{"id":133,"date":"2026-05-21T04:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=133"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:38:49","slug":"nyt-warns-trump-destroying-pillars-of-american-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=133","title":{"rendered":"NYT warns Trump ‘destroying pillars of American democracy’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The New York Times Editorial Board, in a strongly worded editorial, says \u201cthere has never been an example of presidential corruption like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more There is a way to claw back Trump\u2019s grift \u2014 and his own officials blessed it<\/a><\/p>\n

The paper of record is accusing President Donald Trump not only of \u201cpresidential corruption,\u201d but also of \u201cpolitical self-dealing,\u201d and \u201cdestroying the pillars of American democracy to empower himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

At issue is what the Times calls the Trump Justice Department\u2019s \u201c$1.8 billion political slush fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOstensibly set up to compensate those who the department claims have \u2018suffered weaponization and lawfare,\u2019 it will in fact reward loyalists willing to defy the law and commit violence on behalf of the president,\u201d the editors charge.<\/p>\n

They allege that the fund actually encompasses three of Trump\u2019s \u201cmost alarming behaviors\u201d: corruption, using the DOJ \u201cas an enforcer to punish his perceived opponents and protect his friends and allies,\u201d and attempting to rewrite history \u201cabout the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

How is Trump destroying pillars of American democracy?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe claims elections are legitimate only if he wins,\u201d they write. \u201cHe uses federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute his perceived enemies. He purges his party of officials who defy him. He describes members of the other party and civil society as traitors and enemies.\u201d Trump \u201cincentivizes his supporters to break the law on his behalf and rewards them when they do,\u201d and he \u201cdirects his allies to change election rules to keep his party in power.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agreement to create the fund came after Trump dropped a highly-controversial $10 billion lawsuit which reports say IRS lawyers were intending to contest.<\/p>\n

Read more America\u2019s founders would be \u2018disgusted\u2019 by Republicans: Historian<\/a><\/p>\n

In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Trump and his supporters would receive \u201cgovernment handouts,\u201d the Times says.<\/p>\n

Trump and his family would gain immunity from IRS audits, and his supporters who were allegedly victimized by government lawfare would receive payments.<\/p>\n

Times editors note that the fund holds another purpose: encouraging \u201cfuture lawlessness on Mr. Trump\u2019s behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sends the message that he will use his power not only to shield people who break the law from accountability,\u201d they say, \u201cbut also to shower benefits on them. Just as punishment is a deterrent, rewards are an incentive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The editors urge Americans to be \u201ccleareyed\u201d about what Trump is actually doing: \u201ctaking their money and showering it on criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Judge tells Trump\u2019s critics: Don\u2019t comply with DOJ subpoenas<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Times Editorial Board, in a strongly worded editorial, says \u201cthere has never been an example of presidential corruption like this.\u201dThe paper of record is accusing President Donald Trump not only of \u201cpresidential corruption,\u201d but also of \u201cpolitical self-dealing,\u201d and \u201cdestroying the pill…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNYT warns Trump 'destroying pillars of American democracy' - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=133\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NYT warns Trump 'destroying pillars of American democracy' - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The New York Times Editorial Board, in a strongly worded editorial, says \u201cthere has never been an example of presidential corruption like this.\u201dThe paper of record is accusing President Donald Trump not only of \u201cpresidential corruption,\u201d but also of \u201cpolitical self-dealing,\u201d and \u201cdestroying the pill...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=133\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T04:38:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34a8f59724317675c3ca99f18a5fe025.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\"},\"headline\":\"NYT warns Trump ‘destroying pillars of American democracy’\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T04:38:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133\"},\"wordCount\":428,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/34a8f59724317675c3ca99f18a5fe025.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=133\",\"name\":\"NYT warns Trump 'destroying pillars of American democracy' - 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