Trump’s $2bn bonanza heralds the rise of political grifters across the west

Trump’s businesses have made more than $2bn in the first year of his second presidency, while Farage has become the best-paid Westminster MP. Photograph: Twitter View image in fullscreen Trump’s businesses have made more than $2bn in the first year of his second presidency, while Farage has become the best-paid Westminster MP. Photograph: Twitter Analysis Trump’s $2bn bonanza heralds the rise of political grifters across the west Tom Burgis With voters embracing leaders who brazenly monetise public office, experts say an ethical code is breaking down Donald Trump came to office in 2017 after decades of bankruptcies and business failures. Yes, he was rich, but his latest financial disclosure, published this week, suggests he will depart billions richer. In the first year of his second term, he made more than $2bn from Trump hotels, Trump golf courses, Trump cryptocurrency, Trump watches, Trump cologne, Trump Bibles and more. That means Trump has accomplished something none of his predecessors achieved, at least not on this scale: transforming the American presidency into a moneymaking enterprise. Politicians have always enriched themselves but the chutzpah with which Trump is doing so raises the possibility that an ethical code is breaking down. And not just in the US. Across the west, from Clacton to Queensland, a new type of leader is emerging: the political grifter. View image in fullscreen Trump’s sons Donald Jr and Eric are formally in charge of their father’s businesses while he is president. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Making public office a ticket to the high life while living standards fall might seem a hard sell to the electorate. Yet many voters seem prepared to put up with grifting, even happy to reward it. Nigel Farage has traded on his fame and influence to become the best-paid MP at Westminster while maintaining an image as the champion of downtrodden Britons. He takes flights on the private jets of a billionaire benefactor, as does the Australian populist Pauline Hanson, who has repeatedly breached rules on declaring them. “For decades, there was an implicit understanding that using public office for personal enrichment carried political and reputational risks,” says Tutu Alicante, a human rights lawyer based in the US and an expert in kleptocracy worldwide. “That restraint appears to be eroding.” Alicante adds: “What feels different today is the brazenness.” The shift reminds him of places like his native Equatorial Guinea, where “corruption has become aspirational” as youngsters idolise the flashy kleptocrats who drive Lamborghinis and hang out with models. “I worry we’re beginning to see echoes of the same phenomenon in parts of the west, where politicians who openly monetise public office – and the business figures and influencers who orbit them – are celebrated by some as symbols of success rather than cautionary tales.” View image in fullscreen Nigel Farage, long a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, has promote