Moving Beyond the Corruption and Incompetence of Trump’s Second Term in Office

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Cartoon by Luc Nadeau

Trump drains the swamp - political cartoon

This is the 12th and final article about corruption in Trump's second term in office that we are publishing in the Shepherd Express. The series began in June 2025 and has reported on a variety of rotten things that Trump, his cronies and sycophants have perpetrated on the United States and the world since he took office in January 2025.

Some instances of corruption we have covered include the cryptocurrency scams in which he and his sons have been involved; the exorbitant expenses of his inauguration events (much of the proceeds from which went into his pockets); his personally enriching “sheikh”-down of Arab leaders, the dizzying roller coaster of unconstitutional tariffs he imposed on countries and uninhabited islands around the world; his online huckstering of guitars, sneakers and other goods to his MAGA followers; his false promises about reducing the cost of living in the United States; his self-naming “Trumpification” of Washington, D.C.; a peek into the history of his sordid relationships with girls and women; the incompetence and self-serving actions of his cabinet members and other enablers; his unhinged, midnight rants that have many fearing that he has lost his marbles; and the poor economic performance of the United States in 2025 and 2026 (the latter year’s increased cost of living worsened by the disastrous war in Iran). All of the articles associated with these topics are available at presidentialcorruption.org.

We have learned a lot about different kinds of Trumpian corruption during the past year and a half. Not surprisingly to many of us, Trump took advantage of numerous opportunities to enrich himself, his family and his companies—examples of naked, greed-based corruption, clearly prohibited for public officials by the U.S. Constitution. He perpetrated a second kind of corruption oriented to gratifying his narcissism—for example, illegally renaming the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by putting his name in front of Kennedy’s on the building's entryway and destroying the East Wing of the White House to make way for his not yet-built grand ballroom. A third kind could be called revenge-based corruption—for example, pardoning those who supported the takeover of the Capitol on January 6, 2020, thus rewarding co-conspirators who supported his violent coup attempt. A fourth variant is using his office to provide financial favors to some of the wealthiest individuals and corporations in the United States (and from other countries as well). A fifth is appointing a range of incompetent lapdogs to cabinet seats and other influential positions in his administration (note the recent firings of Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi when they failed to deliver on their boss’s demands).

Then there is an entire category of corruption (which I have labeled institutional corruption) that makes the above list of unconstitutional acts mere peccadilloes. In general, actions in this category have chipped away at the basic democratic foundation of the United States (and have attempted to do so in other countries and regions of the world as well). Many of the actions he has taken have ignored congressional input and decision-making in direct violation of the Constitution. The Republican majorities in both houses have been complicit in this corruption. The biggest of these transgressions goes back to his attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election in 2019. However, he has taken dozens of other unconstitutional actions since he took office in 2025 that undermine U.S. and international democracy. A few examples include his bewildering imposition of illegal tariffs (and his whimsical restructuring of these tariffs) on friends and foes around the world; his threats to make Canada the 51st state or to take over Greenland from Denmark; his kidnapping of the president of Venezuela and his wife; and, in terms of international overreach, his costliest and dumbest action on the world stage, his and Israel’s launching of a war on Iran.

And still under way on the home front: the brutal attacks of ICE’s thugs on immigrants and those attempting to defend immigrant rights, and unconstitutional attempts to undermine the November 2026 midterm elections.

So, what do we the people do about all of these instances of corruption by Trump and his associates?

1. It will be very difficult to boot Trump out of office prior to January 2029. Long shots include impeaching him by the House of Representatives for offenses like treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, and then convicting him by a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
2. Another option is invoking a provision of Amendment 25 of the Constitution which allows for the involuntary removal of a president from office. But the big problem with this option is that the Vice President and a majority of cabinet members have to agree to such an ouster—not likely considering that they have all been handpicked by Trump.
3. Our best bet is to restrain Trump’s worst actions during the remainder of his term. Non-violent protests, marches and other events that showcase his most despicable and unconstitutional actions will help in this process.
4. Challenging these actions in local, state and federal courts will also be an important means to keep him in check.
5. But the real clincher will be to actively engage in the November midterms to ensure that a majority of anti-MAGA candidates are elected to the House and the Senate, thus giving our representatives the opportunity to block his unconstitutional activities directly.

Conclusion

All of the above actions are only the beginning. We also need a vision for a future American politics that can't be simply about undoing Trump. It needs to be about taking what we have learned from the corruption and incompetence of the Trump administration and moving America forward to realizing an alternative vision.

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson published the book Abundance in March 2025 that provides some guidance in achieving such a vision.  The book lays out a political strategy based on increasing the supply of essential goods and services to make them more abundant and affordable. Examples include increasing the affordability of housing, moving toward universal healthcare, improving access to higher education, and effectively addressing the climate crisis.

In summary, it will not be enough to move the country away from the politics of corruption and incompetence. Instead, we need to make a transition toward a politics based on democracy, inclusion and affordability for all.