Trump's Corruption Requires Major Ethics Reforms and Constitutional Changes
Source: John Cassidy. "Can Anything Stop Donald Trump’s Corruption? | The New Yorker." May 25, 2026. www.newyorker.com
The Gist
Trump is making money from his presidency in ways no previous president has, including trading stocks and getting special deals from government agencies. The author argues this corruption is so bad that we need new laws and maybe even constitutional changes to stop future presidents from doing the same thing.
Conclusion
Trump's unprecedented corruption demonstrates that current ethics laws and constitutional safeguards are inadequate, requiring major reforms and potentially radical constitutional changes to prevent future presidential self-dealing
Premises
- Trump is actively trading stocks in companies directly affected by his administration's policies, unlike previous presidents who divested conflicting assets
- The $1.8 billion 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' and IRS immunity grant represent unprecedented financial benefits to a sitting president from the government
- These actions violate the domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits presidents from receiving compensation beyond their salary
- Current enforcement mechanisms like impeachment have proven ineffective against presidential corruption
- The post-Citizens United political system concentrates too much power in the presidency, making Congress unable to effectively check presidential abuse
- Historical precedent shows that major scandals like Watergate led to meaningful ethics reforms, suggesting similar action is needed now
Assumptions
- Presidential ethics violations pose a fundamental threat to democratic governance
- Previous presidential norms around financial conflicts were beneficial and should be legally mandated
- Congressional action is both necessary and potentially achievable for ethics reform
- The current constitutional framework is insufficient for modern corruption challenges
- Public awareness and political pressure can eventually drive meaningful reform