The Second Term of Trump, Inc.
The President recently graded the economy as an “A+++++.” He must have been thinking about his own bank account. Plus:Source photograph by Shawn Thew / Pool / GettyIn August, The New Yorker published “The Number,” by David D. Kirkpatrick, an investigation into how much Donald Trump and his family had pocketed off the Presidency since 2016. The grand total: $3.4 billion. Of course, the Trumps weren’t done. As the anniversary of the President’s second Inauguration approaches, one thing is clear: they have only ramped up their money-making efforts. Crypto, foreign real-estate deals, shadowy national-security contracts—the list goes on and on. In his latest column, John Cassidy tracks company announcements, official filings, and public reporting to break down how Trump and his family members have obliterated the divide between public and private business—and to estimate just how much more profit they’ve raked in this year. “In terms of the money involved, the geographic reach, and the explicit ties to Presidential actions,” Cassidy writes, “there has never been anything like the second term of Trump, Inc.”Read the story »And see more of our reflections on the biggest news stories of the year:Editor’s PickPhotograph by Ben Pennington / The Boston Globe / GettyA Shooting at BrownThe first snow of the year often brings students out together. This year, they are being united “in a very different way,” one said. Read the story »More Top StoriesDaily Cartoon“They can never get the forecast right.”Cartoon by Dan MisdeaPuzzles & GamesP.S. This past summer, Rob Reiner wrote an essay for The New Yorker about the brilliant moments on the set of “Spinal Tap” that never made it to the final cut.Ian Crouch contributed to today’s edition.
