‘A pay-to-play president’: Trump’s ultra rich donors are being rewarded by the president-elect

Ahead of Inauguration Day, president-elect Donald Trump’s gaggle of ultra-wealthy BFFs are getting the ultimate “thank you” gift for investing in his campaign—and it’s a bit more extravagant than a fruit basket.

In typical MAGA fashion, Trump seems woefully unconcerned with the actual qualifications of his cabinet picks, from longtime vaccine denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to alleged sex trafficker Matt Gaetz. And coincidentally enough, a new CNN report analyzing federal campaign records seems to indicate that most of Trump’s White House picks were the very same people who funded his campaign, or donated to super PACs that supported his election.

Buy Trump’s affections and you might just end up on Capitol Hill

It’s worth noting that Joe Biden tapped his fair share of donors to serve in his cabinet, meaning it’s not uncommon to see politicians rewarding their ultra-rich pals with jobs. However, according to the CNN article, a whopping three dozen donors to pro-Trump super PACs will join him in the White House come January, adding up to a historic total of $37 million; meanwhile, “less than $100 thousand” was given to Biden’s campaign by his cabinet picks. This has earned Trump the unfortunate label of “pay-to-play president,” as pointed out by one user on Reddit.

Trump has made it no secret that his second administration will bend over backwards to lick the boots of billionaires via tax cuts, but this new wave of cabinet picks is especially egregious when considering how poorly fit for governmental roles these donors really are. Take Elon Musk, for example, who will lead the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) despite him not being A) a politician, or B) an American. Or what about Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon, a.k.a. the co-founder of the WWE?

So far, Trump’s cabinet is shaping up to be the wealthiest in U.S. history (a combined estimated net worth of $10 billion, per Axios), with mind-bogglingly wealthy billionaires set to make decisions on behalf of your average, middle class American. Usually, presidents have the slightest bit of decorum when it comes to nominating their donors (or friends and family), mostly in low-level governmental positions, but Trump is absolutely shameless, boosting his pals to crucial roles across health, safety, and education. Surely this can’t go wrong…right?

It’s hard to tell if Trump actually thinks people like Musk and McMahon are good fits to lead the U.S. government, or if this is just another way to reward their blind loyalty, using their wallets to bankroll his own ambitions. I certainly have my suspicions, but I guess we’ll just have to wait until 2025 to find out.