United Arab Emirates invested $2 billion in USD1, Trump’s crypto firm. Two weeks later the Emiratis were given access to American-made artificial intelligence computing chips - the first-ever such agreement with a foreign government.11

We the People are paying for it

Taxpayer money should go toward things that help communities like roads, schools, healthcare, childcare, housing, and broadband. 

• Nearly 140 WV public schools have closed across the state since 2011. As many as 20 additional schools across West Virginia may close this school year.12

• $1.4 B taxpayer dollars could be spent to build a new East Wing ballroom and a $100M “Triumphal Arch” that towers over the Lincoln Memorial.13

• The Secret Service spends nearly $2 million of taxpayer money at Trump properties, literally paying for the right to protect the President and his family.9

• U.S. taxpayers were charged $1000 for alcohol served at White House staff meeting14

I beg your pardon? 

Trump gives pardons to political allies, donors, and people who refused to testify against him. 

• Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao (aka “CZ”) and his crypto company, Binance, for violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws.15  

• Binance then elicited a $2 billion investment in USD1, the Trump family’s crypto firm, from an Emirati state-owned investment firm, which ultimately netted billions of dollars for the Trumps.15

• Trump has pardoned nearly 1,300 people since he took office, costing $1.3 billion in restitution owed to victims of white-collar crimes.16

Have I Got a Job for You! 

Trump gives big-time donors some really important jobs. 

• Arkansas banker Warren Stephens gave millions and is now U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. 

• Anjani Sinha, a retired orthopedic surgeon who gave $1 million to the MAGA super PAC serves as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. During his confirmation hearing, Sinha couldn’t answer basic questions about the city-state.17

• Trump pardoned Jared Kushner’s father Charles, who pled guilty to 16 federal crimes, then appointed him U.S. Ambassador to France, after he made a $2M gift to Trump’s superPAC.18

In an official 113-page report to the Office of Government Ethics (Form 278-T), Trump catalogs more than 3,600 individual stock trades he made between January and March, 2026. The form he submitted to the Office of Government Ethics is available to the public in a searchable database.19

Form 278-T shows Trump bought and sold hundreds of millions of dollars in securities from January-March 2026, including interests tied to big tech, defense contractors, media conglomerates, crypto, and more.6

Trump invested in:

• Paramount and Warner Brothers while the Justice Department was reviewing their $111B merger.20

• Oracle while he brokered their deal to buy TikTok.21

• The CEO of Nvidia, which makes advanced AI chips, went to China with the President on Air Force .to  sell their AI chips to the Chinese government. Nvidia told investors that revenue will grow 70% next fiscal year (Fiscal 2028)22

Trump said he could end the Russia-Ukraine war 

in a single phone call on Day One.23