By
Brian Hudson
Africa-Press – Tanzania. On June 16, 2015, Donald J. Trump descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower and declared his candidacy for the U.S. presidency. This theatrical moment, known as the “escalator moment,” marked not only the beginning of an unconventional campaign but also symbolized his approach to the presidency: turning the nation’s highest political office into a vehicle for personal profit and self-promotion. Over the course of his first term (2017–2021) and now into his second term, Trump has blurred the line between public responsibility and private enrichment. From foreign dignitaries lodging at his hotels to the rollout of Trump-branded ventures in cryptocurrency and merchandise, the presidency itself has become a branch of his business empire. The effect has been lucrative for Trump and his family but corrosive for American democracy.
The White House as a Corporate Hub
Traditionally, American presidents have gone out of their way to separate public duty from private business, placing assets in blind trusts or divesting entirely to avoid conflicts of interest. Trump broke with that norm from the outset. He retained control of his companies while in office, ensuring that ethical and legal questions followed him from day one. His Washington hotel quickly became a magnet for diplomats, lobbyists, and party loyalists, where spending money often doubled as a show of political favor. In 2021, the House Oversight Committee revealed that Saudi Arabia and its affiliates had spent over $7.8 million at Trump-owned properties during his first term. The disclosures reignited debate over the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which prohibits federal officials from profiting from foreign governments without the approval of Congress.
In 2019, Trump floated the idea of hosting the G7 summit at his Florida resort. He eventually abandoned the plan after bipartisan criticism, but the episode highlighted his instinct to fold international diplomacy into his business interests. The Secret Service, meanwhile, was regularly forced to spend heavily at Trump-owned properties while protecting him, sometimes more than $1,100 a night for hotel rooms. One striking case, noted by Mueller, involved Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million private jet from Qatar, an arrangement his attorney general, Pam Bondi, a former lobbyist for Qatar, declared legal. The deal reflected Trump’s broader view of the presidency as a platform for commerce as much as governance.
That approach has only grown more pronounced in his second term. Cryptocurrency ventures, Trump-branded NFTs, and even limited-edition gold sneakers now form part of his political comeback, each product tied directly to his public image. The presidency itself has become a marketing engine. No modern president has so openly harnessed the office for personal gain, placing Trump in a category all his own in American political history.
A Family Enterprise
Trump’s approach has also enveloped his family. Ivanka Trump, as a senior adviser, obtained valuable trademarks for her fashion brand in China at the same time she was participating in diplomatic negotiations. Jared Kushner, her husband and Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, later secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for his private equity firm. Donald Jr. and Eric Trump continued to run the Trump Organization during both terms, pursuing new international projects.
While nepotism in politics is hardly new—John F. Kennedy’s appointment of his brother as Attorney General comes to mind—Trump has elevated it to something closer to a ruling-family model. His administration blurred the boundary between governance and dynasty, resembling practices more common in authoritarian states than in established democracies.
Deal-Making as Political Theater
Trump has long boasted of his reputation as a dealmaker, and during his presidency he treated both politics and diplomacy as extensions of his brand. His trade war with China, framed as an effort to defend American workers, often carried personal benefits. Ivanka Trump secured new business approvals in China, while Trump himself profited from licensing deals and projects elsewhere in Asia. For many Americans, the tariffs meant higher prices, yet for the Trump family, the conflict delivered tangible gains, blurring the line between national policy and private advantage.
The same pattern appeared on the world stage. Trump’s meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were billed as breakthroughs in diplomacy, but they produced little in substance and functioned more as media spectacles designed to elevate his image. That transactional mindset has only grown sharper in his second term. The launch of Truth Social, the sale of NFTs, and even gold-colored sneakers all demonstrate how political influence has been packaged and sold. At one point, as Mueller notes, Trump even tied private dinner invitations to the purchase of his personal cryptocurrency, effectively turning access to the president into a commodity. This stands in sharp contrast to earlier presidents who sought enduring policy legacies or international agreements; for Trump, the presidency has been less about public service than about sustaining the brand.
The Erosion of Democratic Norms
This commercialization of the presidency has carried serious consequences for American democracy. Trump regularly discarded established norms, removing inspectors general, branding journalists as “enemies of the people,” and issuing controversial pardons to close allies like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. He withheld tax returns, brushed aside constitutional restrictions such as the Emoluments Clause, and treated campaign finance rules as optional. What distinguishes his conduct is not merely its scale but its boldness. Trump has often behaved as if the presidency places him above the law, a posture he has reinforced on social media with claims that his actions are justified by a higher purpose.
By casting the American system itself as corrupt, Trump has excused his own behavior in ways reminiscent of strongmen abroad who exploit institutional weaknesses for personal gain. The result has been a deepening distrust in government; survey data has consistently shown public confidence in democratic institutions eroding since his rise in 2017. With the merger of business interests and governance continuing in his second term, the precedent he sets may tempt future leaders to follow the same path, putting at risk the separation between public duty and private profit that underpins democratic stability.
A Lasting Legacy
In this sense, Trump has redefined the presidency itself. What was once regarded as a public trust has been recast into a platform for family enrichment and personal branding. By using the White House to generate profit, elevating relatives to positions of influence, and prioritizing transactions over principle, he has left a blueprint that challenges the foundations of American democracy. As Mueller observed, Trump’s years in power effectively “opened the White House for business, even to governments with troubling records of supporting extremism.”
That legacy, marked by broken norms, weakened accountability, and the commercialization of government, demands continued vigilance. History is unlikely to remember Trump simply as another president. Instead, he will be seen as a disruptor who reshaped the office into a business empire, leaving behind a deeply unsettled vision of what the American presidency can become.
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