It seemed odd when Trump decided to intervene on behalf of a questionable Chinese tech giant, particularly given the company's flouting of Iran sanctions, and even more particularly given that his new National Security Advisor John Bolton was suggesting that Europe might be sanctioned if they didn't join Trump in violating the Iran deal. But nothing is odd with Trump. The normal would be odd. The rational would be odd. The ethical would be odd. Defending the national and public interests would be odd. Proving a hypocrite on Iran is not odd. Pissing off important traditional allies is not odd. This is Trump.
But still people wondered why Trump would step up to protect a Chinese conglomerate. And it didn't take long for an obvious answer to appear. And with Trump it was the most obvious of obvious answers. Because Trump cares not only first and foremost but exclusively about Trump. If there's a quo, there must be a quid. A very big quid:
A mere 72 hours after the Chinese government agreed to put a half-billion dollars into an Indonesian project that will personally enrich Donald Trump, the president ordered a bailout for a Chinese-government-owned cellphone maker.
“President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,” Trump announced on Twitter Sunday morning. “Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”
Trump did not mention in that tweet or its follow-ups that on Thursday, the developer of a theme park resort outside of Jakarta had signed a deal to receive as much as $500 million in Chinese government loans, as well as another $500 million from Chinese banks, according to Agence France-Presse. Trump’s family business, the Trump Organization, has a deal to license the Trump name to the resort, which includes a golf course and hotels.
In any other administration that would have been a political bombshell. In any other administration, that would have dominated the news not only for days, but for the rest of what likely would have been its political death spiral. Had a president Hillary Clinton or President Barack Obama so obviously violated not only the emoluments clause of the Constitution but such basic standards of ethics, the Republican Congress would have immediately begun impeachment hearings. But with Trump, it's just another shrug. Because the Republican Congress has no basic standards of ethics. The Republican Congress doesn't care a whit about the Constitution.
The cover of the latest edition of The New Yorker came out before Trump's latest example of what should be disqualifying corruption became public knowledge. It didn't need Trump's latest example of what should be disqualifying corruption, because the entire Trump era is about layers of what should be disqualifying corruption. The basic incompetence is an afterthought. But Trump, his family and his entire administration serve one primary purpose, and that is the enrichment of Trump, his family, and his entire administration. The sadism is just to fire up the modern GOP base and have some fun.
From the inauguration on, this administration has been pay-to-play, with Trump's long-time friend and fixer, and a good friend of Trump’s wife among those immediately feeding at the trough. It was only the beginning. Within a month, Trump was using his Florida golf course and a Washington, DC hotel to cash in on the presidency. His eldest daughter is playing White House aide, despite possessing nothing remotely resembling the requisite experience, qualification, or skill. What she does have is the proximity to power furthering her primary career in nepotism, as the policies of both this country and those seeking its favor adjust to serve her interests. His sons seem unsatisfied with the millions of new dollars already flowing into the family business, and take every opportunity to ensure that the taxpayers continue to subsidize it in every way.
Trump’s son-in-law, who also plays White House aide, while also of course lacking anything remotely resembling the requisite experience, qualification, or skill—not to mention security clearances—is a story in himself. People ask what exactly he does in the White House, as if the answer should be found in some sort of policy achievements, when also right from the start, it seems to be the enriching of his family business. The results have been impressive, and his entire family seems to be getting a piece of the action. And nations around the world know what to do about it.
Everyone close to Trump seems to understand the new rule where government is of, buy, and for themselves—and their friends. Some seem to be engaged in competition to see who can make the most of the opportunity. Others seem to be trying to set new historical standards for the depth and breadth of government corruption. And while Trump's Vice President, Mike Pence, continues to pretend to be above it all, he never really is.
Perhaps actually more cesspool than swamp, keeping track of this administration's malfeasance could be a full-time job, and there are websites dedicated to attempting to keep a running record. And none of this even touches the biggest of all Trump scandals, which never has been about his alleged personal depredations in a Russian hotel, but has been hiding in plain sight all along.