'The greatest grift' Gov. Gavin Newsom accuses Trump of unprecedented corruption

Democrats erupted on Monday over President Donald Trump's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund for those targeted or mistreated by previous administrations. Members of the party, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, labeled the move as textbook corruption, accusing Trump of “running the greatest grift in American history,” to benefit himself and his allies. As Democrats vowed to investigate the settlement, Newsom, speaking at a conference, claimed it was corruption on a scale unprecedented in his lifetime

The weaponization fund stemmed from an extraordinary settlement by the Department of Justice in the $10 billion lawsuit that Trump filed against the IRS over the leaking of his tax information. The DOJ argues that the fund, which will be overseen by a five-member commission, could extend compensation to Jan. 6 defendants, conservative activists, and former Trump aides and allies who faced investigations. However, at the Center for American Progress’ 2026 IDEAS Conference, Newsom described the move as "plain and simple corruption story." 

Sharing a clip of his remarks at the conference, Newsom alleged that Trump is running the "greatest grift in American history" amid unprecedented corruption. In his remarks, Newsom mentioned the various alleged scandals, including the jet, which was gifted to the president by Qatar and is being retrofitted by the Pentagon for $400 million to serve as Air Force One, per Bloomberg. "You didn't even mention the $230 million at the DOJ that he's also trying to extract," Newsom added, referring to a lawsuit in which Trump demanded compensation for federal investigations into him, including the Russia probe and the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search. 

"All of this happened in plain, open sight. You saw last week, that he is finally delivering on the cell phones, another part of the grift," Newsom said, referring to the T1 mobile phones launched by Eric and Donald Trump Jr. that missed several delivery deadlines. "The good old days when it was just about watches, $100,000, sneakers, $60, and cell phones. This is happening at a scale unlike anything Americans have seen in their lifetime, and he's just winding up," Newsom scathed, questioning why Congress and Speaker Mike Johnson are silent. 

Critics have long claimed that in his second administration, Trump has pushed the financial interests of his family, his allies, and his political movement further than ever, using the American presidency. The latest taxpayer-backed fund bypassed congressional approval, with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claiming that it was an effort to "make right the wrongs that were previously done," in the official release. However, in a legal filing, House Democrats argued that the arrangement "raises the specter of corruption unparalleled in American history," with some signalling that they will impeach Trump if Democrats gain control of the House after mid-term elections in November, Axios reported. 

The criticism came shortly after it was disclosed that Trump made over 3,700 individual stock trades last quarter, worth between $220 million and $750 million in the first three months of 2026. A report from PopInfo found that many of the companies that the president invested in were heavily exposed to federal policy decisions, and some tech firms were praised by Trump shortly after his investment. For instance, PopInfo reported that nine days before praising Dell for the $6.25 billion contribution toward "Trump Account" and asking his supporters to go "buy a Dell computer," Trump had purchased stocks worth between $1 million and $5 million of the company. While the Trump organization says all the investments are controlled by third-party actors and that the Trump family has no authority over the decisions, critics argue otherwise. 

Furthermore, since Trump took office, his sons have become investors in a range of new industries with investments in companies that have landed sizeable government contracts. Most recently,   Foundation Future Industries, a robotics startup connected to Eric Trump, was awarded a $24 million contract with the Pentagon. Separately, according to Financial Times, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump bought stakes in mining investment group Cove Capital that has a pending $1.6 billion U.S. government contract. While FT cited that there is no evidence that Trump's sons had knowledge of the deal, the timing has raised questions. Furthermore, Trump has expanded his real estate operations across the world, some of which have been controversial as well.