As presidential powers merge with personal profit, critics warn of a dangerous erosion of democratic norms
Donald Trump’s latest trip to the Gulf, presented as a diplomatic mission, has become emblematic of a deeper crisis at the heart of American governance — one where personal enrichment and presidential duties increasingly appear indistinguishable.
At the centre of the controversy is an extraordinary offer from the Qatari government: a $400 million “flying palace” Boeing aircraft, intended to honour the president. The jet, proposed as an alternative to Air Force One, has drawn sharp scrutiny over its legality and the implications for Trump’s already blurred lines between statecraft and private gain.
The United States Constitution explicitly prohibits public officials from accepting “any present, emolument, office or title” from foreign states without congressional approval. However, White House legal advisers have defended the Qatari gift, arguing that it does not breach the constitutional clause — a stance critics believe is shaped more by loyalty than legality.
Yet the Qatari jet is only one layer of a broader, more troubling pattern. The Trump administration has frequently shown disregard for due process and the rule of law — including in controversial deportation cases involving innocent Americans. But financial impropriety and civil rights violations are increasingly seen as symptoms of the same underlying mindset: a presidency unconstrained by rules.
From the moment of his inauguration, Trump’s approach to governance has defied tradition. Just before taking office, he launched his own crypto asset, $TRUMP, effectively turning the presidency into a monetised brand. Last month, it was revealed that the top coin holders would be rewarded with a private dinner with the president.
Unlike his predecessors, who divested or placed assets in blind trusts, Trump has continued to operate his business empire through his sons. His brand, now supercharged by presidential prestige, remains a commercial juggernaut. Meanwhile, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, heads a private equity firm with significant dealings with Gulf sovereign wealth funds — the same nations hosting the president this week.
The entanglement of public office with private commercial interests is so deep that many observers say the presidency itself has become indistinguishable from a profit-seeking enterprise. Such fusion of state and personal business interests, they argue, is a hallmark of kleptocracy — a system where public power is wielded primarily for private gain.
And while Trump’s political messaging remains rooted in populist rhetoric — promising to “make America great again” — critics see a more sinister undertone. The president’s belief that his own wealth reflects national greatness masks an emerging crisis: if ordinary Americans feel left behind, resentment may build. That, in turn, could prompt efforts to undermine democratic institutions seen as a threat to his power.
This is the familiar pattern of authoritarianism: a cycle where corruption erodes democratic norms, and democratic decay in turn protects corruption. While history offers many examples of such dysfunction in smaller or emerging states, few have played out with such scale and global visibility as within the leadership of the United States.