"At the dinner, Mr. Schiermeyer, who had never given a federal political donation before, presented an idea for a cryptocurrency called “U.S.A. Token” that would be distributed to every citizen, according to interviews and a flier he distributed to attendees that sets out details of the proposal. He hoped it could be supported through a federal contract with his company.

“I don’t usually put time and attention on politics,” Mr. Schiermeyer said in a text exchange with The New York Times. But, he added, “I was able to say my piece, and the idea is clearly making the rounds, so mission accomplished from my view.”
While the Trump administration has not given Mr. Schiermeyer any indication it is pursuing the U.S.A. Token idea, the episode underscores the face time that Mr. Trump has been willing to grant to deep-pocketed interests seeking business, preferential treatment or protection from him and his administration.

It also reveals how lobbyists, political consultants and others in the influence industry have capitalized on Mr. Trump’s aggressive fund-raising while in office to deliver for clients and earn chits with a president who keeps close tabs on who is delivering cash and listens to their appeals. It is a cycle that has helped Mr. Trump fill the coffers of his political groups, defying the gravity that sometimes drags down the fund-raising of term-limited presidents."

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/us/politics/donor-list-suggests-scale-of-trumps-pay-for-access-operation.html

"Perhaps because of its complexity and perhaps because Trump has been relatively open about his crypto investment — in contrast to the administration’s behavior with regard to the Jeffrey Epstein files — the electorate has remained relatively quiescent.

Insofar as that remains true, Trump is very likely to use his remaining three and a half years in office to lift his cryptocurrency profits to new heights. He is already well on his way — if he is not already there — to setting the record for making money while serving as president.

He may, in fact, make more money while in office than all his predecessors combined — an achievement he will probably boast of in retirement, whenever that comes."

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/opinion/trump-crypto-genius-act-memcoin.html

"With President Trump’s signature, the Genius Act stablecoin bill is the first significant US cryptocurrency legislation to become law. The bill passed the Senate on June 17 [I86], the House on July 17, and hit Trump’s desk the following day. During the “Crypto Week” blitz, the House also passed the Clarity Act market structure bill and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, two other crypto bills that will now go to the Senate [I88].

Many crypto billionaires who attended the signing had spent millions installing crypto-friendly lawmakers in Congress and backing Trump last election cycle in hopes of this moment. Trump thanked them for their campaign support and blasted the Biden administration, remarking, “half of you were under arrest for no reason”, and later adding, “I got you guys out of so much trouble”. Speaking of the Winklevoss twins, who run the Gemini crypto exchange and are among the industry’s big political spenders, Trump said, “They’ve got plenty of cash, and it’s great that you’re on our side.”"

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-89/

A sharp perspective from Péter Adamik (Freie Ungarische Botschaft) that behind the rhetoric lies a deeply entrenched abuse of power.
#ShadowsOfIlliberalism #DisruptionNetworkLab #Kleptocracy #EU #DemocracyUnderThreat

"On April 24, Elon Musk's $9 billion neurotechnology company falsely self-certified as a "small disadvantaged business" (SDB) on a federal filing, a designation that qualifies the company for preferential treatment as part of a racial and ethnic diversity initiative.

The SDB designation can also only be legally claimed by companies owned by "economically disadvantaged individuals."

Neuralink, which is developing implantable brain-computer interfaces, registered with the government as an SDB while Musk leveraged his position at the White House to cut federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

The SDB designation is clearly defined by the Small Business Administration and in federal regulations. A SDB must be "unconditionally and directly" majority-owned (51%) by a member of a socially and economically disadvantaged group, meaning a demographic "subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias."

Even if a business clears that hurdle, not all are eligible for the designation. To be considered an SDB, the company must also be majority-owned by an "economically disadvantaged individual."

https://www.muskwatch.com/p/musks-neuralink-falsified-federal

There is no bottom #Kleptocracy

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/sale-trump-leveraging-power-office-reap-profits-family-123858027

Real definition of an hybrid between #Kleptocracy and #Plutocracy...

"A batch of Trump memecoins set to be unlocked this week will test demand for the cryptocurrency and add almost $100 million to the billionaire president’s net worth.

Beginning Thursday, entities associated with Donald Trump will begin to be able to sell 90 million of the tokens, according to crypto researcher Messari. Tokens vesting this week are worth nearly $930 million at Wednesday’s price of about $10.30.

The so-called unlock means early investors or insiders previously restricted from selling the coins are now free to trade them. About 200 million Trump memecoins became available at the Jan. 17 launch, so the unlock will increase the circulating supply by 45%. The total amount outstanding will reach 1 billion in less than three years, with 800 million originally locked and held by Trump-affiliated entities.

Trump’s share of the coins will add $93 million to his $6.4 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which hasn’t previously included the locked coins in calculations of his wealth. The president also made about $150 million from sales and trading of the memecoin through mid-June, according to an analysis by crypto-risk modeling firm Gauntlet.

Memecoins have no underlying value, rather they trade based on sentiment. Still, a jump in supply could sink their price. Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun wrote last week on X that he would buy $100 million worth, helping send the price up more than 10%. Earlier this month Sun’s Tron network added the memecoin to its supported tokens."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-16/trump-memecoin-unlock-to-test-crypto-demand-boost-president-s-wealth