Our Mob Boss President
The article critiques Donald Trump's presidency, describing it as focused on personal enrichment rather than the public good. It characterizes his actions as a form of corruption that resembles petty theft rather than honest governance. The author likens Trump's leadership style to that of a mob boss, suggesting a misuse of power for personal gain.
- ▪Trump's presidency is described as a pecuniary presidency focused on personal enrichment.
- ▪The article argues that his actions represent a form of petty theft from the public coffers.
- ▪The author compares Trump's leadership to that of a mob boss, emphasizing a lack of accountability.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
So what manner of presidency has Trump devised for himself?You could call it the pecuniary presidency, a presidency not devoted to the public good or to the preservation of the union or even to some narrow ideological crusade, but to the quest for personal enrichment. A presidency devoted to the aggrandizement of a single person, not to satisfy a grand design for the nation but to squeeze a few million here and a few billion there out of the public coffers for your own benefit.This isn’t the “honest graft” of Tammany Hall — corruption as the price paid for public improvement. It is petty theft. It’s stealing from the Treasury and using your authority, enhanced by the baroque theories of your allies on the Supreme Court, to make yourself unaccountable.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at kottke.org.
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