1. Popular Information revealed that the Trump administration’s $20 billion bailout of Argentina would benefit hedge fund billionaire Robert Citrone, a personal friend and former colleague of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The story became national news, picked up by CNN, the New Yorker, the New York Times, CNBC, and scores of other outlets. Popular Information’s report was also cited in a letter from more than 50 members of Congress to Bessent, demanding answers about his ties with Citrone.
2. Popular Information broke the news that, during the Trump administration, ICE has increased its spending on guns, chemical weapons, and other small arms by 600% during the Trump administration. The story went viral across social media platforms and was picked up by The Daily Beast, The Independent, Wired, Mother Jones, and other outlets. The report, based on a detailed analysis of government contracting data, has brought renewed scrutiny to violent tactics deployed by federal agents as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
During the second Trump administration, corruption scandals that would typically define a presidency have receive a day or two of coverage.
Part of the issue is that for Trump, enriching himself and his family is one of the core purposes of his presidency. The media industry is both unwilling and unable to cover this level of corruption rigorously. Treating Trump’s corruption scandals like those of previous presidents would make outlets appear “biased” and strain the resources of an industry that has been contracting over the past 25 years.
To put the scope of the problem in context, consider the corruption scandals that have emerged just over the last week.
After $2 billion transaction with Trump cryptocurrency, convicted felon receives pardon
In November 2023, Binance’s founder and CEO, Changpeng Zhao, pled guilty to willfully violating anti-money laundering laws. According to the Department of Justice, his actions “allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers” through Binance. Zhao, known as CZ, served four months in federal prison and agreed to resign as CEO.
The company’s conduct was brazen. One Binance compliance official suggested the company use this marketing slogan: “Is washing drug money too hard these days — come to Binance we got cake for you.” CZ “told employees it was ‘better to ask for forgiveness than permission,’ and prioritized Binance’s growth over compliance with U.S. law.”
Since the 2024 election, CZ and Binance have generated millions in profits for Trump by conducting transactions with companies linked to Trump and his family. Most significantly, in May, Binance accepted a $2 billion investment from a state-backed UAE investment fund using the cryptocurrency USD1. The USD1 token, a so-called stablecoin, had just been created by World Liberty Financial (WLF). Trump and his family members own about 38% of WLF. Binance’s transaction gave USD1 immediate legitimacy and liquidity. It is expected to generate tens of millions in annual profits for WLF.
Further, according to Bloomberg, Binance “wrote the basic code to power USD1” and “promoted USD1 to its 275 million users, a sought-after benefit among stablecoin issuers.” In other words, the entire USD1 project appears to be a gift from CZ to Trump. Binance provided the technical expertise for its creation, promoted it, and is the largest holder of the token. It is “unclear” if Binance or CZ “received any payment from World Liberty in return.”
CZ, through his family office, is also collaborating on a crypto project with an investment firm linked to Trump’s eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
On Thursday, Trump pardoned CZ, which CZ had requested. The move could open the door for CZ to return as CEO and for Bianance to begin operating in the United States.
Trump said he pardoned CZ “at the request of a lot of very good people“ who said that “what he did is not even a crime.” CZ hired Ches McDowell, a hunting buddy of Trump Jr., $450,000 last month to lobby Trump for “executive relief.” On October 14, Trump Jr. and McDowell were spotted at the White House.
Donald Trump Jr. (R) with Ches McDowell at the White House on October 14, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Pentagon awards major drone contract to company linked to Trump Jr.
In November 2024, a few weeks after Trump won the presidential election, an obscure drone company, Unusual Machines, brought on Trump Jr. as an advisor. Trump Jr., who has no notable experience with drones or military contracting, was granted 200,000 shares in the company, a stake worth millions.
Trump Jr. later “helped screen candidates for top jobs at the Pentagon on behalf of his father after the election.” In the September 18 edition of Trump Jr’s podcast, Triggered, he admitted that he sought out people who wanted to shift more spending into drones. Trump Jr. said he tried to avoid “former F-15 pilot[s]” because “they sort of want to go with what they know.” The military, Trump Jr. said, is “better served with a drone that costs a tiny fraction of that of a plane.”
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination was imperiled due to rape allegations, Trump Jr. emerged as one of his most outspoken defenders.
Hegseth later issued several directives making it easier for the Pentagon to spend money on drones, particularly from U.S. manufacturers like Unusual Machines.
On Friday, the Financial Times reported that Unusual Machines “won its largest contract from the Pentagon.” The company “said the US Army had contracted it to manufacture 3,500 drone motors, alongside various other drone parts.” The Army also “indicated it planned to order an additional 20,000 components from” Unusual Machines next year.
Unusual Machines CEO Allan Evans said the contract had nothing to do with Trump Jr., stating that the president’s son “did not advise or do anything else on this deal.” Through a spokesperson, Trump Jr. said that his role at Unusual Machines “has nothing to do with interfacing with the government.”
The exact value of the contract is not yet known because the government stopped updating its contracting database on October 1, the start of the government shutdown.
Trump seeks $230 million payment from Justice Department officials he appointed
Last Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Trump is “demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation.”
Trump filed the claims in 2023 and 2024 under the Federal Tort Claims Act, claiming he had “been persecuted by various federal investigations, including the Russia probe, the Mar-a-Lago search, and the classified-documents prosecution.”
In general, the federal government is immune from civil lawsuits. But the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) creates a narrow exception for official misconduct. Under the FTCA, a claimant does not immediately file a lawsuit. First, the claim must be submitted to the federal government, which may either reject it or issue a payout.
Nearly all claims filed under the FTCA are unsuccessful. Trump would ordinarily have an even harder case because all the conduct occurred in the course of official investigations and, in many cases, was approved by a judge. Prosecutors have broad discretion to conduct investigations as they see fit within the bounds of the law. The fact that Trump was not ultimately convicted in some cases does not make him eligible for compensation under the FTCA.
But in Trump’s case, the officials in charge of deciding whether to issue a payment “are Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Trump in his hush money trial, and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump’s co-defendant in the classified documents prosecution.”
Trump went even further, claiming he would personally decide whether the federal government should pay him $230 million. “I’m the one that makes the decision, and that decision would have to go across my desk, and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself,” Trump said. “It sort of looks bad, I’m suing myself, right?“
Such a payment would also be illegal, because the Constitution prohibits the president from receiving compensation from the government other than a salary.
