When it comes to crooks like Pelosi and Trump, this does not "shock" me one bit

[theking]

Trump Pocketed ‘At Least $1.4 Billion’ in the Past Year - Shock
“President [Donald] Trump has never been a man to ask what he can do for his country. In his second term, as in his first, he is instead testing the limits of what his country can do for him. He has poured his energy and creativity into the exploitation of the presidency — into finding out just how much money people, corporations and other nations are willing to put into his pockets in hopes of bending the power of the government to the service of their interests,” began the Times. “A review by the editorial board relying on analyses from news organizations shows that Mr. Trump has used the office of the presidency to make at least $1.4 billion. We know this number to be an underestimate because some of his profits remain hidden from public view. And they continue to grow.”

[theking]

Again, NOT surprised...

Senator demands answers after Trump accepted Rolex and gold bar before slashing tariffs on Switzerland

Trump’s love of lavish gifts is well known and many are displayed in the Oval Office
President Donald Trump is being asked to provide more information about the Rolex watch and gold bar he accepted from Swiss businessmen last year, shortly before agreeing to lower tariffs on Swiss goods, by the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is seeking more details to determine whether the president violated laws by accepting the gifts before cutting the deal, according to the letter seen by Bloomberg.

In November, a delegation of Swiss businessmen visited the White House to speak with Trump after he imposed a 39 percent tariff on Swiss goods. Shortly thereafter, a Rolex table clock, which does not appear to be available for purchase by the general public, appeared on the president’s desk.

[theking]

Stock trade disclosure reveals Trump made massive gains on Big Tech bets
Donald Trump's latest financial disclosure has opened an unusually detailed window into the scale and pace of trading activity tied to the US president's investment portfolio.

The filing, submitted on Thursday to the US Office of Government Ethics through two OGE Form 278-T reports, disclosed more than 3,600 transactions executed between January and the end of March 2026.

The cumulative value of the trades ranged from at least $220 million (€188mn) to as much as $750 million (€641mn) as federal ethics disclosures only require broad valuation bands rather than precise figures.

US presidents are not banned from trading financial markets but must disclose personal trades. No charges were made or proven acts of insider trading have been outlined but the revelation still draws ethics scrutiny and a push for trading restrictions.

The filings do not specify whether Trump directed the trades. His personal assets and business empire are actively run and managed by his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, but some entries also indicate broker involvement.

The documents reveal extensive exposure to some of Wall Street's biggest names, particularly in technology and specifically AI.

Individual purchases of Nvidia, Microsoft, Broadcom, Amazon, Apple and others ranged from $1 million (€856,000) to $5 million (€4.27mn) in disclosed value while buy orders of AMD, Intel, Goldman Sachs, Alphabet, Airbnb, DoorDash, Micron, Bloom Energy and others ranged from $500,000 (€427,500) to $1 million (€856,000) in disclosed value.

US President Donald Trump also reported hundreds of stock sales ranging from $15,000 (€12,825) to up to $25 million (€21.37mn).

According to the report, and assuming the holdings have remained relatively the same since the end of March, Trump is 20% or more in profit on almost all of the names indicated here and others.

In particular, Trump is over 100% in profit on AMD, Intel, Iridium Communications, Bloom Energy, Intuitive Machines, Marvell Technology, Penguin Solutions, SanDisk, Seagate, Vishay Intertechnolog y and other stocks.

Based on the dates of the transactions it is also apparent that Trump heavily bought the price dip in March caused by the start of the Iran war. The S&P 500 dropped over 8% and bottomed at the end of the month, subsequently rising around 19% to record highs.

Efforts to ban public officials from trading stocks
There is currently a live bipartisan push in the US Congress to pass a stock trading ban for public officials, and several proposals are at different stages of the legislative process.

The most prominent effort is the "Restore Trust in Congress Act", a bipartisan bill introduced in the US Congress by Republican Representative Chip Roy and Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner in September 2025.

The legislation would ban members of the US Congress, their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks and other covered investments. A companion Senate version was introduced in January 2026 by Republican Senator Ashley Moody and Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

According to the bill's sponsors, the US Congress version has attracted more than 120 co-sponsors while a discharge petition launched by Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna aims to force the legislation onto the House floor even without leadership approval.

There is also a separate debate over whether any ban should extend beyond the US Congress to include the president and vice president.

Some Democratic-backed proposals would apply the restrictions to the executive branch as well, partly in response to concerns surrounding US President Donald Trump's business and trading disclosures.

In the Senate, a version of the ETHICS Act also advanced through committee in 2025 and would prohibit stock trading by members of Congress, the president and the vice president, although compromises and carve-outs have complicated its political path.

Despite unusually broad public support for tighter trading restrictions, the issue remains politically contentious. Republican and Democratic lawmakers disagree on whether officials should be required to fully divest existing holdings or simply stop purchasing new stocks.

There is also disagreement over whether spouses and family members should be covered, and whether restrictions should apply to the president.

Several proposals have advanced through committee or gained enough support to potentially reach the House floor, but no comprehensive ban has yet become law.