Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ben Freeman
“‘I don’t need anybody’s money … I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using the donors,’ proudly proclaimed Donald Trump in his 2016 campaign for president that, like his other campaigns, was laced with disdain for how money drives politics in the U.S. He, of course, did take hundreds of millions of dollars in donor money (some of it from lobbyists) in his 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaigns. And, he certainly wasn’t the only politician railing against the corrosive impact of money in politics. … in few areas is the corrosive impact of money in politics more apparent than in U.S. foreign policy. D.C. has become awash in cash from special interests that profit from America’s endless wars. Campaign coffers are flooded with money from the arms industry, but that’s just the beginning.” (02/04/25)