Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Are we closer to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence today than we were 50 years ago? Or farther away?




The Trump crime syndicate wants you to agonize over drag queens reading to children and trans people dealing with their issues, instead of looking at Trump's galloping corruption:







Trump’s wealth skyrocketed via crypto, filing shows, while investors got hammered with losses 

 NEW YORK — President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Tuesday shows, locking in profits while his investors were socked with losses. 

Mere startups when he took the oath of office, the new ventures have now eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took him decades to accumulate. Fueling their rise were billionaire investors and Trump’s own move to quash a federal crackdown on the industry. 

Trump got more than $500 million from his World Liberty Financial business selling new crypto products, including “governance tokens,” according to the required annual disclosure report with the Office of Government Ethics. It also showed another crypto business, CIC Digital LLC, took in more than $600 million from sales of souvenir-type “meme” coins stamped with his face. 



Trump also took in millions last year from selling Trump-branded Bibles, sneakers and other small items in another unprecedented move for the presidency. 

The sale of Trump-branded watches alone brought in $4.7 million. The 927-page disclosure form paints a stark, if incomplete picture of the massive growth of the president’s wealth since taking office last January through a web of business interests — many of which have benefited from the policy moves of Trump’s own government. Trump has insisted that his sons direct his finances but the arrangement rejects the conflict of interest protections that his recent predecessors in office had instituted. 

Forbes estimates Trump’s net worth at $6 billion, up from $2.3 billion in 2024. 

The Trump business is growing abroad The rise of crypto relative to Trump’s property is especially noteworthy because he first rode to office boasting of his property wins. It’s also remarkable because that mainstay business also boomed last year. 

Trump took in tens of millions in fees from a flurry of new hotel, resort and condo deals overseas that amounts to the biggest property expansion ever in the century since the family business was founded. Many of those countries were negotiating with the US over tariffs, military aid and other important matters while the family business was striking the deals. 


 A property in the United Arab Emirates generated $10.4 million for the Trump business last year. One in Saudi Arabia being built by a real estate developer close to the ruling family sent the president’s company $9 million. And one in Bucharest, Romania, and another in Qatar sent him $5 million each. 

One of his prominent domestic properties, Mar-a-Lago in Florida, notched big growth last year, too. Trump took in $77 million from the property, a 50 percent jump from the year earlier when he was just another citizen, as heads of state and business people flocked to it in his new term. 

The disclosure report doesn’t give profit figures, just revenue, so it’s impossible to know how much he is earning."









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Trump called the Bidens a "crime family" for trading on Biden's name. How much has Trump's family pulled in trading on his name? We know it's in the billions. 

Why is this allowed? 

Why is it not considered illegal and punishable by the government? 

Why does Trump's MAGA cultists and other supporters not scream bloody murder as he rips off the country in broad daylight? They sit back and watch healthcare get hammered, food assistance shrink, the environment destroyed, and are complicit in all of these immoral endeavors and policies. They defend or downplay January 6th, ignore or deny the Epstein scandals, and watch the majority of people in this country struggle as Trump builds a Golden Ballroom, Arch de Trump and hold tasteless and crass cage fighting on the White House lawn, all while steering huge tax breaks to his oligarch buddies and corporations who are lining Trump's pockets. It's so bad that even Trump's Iran War has taken a back seat to the chaos and criminality that now defines this country on its 250th birthday. 

IMO, on the 250th anniversary of the birth of this nation, we are farther away from the ideals set out in the Declaration of Independence than we were, say 50 years ago.

I asked AI about this opinion, and here's what it provided:

On our 250th anniversary, Americans are divided: polls indicate a clear majority feel the country has strayed from its founding principles, while still acknowledging the historic progress made toward expanding civil rights and democratic inclusion since 1776. [1, 2, 3]
Perspectives on the Current Trajectory:
  • Feeling "Farther Away": Extensive surveys, including the PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll, reveal that \(83\%\) of U.S. adults believe America has moved away from its founding ideals. Discontent cuts evenly across demographics, with a notable sentiment that current institutions are failing to uphold the concepts of universal equality, free speech, and civic unity. [1, 2, 3]
  • Mixed Views on Progress: On platforms like r/Askpolitics, opinions are highly mixed. Many cite democratic declines and hyper-partisanship as evidence of regression, while others view the 250-year endurance of the American experiment and ongoing social movements as evidence of continuous progress. [1, 2, 3]
  • Historical Milestones: Polling by UMass Amherst highlights that while \(57\%\) of Americans believe the country has achieved its founding ideals to a "great or moderate amount," over \(40\%\) feel the principles of the Declaration are largely disconnected from today's reality. [1]
Ultimately, the 250th anniversary highlights a dual reality: a realization of how far the nation has come in fulfilling the "all men are created equal" promise, and broad concern regarding the current health of U.S. democracy. [1, 2, 3, 4]


7 comments:

Les Carpenter said...

The goal of Priject 2025, the trumpublican party, the corrupt scotus, and the malignant narcissist white supremacist trump is to roll the USA back to Jim Crow. If they thought they could get away with it they would very likely re-legalize slavery in the US. Cheaper labor again for the billionaire capitalist class.

I for one will very briefly remember the potential that this nation once at least worked to acheive. However, I will absolutely not celebrate what this nation has become under the malignant narcissist white supremacist trump and his legions of worshipping sheeple.

skudrunner said...

Very few presidents in the modern era have not capitalized on their name a opportunities given. George Bush and Jimmy Carter may be the exception. Clinton made and continues to make millions because of his connections and questionable dealings. BHO has made millions because of his being the first non white guy president, Joe Biden and his entire family profited greatly by having daddy as VP and president and if they weren't on the take why pardon them in advance of them doing anything wrong. As dr jill said, they want to protect there son from his wrongdoings. Trump is setting records improving his and his families wealth. The difference is he was rich prior to his presidency and the others were not, bush was well off.
Why not hold all politicians to high standards and control corruption.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Your "whataboutism" is showing again, skud.

Mr. Obama did NOT make deals with foreign countries that lined his pockets while he was president. That's what Trump is doing in plain sight.

I had hoped you'd know the difference.

While it is not inherently illegal for a president to be wealthy, profiting directly off the presidency while in office is largely unconstitutional and illegal.

The law and the U.S. Constitution place strict guardrails on a president's income to prevent bribery, corruption, and conflicts of interest.

What Trump has been and is doing is against the law.

Mr. Obama did not do that.

BB-Idaho said...

A Johnny One Note melody....Trump does it, so all other presidents must surely do so. Thankfully for skud, Trump gave up on the idea of having his face on Mt.
Rushmore. No orange cliffs anywhere close.

possumlady said...

LOL!!! As soon as I read that Truman quote, I thought "Skud is going to quickly respond and implicate Obama (yet again)". And, I was right!!! It's nice to know there is still some consistency in the world...

Les Carpenter said...

Why not hold your politicians to a higher standard skud. Cause mostly you seem to support republiscum policies and only occasionally and tepidly criticize trump.

Ig you mean what you say skud you won't be voting MAGA this coming November.

Dave Miller said...

Skud... here's a list for you.

LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, GHW Bush, Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Biden.

Please detail how the previous presidents of our lifetimes have generated wealth using the office, as Trump has. After office, sure, as private citizens. That's their right, isn't it? And 100% legal too.

So let me help you. Both LBJ and Nixon, yes, the one who was impeached for abusing the office, both leveraged the office of the presidency to increase their personal wealth.

None of the other presidents did. None. Of. Them.

I know that's hard for you to understand Skud, but it is a fact.

Trump has essentially admitted to what is being reported across all media types today, that since returning to office, he's made over $2 billion by leveraging the office of the presidency. And he's said it's not a problem because he doing it in the open, in a transparent way.

Notice everyone, something in the list of presidents I presented. The two pre Watergate ones both used the office to enrich themselves. But after Nixon, no one until Trump. That's because all the presidents between Ford and Biden respected the Watergate reforms both Trump and his MAGA SCOTUS are busy ignoring and dismantling.

Honestly Skud, do stop to consider what you write beforehand?

There's nothing comparable to any post Watergate prez and Trump when it comes to personal self dealing, self enrichment and financial bullshi##ery.

Nothing.