Author’s Note:
This article is not intended as a partisan statement. It seeks to document and analyze observable actions, patterns, and consequences, particularly where they intersect with money, policy, and power. The goal is not to inflame politics but to illuminate the truth, especially as it impacts real estate, finance, and venture markets that rely on transparency, stability, and trust.
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Donald Trump has turned the presidency into a brokerage—a place where national assets, influence, and even the symbols of American authority are placed on the market. Across two terms, he’s offered access to foreign governments, auctioned domestic policy to donors, and converted government machinery into a transactional enterprise. It’s not politics. It’s a business model. And the U.S., under Trump, is for sale.
First Term (2017–2021): Profiting from the Presidency
Trump never separated from his private businesses. Instead, he folded them into the presidency. His hotels and golf clubs became preferred venues for lobbyists and foreign officials. Over 250 political events were hosted at Trump properties during his first term. A CREW report counted more than 1,000 visits by foreign dignitaries, PACs, and influence seekers—including Qatar, Turkey, and Kuwait delegations.
Qatar moved its National Day celebration to Trump’s D.C. hotel shortly after his inauguration, and Kuwait followed. These weren’t diplomatic gestures. They were transactions—payments rendered in hotel bookings and venue fees, reciprocated with FaceTime, and softened U.S. posture.
At the same time, Trump offered policy reversals in exchange for campaign cash. Environmental rollbacks, tax cuts, and deregulation became currency. Watchdogs identified over 3,700 conflicts of interest in his administration. Trump didn’t just invite corruption—he normalized it.
Second Term (2025–Present): Selling the State
Trump’s second term opened with a move straight from a private equity playbook. His administration proposed selling off 440 “non-core” federal properties—land, buildings, and infrastructure. The sales were pitched as cost-saving measures, but the execution has favored insiders and big donors, with little transparency. Public assets are being transferred into private hands, and the public is being told it’s fiscal responsibility.
This isn’t governance. It’s liquidation.
Simultaneously, Trump’s business interests abroad—particularly in the Gulf—resumed with force. Developments in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE continued under the Trump brand, often alongside diplomatic negotiations. Foreign governments are now expected to pay millions in fees for access to these properties—ensuring a direct pipeline of foreign money into the president’s family business.
Qatar’s $400 Million Jet: A New Precedent
The most striking recent symbol of this shift is Qatar’s gift of a $400 million Boeing 747-8, reportedly offered for use as Air Force One. It is described as one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government.
Understanding its weight helps to compare.
Diplomatic Gifts in U.S. History:
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France in 1885. It remains an enduring symbol of freedom and international friendship, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel. While challenging to value monetarily, its cultural and historical importance is immense.
The Resolute Desk, gifted by Queen Victoria in 1880 and built from the timbers of the HMS Resolute, has become a permanent fixture of the Oval Office. Its worth lies in heritage, not price.
Other gifts, like the $3,495 statue given to President Biden by Mongolia, follow protocol: they’re accepted by the State and often turned over to government collections. Historically, presidents have been restricted by the Foreign Emoluments Clause from accepting high-value items without congressional approval. Benjamin Franklin once received a diamond-encrusted snuff box from the King of France; he kept it only after seeking congressional permission.
But Qatar’s jet eclipses them all in raw monetary value. No prior diplomatic gift, including the Statue of Liberty, comes close to the scale of a $400 million aircraft. It sets a new precedent: American prestige can now carry a price tag.
And unlike Lady Liberty or the Resolute Desk, the Qatari jet isn’t a symbol of mutual ideals. It reflects transactional diplomacy—power rendered as product, gifted in exchange for alignment, attention, or access.
A Foreign Policy of Deals
Trump has openly modeled U.S. foreign policy on commercial principles. He’s pitched real estate development as a solution for global conflict, floated annexing foreign land for its “economic potential,” and prioritized arms sales to Gulf states over traditional diplomacy. This isn’t strategy—it’s brokerage with a flag on top.
Under Trump, the State Department acts less like a steward of national interest and more like a clearinghouse for preferred clients.
Domestic Auctions, Publicly Conducted
At home, the brokerage is even more transparent. Trump has promised policy changes, federal appointments, and legal protections in exchange for donations. From tax policy to regulatory enforcement, key levers of government are openly offered to major contributors. The deals are no longer done in secret. They’re broadcast from rallies, fundraisers, and Truth Social.
This is notorious leadership. It’s a public market.
What It Means for Real Estate, Finance, and Venture
When the presidency becomes a brokerage, it doesn’t just distort democracy—it distorts markets.
In real estate, Trump’s dual role as head of state and global developer injects political risk into private investment decisions. When federal policy and foreign diplomacy are indistinguishable from personal business development, site selection, permitting, and foreign investment flows become politicized. Projects in Gulf states bearing the Trump name are no longer just about ROI—they're about access. For institutional investors, that blurs the line between commercial viability and political patronage.
In finance, the erosion of regulatory impartiality opens the door to a different kind of arbitrage: proximity to power. Deregulation isn’t debated—it’s sold. Large donors don’t just influence policy; they can now buy policy. This tilts the field away from fundamentals and toward relationships, weakening the integrity of markets. In sectors like private equity, infrastructure, and banking, those closest to the White House gain asymmetric visibility and influence over rulemaking. The result is not a freer market, but a more manipulated one.
For venture, the long-term implications are corrosive. Startups don’t just need product-market fit—they need political fit. If tech companies are expected to flatter or fund their way into favorable conditions, capital shifts from innovation to influence. The highest-potential founders may lose ground to the most politically connected ones. And LPs—particularly institutional ones—will eventually reassess risk if venture success becomes linked to campaign cycles rather than technological merit.
This isn’t hypothetical. This is already happening.
The Qatari jet isn’t just a gift. It’s a deal signal. It tells the world’s wealthiest players that American policy is tradable, that the rules can be rewritten for the right buyer, and that influence can be leased at scale.
And when power is up for sale, so is the playing field.
xoxo,
Maximillian Diez
GP, Twenty Five Ventures
P.S. Stay with me on this journey.
If nothing else, thanks for reading.
