The Weekly List

With one week until the midterm election, multiple pollsters found the top issue on voters’ minds was corruption in government. Each week, we’ve covered a myriad of examples of Trump, his family, and regime enriching themselves, but it’s not only that. This week we see that our foreign policy, rather than being centered on traditional alliances, is instead being shaped by Trump and his allies’ financial interests.
And it’s not only Trump. This week there were also concerns over concentration of power by America’s version of the oligarchs, not just in politics, but also in shaping public opinion and foreign policy. Billionaire Elon Musk not only broke records with his political donations, but also had outsized influence and sought benefit from U.S. foreign policy. Billionaires controlling media outlets and social media took biased and inexplicable actions this week, raising public outcry.
These concerns, as well as concerns on the cost of living, were downplayed by Trump and his regime. Barnstorming the country at campaign rallies as the GOP’s prospects were fading, Trump mused about $5,000 hamburgers at Mar-a-Lago, while his chief economic advisor rejected affordability concerns as a “myth.” Meanwhile, Trump, *his* Justice Department, and far-right influencers sought any and all means to preemptively discredit the election. The DOJ used a ‘flood-the-zone’ strategy to pursue not only Trump’s grievances and perceived enemies ahead of the election, but also to sow mistrust by baselessly litigating against states while voting was already underway.
Overall, this was a dark and chaotic week. Most Americans are consumed with the election, and deeply worried about Trump accepting the results. Meanwhile, the stories this week continue to reveal widespread corruption, and disregard for the rule of law and norms. The hope of many is that midterms will at long last offer a check on Trump’s unbridled power, and accountability for those ruthlessly and lawlessly operating around him.

With two weeks left until the midterm elections, concerns about what Trump and his allies might do to interfere with voting and election outcomes were front and center. A poll by WAPO-ABC News-Ipsos found that 7 in 10 Americans believed the election would be fair and accurate, while 7 in 10 also believed that if the GOP lost, Trump would not accept the results.
Trump continued his not-so-subtle efforts to promise cash and bailouts in an effort to woo voters, as he and his party’s polling numbers continued to fall, and the prospects for Republicans looked increasingly bleak. Trump traveled to multiple states, including Kansas, where a Democrat had last won a Senate race in 1932, to encourage his voters to show up and vote, but already the blame game and circular-firing squad were underway within the regime.
A Fox News poll found 88% of Americans were “extremely/very concerned” about corruption in government, the top key issue in the poll. Yet, once again, this week’s list is chock full of breathtaking examples of corruption by both Trump and his allies. Trump reportedly complained to allies that information is not reaching him — something we have repeatedly speculated about in this project. That disconnect from reality may help explain how out of touch and tone deaf Trump has become to the reality of most Americans.
Finally, Trump’s strange bromance with Russian President Vladimir Putin took a dangerous turn, as he inexplicably shifted back to siding with Russia over Ukraine, in the war Putin started. Former house speaker Nancy Pelosi reposted her infamous October 2019 quote to Trump, “With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.” Meanwhile, a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence found that Russia was the most active foreign adversary in using digital tools to try to undermine confidence in election integrity.

With three weeks until midterms, and Trump’s approval at an all time low amid rising inflation, plunging consumer confidence, and an endless unpopular war with Iran, Trump offered a new giveaway in his effort to buy votes. At a rally in Alaska, Trump started awarding pardons on stage, while continuing to promise $5,000 checks if Republicans held the House and Senate, all while his regime sent $90 and $500 checks to millions of Americans. Trump spent much of the week jet-setting to rallies, many in states that had not gone for Democrats in decades, only to find empty seats and, at times, empty sections in venues smaller than those he filled in 2024 — a testament of how out of touch he has become with the electorate.
In his desperation to staunch the spike in diesel prices, Trump inexplicably agreed to buy energy from Russia, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin not only billions to spend on the war, but also an upper hand in what had become a stalemate. Trump also pulled back other support, and chastised Ukraine. Bipartisan Senators objected, but with Congress out of session until after midterms, their pushback was toothless, once again abdicating power to Trump.
This week, Trump remained focused on targeting his perceived enemies and his petty grievances, targeting Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Corruption continued to run rampant among Trump, his family, and his regime, with backroom deals being made and investigations dropped. Kimberly Guilfoyle was the sacrificial lamb this week, forced to resign as U.S. Ambassador to Greece. Notably, Guilfoyle’s resignation, amid reports of far worse among Trump’s family and his regime, marked the fifth major firing of a high profile woman in Trump’s orbit, while the men played through.
Some other of the autocratic acts this week were especially alarming. Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth promised to livestream a firing squad execution. Trump continued to use taxpayer money to broadcast propaganda ads. Trump spent days stewing about not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump’s regime continued to thumb their noses at federal judges, including in their targeting of media outlets, and more. An alarming week with three weeks until the election.

With one month left until midterms, as polls continued to show Trump’s approval falling and Republican candidates behind, Trump deployed a new strategy: attempting to buy votes, by sending checks to millions of Americans and enrolling tens of millions of children in Trump accounts. Trump also held a series of campaign rallies, many in deep red states; yet while the script of lies and misinformation stayed the same, the crowds were paltry compared to 2024, as the practical realities of Trump’s deeply unpopular war and policies led to higher prices and rates.
Meanwhile, as Americans suffered, reporting this week revealed Trump, his family, and regime members continued to enrich themselves. Corruption is rampant not only in awarding government contracts, but also in shaping foreign policy. Stories this week also highlighted the deep dysfunction and incompetence within several federal agencies, and its impact on Americans’ lives.
This week Trump continued his attempts to silence dissent, barring CNN and Politico from press pools, resulting in limited live coverage. For a man who rose to power by being omnipresent on the media, and shaping the narrative, this strategy, if there is one, seems ill-advised at best. More likely the move is a sign of Trump’s shrinking circle of loyalists who are afraid to question him or push back, leading him to act on his worst impulses, often to his own detriment.
Trump continued this week to thumb his nose at the Republican-led Congress, which has ceded him the power of the purse, with little resistance. Attempts by Democrats to put holds on Congressionally-approved spending were ignored as funds were reallocated for Trump’s agenda. Bipartisan pushback did finally force Trump to stop using taxpayer monies for his campaign ads. Notably, the Senate and House are out of session until after midterms, and Trump this week refused to deny rumors swirling of him invoking the Insurrection Act, or that if a blue wave took hold, new members would not to be sworn in.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” — Animal Farm.
That was how I described Trump’s lavish state dinner, thrown for Chinese President Xi Jinping, which included billionaires, chief executives, Fox News hosts, three Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, and a slew of Trump loyalists, donors, and insiders. One expert noted that normally such dinners were hosted for close allies or to celebrate a diplomatic breakthrough. Even Senate Republicans publicly questioned and criticized the dinner, and the three days of posh ceremony provided to Xi.
Notably, the dinner came at a time when consumer confidence hit its lowest reading since 2014, and Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill had resulted in millions of Americans losing access to SNAP food benefits. It also comes amid more stories highlighting members of his regime eating at the proverbial trough — enriching themselves while in office. The dinner was also not covered by a press pool, as Trump lawlessly thumbed his nose at the federal court, while ironically praising China’s tightly controlled state media.
With midterms a mere five weeks away, Trump tried his last gasps of impacting election day. He used taxpayer monies to pay for campaign ads aired on national television, likely unlawfully. He won a Supreme Court case allowing some use of his highly inaccurate national voter roll. And he ramped up deportations, even facing pushback from his own base and elected Republicans, to have an issue to crow on. Overall, Trump appears increasingly out of touch with both the American people and on-the-ground reality, and polling suggests voters will have something to say about this on November 3.