This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 81: Undermining Democracy Abroad.*

The President of the United States is meant to be the world’s leading defender of democracy. But during Donald Trump’s time in office, he often sided not with democratic allies, but with authoritarian strongmen.

Trump praised Vladimir Putin, calling him a genius and denying U.S. intelligence reports about Russian election interference. He echoed the Kremlin’s propaganda while undermining America’s allies in NATO. He even withheld military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to pressure its government into investigating Joe Biden — a move so corrupt it led to his first impeachment.

But Russia wasn’t the only regime Trump cozied up to. He fell “in love,” as he put it, with North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un. He praised China’s Xi Jinping and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. And he turned a blind eye to Saudi Arabia after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered, because U.S. arms deals and Jared Kushner’s personal ties to the Saudi royals mattered more than human rights.

At every turn, Trump weakened America’s moral authority abroad. He treated autocrats with admiration, while insulting democratic leaders in Europe and Canada. He pulled out of agreements designed to strengthen global security, and in doing so, emboldened the very regimes that want to see democracy fail.

This wasn’t just reckless diplomacy. It was part of a pattern: undermine alliances, empower dictators, and make the world less safe — all while America’s enemies benefited.

Join us next time on *Trump’s True Crimes* for Episode 82: *Gag Orders Violated.*

This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 80: USPS Sabotage Before 2020 Election.*

The United States Postal Service has long been one of America’s most trusted institutions. But in 2020, Donald Trump turned it into a political weapon. Why? Because mail-in voting threatened his grip on power.

Trump spent months attacking mail-in ballots, falsely claiming they were fraudulent. At the same time, his administration was working behind the scenes to make mail voting harder. He installed a loyalist, Louis DeJoy, as Postmaster General — a man with no postal experience but deep Republican fundraising ties.

DeJoy immediately ordered sweeping changes: removing high-speed mail sorting machines, cutting overtime, and reducing post office hours. These moves slowed mail delivery across the country — just as millions of Americans were preparing to vote by mail during a pandemic.

The result? Mail piled up in warehouses. Medications and paychecks were delayed. And most critically, ballots were at risk of not being delivered on time to count.

Trump’s White House denied it was sabotage. But Trump himself let the truth slip. He openly admitted that if the Postal Service was fully funded, too many people would be able to vote — and in his own words, Republicans would never win.

It was an attack not just on the Postal Service, but on democracy itself.

Join us next time on *Trump’s True Crimes* for Episode 81: *Undermining Democracy Abroad.

This is Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 79: Census Manipulation Attempt.

The Census is one of the oldest institutions in American democracy. Every ten years, it counts the people, and that count determines how political power and federal funding are distributed. It’s meant to be neutral, accurate, and fair. But Donald Trump saw it as something to weaponize.

Trump’s administration made an unprecedented push to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. The official excuse was enforcing the Voting Rights Act. But leaked documents later revealed the real plan: to suppress immigrant participation, shift political representation away from diverse urban areas, and give Republicans a long-term advantage in redistricting.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pushed the change, despite the Census Bureau’s own experts warning it would reduce response rates and skew results. When the Supreme Court finally weighed in, Chief Justice John Roberts called the administration’s explanation “contrived.” The Court blocked the question—but the effort didn’t stop there.

Behind the scenes, Trump’s team still tried to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census count altogether. That move violated centuries of constitutional precedent. The Constitution is clear: the Census counts all “persons,” not just citizens. But Trump insisted on bending the rules.

Why? Because redrawing congressional districts based only on citizens would strip representation from immigrant-heavy states and hand more seats to whiter, more conservative regions. It was a blatant attempt to rig the political map for a generation.

Civil rights groups, states, and immigrant advocates fought back. Multiple courts struck down Trump’s attempts. In the end, the Census counted everyone. But the damage was done. Fear and confusion spread through immigrant communities, and millions of people hesitated to participate. That chilling effect was part of the strategy all along.

The Census manipulation attempt showed how far Trump was willing to go to twist the machinery of democracy in his favor. It wasn’t just about numbers on a form—it was about who counts in America, and who gets erased.

This is Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 79: Census Manipulation Attempt.

And next, we turn to Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 80: USPS Sabotage Before 2020 Election—how Trump and his allies tried to cripple the Postal Service to block mail-in voting and tilt an election.

This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 78: Illegal Emoluments at D.C. Hotel.*

The presidency is supposed to serve the people, not the president’s wallet. But from the moment Donald Trump entered the White House, he saw dollar signs.

The U.S. Constitution’s Emoluments Clause forbids any president from taking money or gifts from foreign governments. The founders knew it would corrupt American democracy. Trump ignored it. He refused to divest from his businesses, and at the heart of it all sat the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.—just a few blocks from the Oval Office.

Almost overnight, the hotel became a hub for pay-to-play politics. Foreign governments and lobbyists rushed to book suites, host galas, and throw parties, knowing that every dollar spent went directly into Trump’s pockets.

Saudi lobbyists spent hundreds of thousands at the hotel while pressing Trump on arms sales. Kuwait moved its National Day celebration there. Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia, and Qatar all followed suit. It wasn’t about luxury—it was about influence. The message was unmistakable: stay at Trump’s hotel, and you’ll get Trump’s ear.

Watchdogs sounded the alarm. Lawsuits accused Trump of violating the Constitution. Oversight investigations later uncovered at least $3.7 million in foreign payments to Trump’s hotel while he was president. That money didn’t go to America—it went straight into the business he refused to give up.

And it wasn’t just foreign powers. Conservative groups, Republican politicians, and wealthy special interests turned the D.C. hotel into their clubhouse, pouring millions into Trump’s brand to curry favor. Trump even tried to host the G7 summit at his Doral resort in Florida, only backing down when public outrage boiled over.

The presidency became a business venture. The White House turned into an extension of the Trump Organization. And the American people were left with a president more interested in room bookings than the rule of law.

The Trump International Hotel in D.C. has since been sold. But its four years as the ultimate symbol of corruption remain a warning. The Emoluments Clause was meant to stop this exact kind of abuse. Trump bulldozed it—and cashed in.

This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 78: Illegal Emoluments at D.C. Hotel.*

And next, we turn to *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 79: Census Manipulation Attempt*—how Trump tried to rig the 2020 Census to silence immigrants, reshape political power, and lock in Republican dominance for a generation.

Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 77: Foreign Influence in Inauguration Fund

When Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20th, 2017, the world saw a grand display on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. But behind the scenes, the inauguration became something else entirely—a money funnel. The Trump Inaugural Committee raised a record-breaking **\$107 million**, more than twice as much as Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, and far more than what was necessary to stage the event.

So where did all that money come from? And more importantly, where did it go?

That’s where the real story begins.

Federal investigators later uncovered that the Inaugural Committee became a backdoor for **foreign money**—from countries like Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia—flowing into American politics, in violation of U.S. law. Foreign nationals are strictly prohibited from donating to U.S. political campaigns and events. Yet, through shell companies, straw donors, and shadowy intermediaries, foreign actors found a way in.

One glaring example: Sam Patten, a lobbyist with ties to pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians. Patten pleaded guilty in 2018 to funneling $50,000 from a Ukrainian oligarch into Trump’s Inaugural Committee. He even admitted to using a straw purchaser—an American citizen—to buy four inauguration tickets for the oligarch. That’s not just shady. That’s illegal.

Another case involved Imaad Zuberi, a California businessman who donated nearly a million dollars to Trump’s inauguration. Zuberi later pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. He admitted that much of his political giving came from overseas clients, particularly in the Middle East, who wanted access to U.S. politicians. In other words, foreign governments and elites were literally buying their way into Trump’s Washington.

But it wasn’t only about the money coming in. It was also about the money going out. Huge chunks of the inauguration funds were funneled into Trump’s own properties. Millions were spent at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., at inflated rates. The nonprofit Inaugural Committee even paid over \$1.5 million for ballroom space that the hotel itself valued at a fraction of that. According to investigators, Ivanka Trump personally negotiated those deals.

Think about that: foreign-tied money comes into the Inaugural Committee, then that money gets redirected into Trump’s businesses. That’s foreign influence laundered into personal profit.

The inauguration was supposed to be a celebration of democracy. Instead, it looked more like an auction—where access to Trump and his inner circle went to the highest bidder. Corporate lobbyists, foreign oligarchs, and questionable intermediaries walked away with favors, influence, and a direct line to the new administration.

The long-term impact? Decisions on foreign policy, trade, and security that may have been tilted in favor of those who helped bankroll Trump’s rise. When foreign powers can buy a seat at the table, American democracy is no longer working for the American people. It’s working for those who paid the most.

This is the deeper truth about Trump’s inauguration: it wasn’t just a historic day in Washington. It was a **cash-for-access scheme**, a blending of political power and personal enrichment that left the United States vulnerable to foreign influence from the very start of Trump’s presidency.

Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 76: Paul Manafort’s Payouts

Welcome to Trump’s True Crimes. This is Episode 76: Paul Manafort’s Payouts.

Paul Manafort wasn’t just Donald Trump’s campaign chairman. He was a man neck-deep in foreign money, oligarch connections, and shadowy deals that made him a glaring national security risk from the moment he joined the campaign.

For years before 2016, Manafort worked for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians, including Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted after a corrupt, Kremlin-aligned regime. Manafort was paid tens of millions of dollars to polish Yanukovych’s image and undermine democratic movements in Ukraine. To hide the money, Manafort used offshore accounts, shell companies, and luxury purchases—from expensive real estate to lavish suits.

By 2016, Manafort was financially drowning. He owed money to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and desperately needed a way to get back into the inner circle of power. Enter the Trump campaign. Manafort offered his services for free—a bizarre move unless you understood that he was trying to use Trump’s candidacy as a ticket to repay debts and curry favor with foreign backers.

While serving as Trump’s campaign chairman, Manafort secretly shared internal polling data and strategy with Konstantin Kilimnik, a man the U.S. government has identified as a Russian intelligence operative. Think about that: the head of Trump’s campaign was feeding sensitive election information straight into Kremlin-linked hands.

When prosecutors closed in, Manafort was charged with tax fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and failing to register as a foreign agent. He was convicted, sentenced to more than seven years in prison, and stripped of his lavish lifestyle. But Trump had his back. After dangling the possibility of a pardon, Trump finally delivered, wiping away Manafort’s convictions before leaving office.

Manafort’s case wasn’t just about corruption. It was about a campaign manager who sold out America’s democratic process to foreign interests—all while helping Trump win the presidency.

And it connects to a larger story: the web of foreign money and influence around Trump’s 2016 inauguration. That’s what we’ll cover next, in Episode 77: Foreign Influence in Inauguration Fund.

**Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 75: Roger Stone & Julian Assange**

Welcome to *Trump’s True Crimes*. This is Episode 75: *Roger Stone & Julian Assange.*

If Donald Trump had a dirty-tricks man, it was Roger Stone. A political operative since the Nixon years, Stone prided himself on living by the motto “admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattacks.” In 2016, that dark philosophy found its perfect match in Trump’s campaign—and in Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

Here’s what we know: in the summer of 2016, Russian hackers stole tens of thousands of Democratic emails. WikiLeaks then became the vehicle for dumping those stolen documents into the American political bloodstream. And Roger Stone? He was the self-appointed middleman, bragging that he had back-channel communications with Assange and foreknowledge of WikiLeaks’ plans.

Stone teased the email dumps on Twitter, boasting that “devastating” material was coming. He hinted at the timing. He even named names. The Mueller investigation later revealed that Trump’s campaign—at the highest levels—was hungry for information about what WikiLeaks had, and when it would drop. Trump himself, Mueller found, asked Stone directly what Assange might be planning.

And when WikiLeaks delivered—releasing emails that undercut Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention, and then again right after the Access Hollywood tape—the Trump campaign pounced. They weaponized the leaks in speeches, ads, and rallies. Trump himself praised WikiLeaks over 140 times in the closing stretch of the campaign.

But when investigators came knocking, the lies came out. Stone denied having contacts with intermediaries. He pressured witnesses. He threatened people to keep them quiet. For those crimes—not for collusion itself, but for obstructing the truth—Roger Stone was convicted on seven felony counts. Until, of course, Trump rewarded his loyalty with a full commutation and later a pardon.

The story of Stone and Assange is more than just dirty politics. It’s a blueprint for how a presidential campaign embraced stolen foreign material, openly and gleefully, and then covered it up.

And it’s not the end of the story. In the next episode, we’ll turn to Episode 76: *Paul Manafort’s Payouts*, where the Trump campaign chairman’s secret millions from pro-Russian interests reveal how deep the ties—and the corruption—really went.

Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 74: Trump Tower Meeting with Russians

Welcome to Trump’s True Crimes. This is Episode 74: Trump Tower Meeting with Russians.

June 9th, 2016. The Trump campaign was in high gear, and an extraordinary invitation was on the table. Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort gathered at Trump Tower to meet with a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, along with other Kremlin-linked operatives. The lure? Dirt on Hillary Clinton, described as part of Russia’s support for Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Trump Jr.’s infamous reply to the offer—“If it’s what you say, I love it”—isn’t just reckless. It’s a smoking gun, showing a willingness to collude with a foreign power to sway an American election.

Inside that Trump Tower room, the Russians delivered talking points about sanctions and the Magnitsky Act, cloaked in promises of information. While the details may not have been groundbreaking, the very fact of the meeting—and the intent behind it—was damning.

And then came the cover-up. For over a year, the meeting was denied, dismissed, and spun into lies. The adoption excuse. The false statements dictated by Donald Trump himself aboard Air Force One. The pattern was clear: accept help from abroad, then deny and deceive when caught.

Robert Mueller’s investigation highlighted this meeting as a central piece of evidence. It revealed a campaign not just open to foreign influence, but eager for it. The Trump Tower meeting became shorthand for collusion—even if prosecutors ultimately said they couldn’t bring conspiracy charges.

Still, the implications are staggering. At the very highest levels, Trump’s inner circle showed they were willing to compromise democracy if it meant gaining power. That should never be forgotten.

And as one chapter closes, another opens. Next, we’ll turn to Episode 75: Roger Stone & Julian Assange, where Trump’s longtime political trickster connects with WikiLeaks to unleash hacked Democratic emails onto the world stage.