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Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
@ChrisMurphyCT
Aug 2 • 6 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
The story of how Trump sells access to the White House - to benefit himself and his family financially and to benefit his political operation - is shocking and sordid.

No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.

1/ It's a story you need to know.
2/ The primary way to get to Trump is at his golf clubs. Reportedly, a $5 million donation to Trump's political operation gets you a one-on-one meeting. $1 million will get you a group private dinner.

Putting a price on a one-on-one meeting isn't normal.
wired.com/story/people-p…
3/ One crypto CEO who paid the $1 million price explained to the @nytimes that after his meeting with Trump, his idea to make money off the federal government was suddenly "making the rounds...so mission accomplished from my view.”
nytimes.com/2025/08/02/us/…
4/ Trump also sells access to him for those who send money directly to Trump's wallet. This spring, he held a reception with the top buyers of his crypto coin. News of the opportunity immediately drove up the price of the coin, making Trump millions.
bbc.com/news/articles/…
5/ His family gets in on the grift too. His son is opening a new private club in DC - with a $500,000 entry fee. Donald Jr. markets it as the place to meet with his father's Cabinet. They don't even hide the access game, naming it "The Executive Branch".
politico.com/news/2025/04/2…
6/ Of course big donors have always had access to politicians. But the scope and sophistication of this access operation is unprecedented.

And NEVER before has a President openly made money personally off selling access like this.

We shouldn't accept any of it.

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More from @ChrisMurphyCT

Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jul 28
The more we learn about the U.S.-Japan "trade deal", the more we learn there is no deal.

Trump rushed out an "announcement" after a 70 minute conversation with Japan's trade negotiator and the press dutifully reported a deal.

1/ No text and widening disagreement on terms.
2/ The most significant claim Trump made in the "announcement" was a $550 billion Japanese investment fund in the U.S. where the U.S. would split profits with Japan 90/10.

Trump called it a "signing bonus".

"They gave us $550B up front, 100 percent," he said.
3/ The press reported it straight even though it sounded absurd.

$550 billion is 13% of Japan's entire GDP! Who believes Japan is investing 13% of its GDP in the U.S. and giving the U.S. 90% of the profits?

It made no sense. And of course we find out - Trump made it up.
Read 6 tweets
Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jul 11
I told you that the SCOTUS's ban on national injunctions would supersize Trump's lawlessness.

Well, it's starting.

1/ Let me break some news for you: Trump is stealing money to build facilities like Alligator Alcatraz - from an account earmarked for the OPPOSITE of detention.
2/ I'm the top Democrat on the sub-committee that writes the budget for DHS. I know that budget.

Since 2019, the budget always includes a line item for detention beds AND a line item for the Shelter and Services Program ("SSP"). They are very different programs.
3/ The detention account funds secure beds for immigrants who are detained. But many asylum applicants are released into the U.S. as their cases are processed.

SSP provides small grants to help local communities provide shelter or services to those people.
Read 7 tweets
Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jul 2
Yesterday, Trump illegally cut off funding for public schools, precipitating a huge crisis for thousands of schools.

This is a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling neutering federal courts.

1/ A dystopian new reign of lawlessness is likely coming. Let me explain.
2/ First, let's just understand how wildly illegal and devastating this funding cut is. This is money authorized by Congress for after school programs. Not a new program; schools get it every year. In many low income districts, their programs cannot run without these federal $.
3/ This fall, over a million kids could have no after school option. In Umatilla, OR - a low income rural town - notice just went out that the programs would shut down. Low income parents will have to find expensive (and likely far away) alternatives, or cut back working hours.
Read 9 tweets
Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jun 30
Ok, so Republicans just introduced a 900 page bill none of them have read. But my team is going through it line by line and on this 🧵you can see the hidden provisions we found. Will update all day.

1/ NEW Medicaid cuts, so now 17 million - instead of 16M - lose health care.
2/ It was bad enough they cut all the tax incentives for wind and solar energy - they added a NEW TAX on these projects to make sure America never builds any new renewables.

Remember, Trump promised the oil industry provisions like this in exchange for a $1B campaign donation.
3/ The bill BANS state regulation of AI - a stone cold giveaway to the tech companies who want to addict our kids, pollute our politics, and kill our jobs with zero guardrails.

Rumor is there's a new language coming, but it's still an effective ban. Just an outrage.
Read 7 tweets
Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jun 26
The press reported today that the votes are falling apart for Trump's budget (the one with the big Medicaid cuts).

It's the impact of organizing. It's why I set up American Mobilization Project.

1/ Here's a quick summary of what AMP has been up to in its first month. Image
Image
2/ I think the entire game right now is citizen mobilization. What's the point of raising money for the 2026 election if our democracy is at risk NOW? So I'm dedicating my fundraising efforts to citizen protest. That's what AMP does - fund protest infrastructure.
3/ A taste of what we are doing:

We formed a $200,000 partnership with the Committee to Protect Health Care. They organize doctors and nurses to fight the Medicaid cuts in key states.

Already, 4,000 doctors have signed up to take action.
Read 7 tweets
Chris Murphy 🟧 Profile picture
Jun 20
Earlier today I gave a speech at @sciencespo in Paris, laying out the argument for a U.S./EU regulatory approach to AI that rejects JD Vance’s insistence that we put AI industry profit and greed ahead of protecting jobs and our spiritual well being.

1/ A 🧵 on my main points Image
2/ Vance gave a speech in Paris in February that argued for no regulation of AI in Europe or America. It was a delusional and incoherent speech that appeared to be written by the AI industry that seeks to make billions of rapid replacement of human labor by AI and robots.
3/ He argued that AI would create more jobs in the U.S. and Europe than it destroys. This is patently untrue. The AI industry wants us to believe this so we don’t protect against the profits they will make if we don’t properly manage the transition to AI dominance.
Read 7 tweets

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