Zeteo

Zeteo

Home
Mehdi Unfiltered
We’re Not Kidding
Shows
Columns
Documentaries
Chat
Watch
Ask The Editor
Book Club
Shop
Donate To Zeteo
About
Zeteo U.S. Politics

Yes, Trump Was ‘Very Involved’ in His $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Deal

‘I wasn’t involved in the settlement,’ Trump claimed this week, but sources say the president was ‘involved,’ ‘kept in the loop,’ and could have stopped the deal at any time.

Andrew Perez's avatar
Asawin Suebsaeng's avatar
Andrew Perez and Asawin Suebsaeng
May 23, 2026
∙ Paid

NOTE: If you subscribe to Zeteo’s U.S. Politics’ morning newsletter, First Draft, a reminder that there will not be a newsletter on Monday 25 due to it being a federal holiday in the U.S.


Donald Trump gestures as he walks to board a plane on May 22, 2026. Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images.

After news broke this week that Donald Trump’s administration had agreed to create a $1.776 billion slush fund for his allies, in order to settle the president’s completely bogus lawsuit, Trump got busy telling a blatant lie.

“I wasn’t involved in the settlement,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “I could have been involved, but I didn’t choose to be.”

Of course, just months ago, the president said on camera: “I have to work out some kind of a settlement. I’m supposed to work out a settlement with myself.” Further, three sources with knowledge of the matter tell Zeteo that Trump and his advisers signed off on the fund, received updates in recent months as so-called “negotiations” continued, and that the president could have stopped the deal at any time.

“He was very involved,” one of the sources tells Zeteo. “He was kept in the loop, White House officials were kept updated on progress. Donald Trump isn’t doing the busy work himself, but he was involved in it as much as Tim Cook is involved with Apple…or Elon [Musk] with SpaceX.”

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Zeteo to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 Zeteo · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture