This Week in Democracy – Week 81: Trump’s Corruption Is Off the Charts
Zeteo’s weekly round-up, documenting the growth of authoritarianism in Trump’s second term.
It’s always a good week when what’s left of the levers of democracy actually work the way they’re supposed to. And Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Michigan Senate primary against $60 million in outside spending, including over $30 million from AIPAC, showed that the people – the voters – are what truly make democracy great.
Of course, Republicans and others have already kicked into overdrive, ramping up their racism and Islamophobia against El-Sayed, as Mehdi laid out in ‘First Draft.’ And Zeteo’s politics team painted a horrifying picture this week about Donald Trump’s plans to steal the midterm election.
Meanwhile, ICE is not investigating the Maine killing, but it is collecting DNA of migrants who have never been convicted of a crime. Trump’s former personal lawyer is one step closer to running the Justice Department. And Trump still thinks he can limit birthright citizenship. Here’s just a taste of what Trump and his cronies did this week that harmed democracy, undermined the Constitution, and hurt societies worldwide:
Saturday, Aug. 1 – Trump Sells Early Access to Truth Social Posts for $100K
Trump’s media company launched a premium version of Truth Social that includes a “Truth API,” giving users early access to the president’s posts – which often include announcements that affect the stock market and could prove lucrative to traders – for a monthly fee of up to $100,000.
One anonymous Wall Street executive told NPR the move would be “considered criminal” in a different administration.
Sunday, Aug. 2 – Questions Swirl About Rescinded ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche released two documents the Justice Department says rescind Trump’s $1.8 billion so-called “anti-weaponization fund” and narrow a provision to only retroactively protect Trump, two of his sons, and his company from tax audits.
The orders helped Blanche secure key votes from holdout Republican senators, but legal experts question whether the documents are legally binding, and they expressed concerns about loopholes that could result in the original orders being reinstated.
Blanche’s nomination was later approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. He’s now on track to be confirmed as the permanent attorney general, albeit by an extremely slim majority.
Monday, Aug. 3 – ICE Collected DNA From Nearly 1 Million People in 2025
Wired reported that ICE has collected the DNA of roughly 920,000 immigrants in 2025 who were in ICE custody, according to new data from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology.
The DNA samples, which include those of young children, have become the largest single source of new genetic profiles in the FBI’s criminal database, even though the vast majority of people in ICE custody have never been convicted of a crime.
Tuesday, Aug. 4 – Oath Keepers Off the Hook for Jan. 6, No FBI Probe into ICE Killing
A federal judge begrudgingly granted Trump’s Justice Department’s request to dismiss seditious conspiracy charges against members of the far-right Oath Keepers over the group’s involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection, but noted he wished for “a different ending” in the matter, saying the move “diminishes the gravity of that day.”
Meanwhile, CBS News reported that the FBI isn’t conducting a civil rights probe into the death of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, who was killed by an ICE officer in Maine in July – despite the fact that such fatal shootings are typically investigated by the agency.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – Another ‘Inadvertent’ Deportation
The lawyer of a Maine man who was “inadvertently” deported to Guatemala after ICE claimed they had mistaken him for someone else said he will be returned to the U.S. next week. The man was removed from the country even though he didn’t have a deportation order – and a federal judge had ordered ICE not to remove him one day before his deportation.
Meanwhile, AP reported that more than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty military members have been detained by immigration agents since Trump returned to office. At least six of the loved ones were deported, while another eight remain in federal custody.
Thursday, Aug. 6 – Trump Targets Birthright Citizenship…Again
Trump signed a pair of executive orders designed to further restrict eligibility for birthright citizenship, while also seeking to stop people from coming to the U.S. to give birth.
The new executive orders, which are likely to face legal challenges, come just over a month after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship as constitutionally protected.
Friday, Aug. 7 – White House Once Again ‘Considering’ Axing Lisa Cook
ABC News reported that the Trump administration is renewing its effort to remove Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook after White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino sent her a letter Wednesday giving her three weeks to respond to previous allegations of mortgage fraud she has steadfastly denied.
The latest push to fire Cook follows a Supreme Court ruling in June allowing her to continue in her position. The ruling, however, didn’t prevent Trump from attempting to remove Cook from her post again.
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’? Catch up here. And check out more of Zeteo’s reporting from this week below:
I AM SOMEWHAT ASTONISHED THAT NO ONE IS POINTING OUT WHAT THE REPUBLICANS DID WHEN JFK WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT……’THE POPE WILL BE TELLING JFK WHAT TO DO/SAY.”…..”THE VATICAN WILL MAKE JFK DO WHAT THEY WANT.” …..AND SO ON….I AM NOT BIG ENOUGH TO GET THIS OUT, UP TO YOU….
WAYNE CHRISTENSEN