Trump's IRS lawsuit settlement scheme represents unprecedented presidential grifting
Source: Jim Newell. "With Trump’s IRS slush fund, the president hits new heights of grifting.." May 16, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
Trump is trying to get billions in taxpayer money by suing his own government agencies and then settling the case. This is basically a scam to funnel public money to himself and his friends, and it's more obvious and shameless than anything he's done before.
Conclusion
Trump's proposed IRS lawsuit settlement represents his most brazen attempt at using taxpayer funds for personal and political gain
Premises
- Trump sued his own executive branch (IRS/Treasury) for $10 billion, creating an inherent conflict of interest
- The lawsuit appears to be a setup from the start, as evidenced by the judge questioning whether the parties are 'sufficiently adverse to each other'
- The Justice Department is now considering settling the case, potentially dropping IRS audits of Trump and his family
- The proposed settlement includes creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate Trump's allies who claim wrongful targeting
- The administration is making no effort to conceal this scheme, indicating brazenness
- This represents a direct raid on the Treasury for personal gain, just in a different form than paying Trump directly
Assumptions
- Presidents should not personally profit from taxpayer funds
- Lawsuits between a president and his own executive branch agencies are inherently suspect
- Settling such cases with taxpayer money constitutes corruption
- Previous instances of presidential self-dealing were less egregious than this scheme