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Unruled Masses

The Predictable Result of Putting Convicted Criminals in Power

Criminals in power

The President sued his own government – robbing us of $1.8 billion – because he could.

He created a slush fund that is only accessible in his name to provide for his loyal allies. He will use that money and give it to the people who attacked the nation’s capital on January 6th. He will use that money to support his crony candidates. He will, most likely, just stuff the money in his own pockets.

It’s illegal. Unconstitutional. And no, if you’re thinking there must be some credible explanation for this, there isn’t. This really is in-your-face corruption. He sued his own government and opened up a precedent that we can’t even begin to comprehend.

The guardrails have been blown away. The justice system has given him the same rights as a king, while the legislature’s oversight capabilities descend deeper into oblivion.

So, let’s put aside the war with Iran, deploying ICE to beat and murder citizens, or even tearing down a portion of the White House, the people’s house, in order to construct a privately-funded ballroom. Let’s instead focus on all the ways that Trump is funneling money into his own pockets at the cost of all of us.

Crypto

Back in 2021, Donald Trump called Bitcoin, “a scam against the dollar” (BBC News). And he’s right. In 2025, after scams, hacks, money laundering, over $154 billion was stolen (Chain Analysis). And that’s a conservative estimate based on reporting from the crypto industry itself.

Crypto isn’t like regular money. You can’t use it to buy a cup of coffee or a sandwich. And it’s not like a regular investment. It’s speculative. And that last part makes all the difference. If you invest your money on the stock market, there are regulators and laws that govern transactions. And, if you’re somehow robbed, there are avenues for you to be compensated for your loss.

Not with crypto. The industry has already lobbied over $270 million to ensure regulations stay as far away from crypto as possible. And that amount is just for these midterm elections (DL News). So, if you can’t use crypto for buying regular, real-world assets, and, if you can’t buy it like a regular stock, what the hell is it good for?

Crime and bribery.

Now, let’s be clear. When Trump called Bitcoin a scam, he wasn’t angry because he thought the industry needed regulation. No. He was mad because he hadn’t gotten a piece of the action. Well, those days are done.

See "Haunting Officials" in Action Playbook

“We're making the United States the Bitcoin superpower, the crypto capital of the world,” Trump said in 2025 (Yahoo News). Since then, he and his sons have appeared at crypto conventions, launched their own meme coin making a staggering $1.55 billion since late 2024 (Bloomberg).

So, you have to ask, where is this money coming from?

Only about 5-6% of the population owns any amount of crypto. Do you think every one of these people just wants to give a coin or two to our fearless leader? Or, do you think it has something to do with the fact that over the last ten months, Trump has pardoned three crypto crooks? (Bezinga)

The first pardon was for Ross Ulbrict. The man who was serving a double life sentence for operating The Silk Road – an online marketplace that facilitated over $1 billion in illegal narcotics transactions.

The second was for the founders of BitMEX. These guys were all ordered to pay $10 million each in civil fines while their organization had to pay $100 million for operating a massive money-laundering operation.

Finally, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. CZ used to run the largest crypto exchange, that is, until he agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement with regulators. Binance's crimes include conducting transactions with terrorists, cybercriminals and child abusers. You should know that Binance parked $2 billion in Trump’s coin, generating about $48-52 million in passive income (More Perfect Union).

Investments

Before Trump, it was common for presidents to divulge their financial holdings and divest from all their current holdings. It was only through the efforts of IRS special contractor, Charles Littlejohn, who exposed Trump’s tax manipulation and terrible business savvy (Guardian).

Now, as president, Trump has gone above and beyond. In his latest financial disclosure, it shows that Trump has made more than 3,700 trades, totaling tens of millions of dollars, many including major companies that have dealings with his administration (Bloomberg).

Among the Trump trades was as much as $6 million in Nvidia, whose advanced chips Trump approved for sale to China last year. He also purchased sizable stock in U.S. military contractors supplying the Iran war, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman (AP News). Meanwhile his sons are invested to the tune of $750 million in drone warfare investments (Bloomberg).

See "Mock Audits" in Action Playbook

He also invested in several other companies all with direct dealings with Washington. But let’s focus on just three moves for now. Nvidia, the most valuable company in the world, sells and designs advanced semiconductors that are necessary for the development of artificial intelligence (Notus). On January 6th, Trump bought $500,000 to $1 million worth of Nvidia stock. A week later, the Commerce department approved a sale of those same semiconductors to China (Quartz).

Sticking with AI solutions, in January, Trump bought $65,000 to $150,000 of Palantir stock. In February, Palantir signed a billion-dollar agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to use the company’s software in the president’s deportation surge (Notus).

And speaking of deportations.

Axon is a company that makes tasers. On February 10, Trump purchased $1 million to $5 million in shares of Axon. Now, you’ll never guess what happened on February 24? Immigration and Customs Enforcement outlined its plan to spend $220 million on tasers over five years (Notus).

For the next few years, greed, corruption, graft, bribery, and insider-dealing will rule the realm. The best way for bills to become laws is through suitcases full of either dollars or crypto coins. And, if you want to avoid regulations, just pick up the phone and you’ll have a direct line to the Oval Office.

When pressed about his conflicts of interest, Trump said:

“I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.”

Unfortunately for the President, eight out of ten Americans oppose corruption. According to a You.Gov poll, stamping out corruption is one of the few issues everyone agrees on, with 80% of people expressing their opposition. Even when there may be partisan differences over the nature of corruption, both see this kind of blatant self dealing as unjustifiable.

This kind of rule without constraint against such opposition will only drive mass mobilization, peaceful demonstrations, and millions of civic-minded patriots defying this corruption at every turn. Explore the Action Playbook and take action today.

By the Unruled Masses Communications Team

The Unruled Masses Communications Team is a multidisciplinary collective of communications professionals, digital strategists, policy analysts, and content creators dedicated to translating complex investigations into compelling public narratives. Specializing in investigative storytelling, accountability journalism, strategic communications, and hopeful community building, our team bridges the gap between rigorous research and public understanding.

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