Documenting corruption in the Trump White House – WHYY
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New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton on the unprecedented ways in which President Trump is profiting from the presidency.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to, from bottom right, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, top right, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, top left, and others during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Many government watchdogs are raising alarms about what they see as unprecedented levels of corruption and self-dealing by President Donald Trump, his family, and his inner circle. Estimates of their personal profits range from $2 to $4 billion in his second term alone.
New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton has been tracking the details of the president’s business dealings and the conflicts of interest they present. They include a record number of stock trades–3,700 since 2025 — and Trump-branded cryptocurrency ventures that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the president’s family.
Trump has been accused of using his office to enrich his family’s business interests and of promoting a pay-to-play culture – including fundraisers for pet projects like the White House ballroom and a pardon for a cryptocurrency executive who then invested in Trump family’s crypto company.
Today, Lipton walks us through what he and others have uncovered. We’ll look at how Trump family business interests have become entangled in government business, whether any meaningful oversight exists, and whether Americans are paying attention. We’ll also ask historian Douglas Brinkley how the actions of past presidents compare.
Guests:
Eric Lipton – investigative reporter for The New York Times
Douglas Brinkley – professor of history at Rice University
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