

Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP
Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP
He is taking self-enrichment to a scale never seen before in America.
First published in The Atlantic on May 28, 2025
by David Frum, The Atlantic
June 5, 2025 | reading time: 11 Min.
During his first presidency, Donald Trump collected millions of dollars of other people’s money. He charged taxpayers nearly $2 million to protect him during the hundreds of times he visited his own properties. He accepted millions of dollars of campaign-related funds from Republican candidates who sought his favor. His businesses collected at least $13 million from foreign governments over his first term in office.