This article first appeared in Time.
On Feb. 27, around the time he was giving the order to launch military strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump gathered at Mar-a-Lago with super PAC donors paying $1 million per plate. Buying access to Trump in exchange for campaign donations is only one of several ways to curry favor with the president. It is also easier than ever to funnel money directly into his family’s own pockets, as reporting about their crypto interests has revealed. As such, concerns about the potential for corruption at the highest levels of public office have increased.
But the truth is that this problem is bigger than any single political figure, even one who looms as large as the current occupant of the Oval Office.
To be sure, Trump has certainly broken new ground when it comes to such concerns. According to data from the Federal Election Commission, analyzed by my colleagues at The Brennan Center, Trump’s super PAC, MAGA, Inc., has raised over $300 million since the 2024 election. That’s more than five times the previous fundraising record for a second-term president, almost all from donors giving $1 million or more. The data shows that the money is pouring in from leaders of the crypto and fossil fuel industries; other businesspeople whose companies hold large government contracts; and wealthy individuals who have received key administration appointments or even presidential pardons for family members. One pardoned corporate executive even touted his mother’s campaign donations in his application.
