Special interests and big money have for a long time had more influence on the US government than everyday Americans.
Donald Trump is taking this to the next level. He's breaking with even the weak rules that others followed by:
- Funding his transition team with private1 money and refusing to disclose its donors.
- Openly asking the oil industry for $1 billion to fund his campaign, promising2 favorable policies in return.
- Naming Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, his #1 donor3, and a major recipient of US government contracts to an advisory board4, giving him a prominent position to weigh in on federal government restructuring.
- Accepting lobbyist donations for his inaugural committee5—a departure from the precedent set by previous presidents, including himself.
Big donors have caught on: paying money gives them access. And Trump has raised a record $170 million of private money6 from tech executives and others for his inauguration, almost three times as much as other recent presidents.
These examples of big money influence and blatant conflicts of interest are the outcome of a political system that is broken, corrupt, and failing the American people.
We’re here to make sure the government works for the people, and we are committed to calling out corruption where we see it.