President Donald Trump dives into the swamp he once pledged to drain

In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, the president’s actions are drawing sharp criticism for the ethical conflicts arising from his business ventures.

Despite once pledging to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington, Trump’s recent decisions are leading many to question the integrity of his administration.

Trump, whose campaign slogan claimed that eliminating government corruption and special interests would be a high priority, has taken steps in his second term that are betraying those promises.

Disinformation experts called Trump’s executive order on government censorship a ‘direct assault on reality’ that will embolden both foreign adversaries and other purveyors of lies.

“That White House policy has canonized lies and conspiracy theories about those responding to disinformation further emboldens both foreign actors and disinformation profiteers who continue to pollute our information environment with falsehoods designed to enrage Americans and pit us against one another,” said American Sunlight Project CEO Nina Jankowicz. “Never one to break character, President Trump seeks vengeance for a slight that never happened.”

One of the most significant controversies is his launch of a new cryptocurrency venture, which has raised serious questions about conflicts of interest. The project, a meme coin called $TRUMP, is associated with his brand and promoted to his followers.

This cryptocurrency venture comes as Trump is preparing to take action on cryptocurrency regulation, potentially influencing both its market and his own financial interests.

Cryptocurrency invites corruption by offering anonymity, lack of regulation, and the potential for manipulation, allowing illicit activities like money laundering, tax evasion, and conflicts of interest, especially among public figures.

The coin’s rise in value has led to concerns about the president’s business dealings during his time in office. Notably, Trump has close ties to the venture, with his family members actively promoting the project.

The involvement of his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., has also drawn scrutiny as they tout the coin’s potential as a “digital meme” that could generate billions of dollars.

With the Trump Organization still operating, because a New York judge spared the ex-president the corporate death penalty as punishment in a civil case that found financial figures were fraudulently misrepresented to get cheaper loans and other benefits, Trump is poised to benefit financially from his administration’s policy decisions, including those that affect the cryptocurrency industry.

Critics argue that this presents a profound conflict of interest, as the president’s role in regulating the sector could directly impact the value of his own business holdings.

Trump’s administration has also seen a repeal of a key ethics executive order established by former President Joe Biden, which sought to reduce the influence of special interests in government.

Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert expressed concern that Trump’s actions are opening the floodgates for conflicts of interest. She stated, “Trump once pledged to drain the swamp, but now in his second term, he has left that pledge far behind.”

Alongside his personal ventures, Trump has continued to appoint wealthy business figures, including 13 billionaires, to his administration. These appointments have raised alarms about the growing ties between the administration and the industries it regulates, from Big Tech to Wall Street.

While Trump’s approval of his own actions continues to grow among his base, the ethical concerns surrounding his presidency are prompting renewed scrutiny from watchdog organizations and government ethics experts.

Norman Eisen, a former White House ethics adviser, called Trump’s cryptocurrency venture “the most profound conflict of interest in modern presidential history,” highlighting concerns about foreign governments potentially purchasing the coin to gain favor with the U.S. president.

As the second term unfolds, the president’s efforts to merge his business interests with his public duties continue to spark controversy.

“Trump certainly built his own egregiously rancid bog that needs to be drained in this election,” said a political organizer and columnist David Sirota. “However, he built it inside a giant wetland of graft that was constructed by a series of court rulings and enforcement policies that have effectively legalized corruption.”

Critics argue that Trump is exploiting his political power to expand his wealth, undermining the very principles of transparency and accountability he claimed to champion.

There’s a connection between the corruption scandals in the news and the steady decline in the quality of life for millions of Americans but with such glaring conflicts of interest, the administration’s ethical challenges appear far from resolved as Trump returns to the political spotlight.