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...which would have made news headline that rocked the White House to its foundation in any other administration.

But the news media scarcely even caught a whiff of the corruption behind the actions.

1. Trumpedo pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. In May 2025, Binance was part of a $2 billion investment by an Abu Dhabi firm, MGX Fund Management, which used the Trump family's USD1 stablecoin to purchase a stake in Binance in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars to the Trumps.

2. Trumpedo's DOD gave a Florida-based drone manufacturer -- that Don Jr joined on the advisory board in November 2024, shortly after his father became commander in chief of the U.S. military -- the largest ever contract to supply parts to the Pentagon.

3. Trumpedo has demanded a payment of $230 million for himself from his own DOJ, the decision to disburse those funds controlled by men Trumpedo appointed to their positions.

Oh wait, four.

4. The destruction of the East Wing for a bribe-funded ballroom (yeah, that one got some media coverage, but not the corruption behind the hidden bribes).

(yeah, that one got some media coverage, but not the corruption behind the hidden bribes).

For the corruption story you have to go to independent media.

https://prospect.org/2025/10/28/heres-what-trumps-...

The White House has said it would allow ballroom donors to remain anonymous, but they’re the ones who put out all the names of the donors. The double game of bribery and disciplining only works if the names are public, and it certainly wouldn’t do for Trump to pay for his own ballroom out of a $230 million extortion from the Justice Department; that wouldn’t leave any room to demand tribute from the corporate sector.

More from David Dayen

The result is among the most corrupt displays in American history, with a president agreeing to do corporations’ bidding in exchange for financing a personal shrine and staying aligned for the duration of his presidency. We’ve seen other instances of personal self-aggrandizement and favor-trading, from pardoning convicted felons who partner with his crypto company to handing out contracts to businesses linked to his family to letting personal friends and patrons fund the Defense Department. (That’s all just in the last week!) But the ballroom is literally being built on a foundation of corruption, as a monument to it, on the very grounds of the White House.

Which raises the question: What do all these companies in on the ground floor, so to speak, really want? Most of the companies that officially donated to the Trump ballroom have been in the Prospect’s crosshairs for some time, and in going back through our archives we can divine why they’re debasing themselves to play this corrupt game. Here’s a rundown:

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