Corruption Watch

President Donald Trump

Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States on November 8, 2016. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2017. 

Photograph: Reuters

He has engaged in the following acts of political corruption:

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(1) nepotism: hiring his daughter as a White House adviser

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(2) nepotism: hiring his son-in-law as a senior adviser

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(3) using public office to attack a private retail store for dropping his daughter’s clothing line

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(4) using public office to advertise campaign merchandise

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(5) cronyism: the Trump administration appointed a Trump family aide as the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's programs in New York and New Jersey

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(6) using public office to advertise his businesses

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He has facilitated institutional corruption and state capture by:

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(1) allowing his administration to issue ethics waivers in secret until May 31, 2017 so that industry lobbyists could work on changing policies they had lobbied against

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(2) authorizing unsigned, undated, retro-active ethics waivers

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(3) appointing an insurance industry lobbyist to advise on reforming an insurance industry regulator

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(4) appointing an energy industry lobbyist to work on energy and environmental policy

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(5) appointing a lobbyist for a financial services company to work on tax and retirement policy & legislation

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(6) facilitating the regulatory capture of the EPA by nominating Scott Pruitt to lead it