It’s tempting to say Trump’s political survival comes from charisma, grievance politics, or sheer luck. But the truth is more straightforward, and far more dangerous: greed. Money and self-interest have made parts of American society bend the knee. From corporations to politicians to media outlets, greed doesn’t just enable Trump, it protects him. And it’s why Donald Trump, despite indictments, scandals, and lies, continues to seem unstoppable.
President Trump has used the power of the federal government to threaten the bottom line of numerous entities across our society. Because of these threats, individuals from different walks of life have basically bent to the will of Trump without an apparent regard for morals or integrity.
America loves to pretend it’s driven by freedom, faith, or family values. But beneath the slogans and the flags lies a different truth: greed is the real engine. Greed shapes our politics, our media, and our culture. It’s the logical result of a society that worships money more than morality and power more than principle.
The Trump Administration has wreaked havoc on American life and has made demands that no previous administration has made before. But greed is the primary reason the Trump Administration’s bad decisions and insane asks haven’t received the proper rebuke they deserve.
Greed as the Core Driver
Corporate interests, billionaires, and lobbyists didn’t just tolerate Trump; they bankrolled him. He promised tax breaks, gutted regulations, and opened the door to the wealthy elite. If I can take you on a walk down memory lane, President Trump slashed corporate taxes during his first term with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, which lowered the corporate income tax (CIT) rate from 35 to 21 percent starting in 2018. The cost of admission? Disregarding corruption, attacks on democratic institutions, and outright dishonesty. Greed didn’t just allow Trump to rise; it actively shielded him.
When profit and influence take precedence over principles, ethics take a back seat. Decisions meant to protect democracy are replaced by calculations about who can pay the most or offer the most significant advantage. In a society where financial gain outweighs accountability, leaders like Trump thrive. The Trump presidency is basically a pay-to-play scheme for the entire world. Leaders from across the globe have used money to lobby the Trump Administration to get what they want. Many have come to understand that the surest way to gain favor with Trump isn’t through negotiation, but by offering flattery and bribes.
Many leaders come to White House bearing lovely gifts and kind words for President Trump. The strategy works every single time if you have enough money and resources to offer the President. Apple CEO Tim Cook came to the White House to meet President Trump and gifted him with a glass sculpture with a 24-karat gold base. Shortly after the meeting, President Trump announced an exemption on tariffs on smartphones and computers, saving Apple billions. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced plans to invest $2 billion in the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, and President Trump returned the favor by declaring that the UAE would gain access to cutting-edge AI computer chips. And how could we forget Qatar gifting President Trump with a Boeing 747–8 luxury jetliner to be used as the next Air Force One, and, sometime later, the US finalized an agreement allowing Qatar to build an air force facility in Idaho. Clearly, nothing seems fishy about all of this.
For corporations and leaders, Trump’s presidency was a jackpot. Deregulation meant higher profits, fewer restrictions, and a government willing to look the other way. Wall Street celebrated while working families struggled. Greed didn’t just enable Trump; it built a fortress around him. When ethics are treated as optional and money as sacred, corruption isn’t a scandal; it’s business as usual. In that world, Trump isn’t an anomaly. He’s the perfect mirror.
Cultural Greed
Greed goes beyond money. It’s about status, influence, and the thrill of being tied to a “winner.” For many Americans, supporting Trump isn’t about policy; it’s about positioning themselves in a system that rewards dominance and wealth. Trump’s rise taps into the illusion that success excuses everything, even corruption. The endless pursuit of wealth has replaced community with competition and empathy with envy. Many people align with Trump not because of policy, but because of what he symbolizes: an alleged self-made billionaire who says what he wants, breaks the rules, and never apologizes.
Just take a look at Trump’s cabinet, which is the richest ever in history, with a net worth of $7.5 billion, more than doubling the $3.2 billion combined worth of Trump’s 2019 Cabinet. By contrast, President Biden’s Cabinet was barely worth $110 million combined in 2021. So it’s no surprise to be in Trump’s orbit; you must have attained a level of wealth unheard of for most Americans. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the billionaires’ club who attended President Trump’s second inauguration.
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The American dream, once an ideal of opportunity and hard work, has been twisted into endless accumulation and admiration of power. Society now rewards the bold display of wealth and influence, regardless of legality or morality. In this culture, aligning with a figure like Trump can feel less like a moral compromise and more like strategic survival. This is where Trump’s real genius lies. He doesn’t just sell politics; he sells belonging. He turns greed into identity, convincing people that defending him is defending themselves, their business, their status, their version of success.
Examples of Compromise
Look at the politicians who once denounced Trump as unfit, only to return when their careers or donor money depended on it. Or the media outlets that profit off his scandals, amplifying his influence for ratings and cash. Each act of compromise reinforces the illusion of inevitability. Each dollar made from his chaos makes him harder to dislodge. The cost of standing against greed is high socially, politically, and financially, and too often, Americans are unwilling to pay it. Many republican leaders who once opposed him now grovel for his endorsement.
And then there’s the media, which has made billions off Trump’s chaos. Outrage drives engagement, and engagement drives profit. News outlets that publicly denounce him still feature his face on every homepage because he sells. Trump is both the story and the business model. The right-wing media company Fox News caught the ire of Trump when the media company called the state of Arizona for Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election. After President Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election, Fox News promoted the false claim that the election was stolen and stated Dominion Voting machines switched votes from President Trump to President Biden. Dominion Voting would sue Fox News for $1.6 billion for spreading those unjust claims about its voting machines. Fox News would settle with Dominion Voting for a whopping $787 million to avoid the case from going to trial.
Each headline, each clip, each scandal feeds the cycle that keeps him in the spotlight. Every institution that profits from his presence helps sustain his power. When President Trump filed a lawsuit against Paramount for what he stated was false editing of Vice President Kamala Harris’s CBS 60 Minutes interview. Sometime later, Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, capitulated to Trump and settled the lawsuit for $16 million. Paramount at the time was preparing for an $8.4 billion merger, and needed to secure approval from the US Federal Communications Commission, which is led by a Trump ally.
Higher education is vital to our nation’s democracy. But sadly, many universities are caving to Trump’s unjust use of federal power. Since President Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has had top universities in its crosshairs. The Trump Administration has withheld billions of federal funding from universities to push for ideological changes. The Trump administration claims these schools are “woke universities’ and are aimed at diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
And sadly, because of greed, many universities caved due to President Trump’s undemocratic demands. Here’s a list of a few elite US colleges that have decided to make deals with the Trump Administration:
- Columbia University
- Brown University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Cornell University
- Northwestern University
Greed even touches the American legal field, as President Trump’s retribution campaign includes law firms that had connections to Democrats. Some of President Trump’s policies have hurt companies’ bottom line. When President Trump announced his sweeping ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, potentially setting off a global trade showdown, many industries began to brace for the fallout of the tariffs. The global e-commerce company Amazon considered displaying the added cost of tariffs on certain items. Still, the company quickly did an about-face after a pissed off Trump called Jeff Bezos.
The Systemic Enabler
Trump thrives not just because of individual greed but because America’s systems encourage it. Campaign finance judicial decisions like Citizens United allow money to dominate politics, while corporate lobbying and media monetization blur the line between governance and entertainment. Lobbyists write legislation. Wealthy donors handpick candidates, just like the money Elon Musk has spent to elect Trump and other Republicans. The line between public service and private profit has blurred so completely that corruption has become a feature, not a flaw. When checks and balances can be bought, a greed-driven leader doesn’t just rise; he seems unstoppable.
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This isn’t accidental. It’s a design flaw in a system that allows wealth to dictate influence and power. The very institutions meant to protect democracy are compromised when profit outweighs principle. Greed, in this sense, becomes both the fuel and the shield.
The system rewards those who can manipulate greed most effectively. When power can be bought, and outrage can be monetized, someone like Trump doesn’t have to win hearts or minds. He just has to keep the money flowing. Greed makes him untouchable because it’s not just protecting him, it’s protecting itself.
Call to Action
If greed is the disease, what is the antidote? It’s solidarity over self-interest, truth over profit, and civic responsibility over power games. Trump’s rise isn’t a story about one man’s strength; it’s a reflection of America’s weakness for greed. America cannot call itself a democracy while it worships wealth like a god. The moment we decide that character matters more than capital, leaders like Trump lose their power.
Breaking this cycle requires more than outrage. It requires choosing principle over profit, courage over comfort, and accountability over convenience. Until that happens, leaders who exploit greed will continue to rise, and those who benefit from them will keep bending the knee.
Greed has made Trump seem unstoppable because too many have chosen silence over sacrifice and self-interest over integrity. But greed isn’t destiny, it’s a decision. And the day we decide that our collective conscience is worth more than one man’s fortune, he’ll finally stop being unstoppable.
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Previously Published on Medium
