Imagine being a Republican in Congress right now, seeking another term in November's midterm elections as President Donald Trump drops like a stone in public opinion polling, dragging his party down with him.

Those Republicans were already going to face questions from voters about Trump's weird obsession with building a $1 billion ballroom at the White House. And now they will have to also justify Trump creating a $1,776,000,000 slush fund to enrich his allies, who had to face the indignity of being held accountable by law.

The war in Iran is at an expensive standstill. The price of gasoline is above $4.50. Inflation is surging again.

But Trump is focused only on what really matters to him — retribution and building monuments to himself.

First, let's get into the slush fund.

Trump complains about weaponized government while weaponizing it

A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service leaked copies of Trump's tax returns to media outlets during his first term in office. That was illegal, and the contractor was sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison.

Trump created the curiosity about his tax returns because, despite routinely bragging about how rich he is, he is the first presidential candidate in 50 years to refuse to publicly release........

© USA TODAY