Trump staffed his Cabinet with wealthy advisers. Some stand to gain even more from recent policy shifts

As President Donald Trump approaches the 100-day mark of his second term, his administration resembles a fortress rebuilt not with stone and mortar, but with loopholes and gilded revolving doors. Within this fortress, the traditional guardians of accountability—inspectors general, ethics watchdogs, and anti-corruption rules—have been swept aside like old statues in a new king’s court.

While the administration publicly touts its campaign against bureaucracy and inefficiency, behind the scenes it has forged a golden staircase—one that leads directly from the corridors of industry to the levers of federal power. And atop that staircase stand not bureaucrats or public servants, but billionaires, ex-CEOs, and family dynasties securing their fortunes beneath the national flag.

The New Court of Cronies

In previous administrations, a firewall stood between lobbyists and the offices they once sought to influence. But now, that firewall has been burned down and replaced with a red carpet. At least eight senior appointees—who would have been barred under older, stricter ethics codes—have walked freely into positions of immense regulatory power.

The message is clear: the old ethics codes are parchment in a storm, easily torn and scattered by a determined hand.

One telling scene unfolded like a palace ceremony: Trump, standing on the South Lawn of the White House, flanked by Tesla vehicles, spotlighting his adviser and top donor Elon Musk. The moment looked less like governance and more like a state-sponsored advertisement for a fading empire—Tesla.

Elsewhere, beneath layers of financial disclosures, the real power plays were inked. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, once the architect of a fracking empire, now helms the very agency charged with regulating his former kingdom. He disclosed a $1 million post-appointment bonus from the firm he built—an echo of his legacy still ringing through the halls of public service.

From Father to Son: The New Succession

Where direct ownership posed a problem, familial transfers paved the way. The Commerce Secretary handed control of his empire to his son. The Health Secretary passed litigation interests to his child. These moves dress conflicts in family robes—still visible, but now draped in the language of legality.

In the background, the president himself has turned to cryptocurrency, weaving blockchain into the tapestry of national policy. By establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve, he has placed the state’s seal of approval on an industry where his own family, advisors, and donors are already deeply invested.

This alignment of public policy with private portfolios has turned Washington into a grand stock exchange—where proximity to power is the most valuable asset of all.

Ethics Architecture—Demolished in 90 Days

Following the Watergate era, the U.S. built what experts once called an “ethics infrastructure”—a scaffolding of transparency and restraint. But in under three months, the Trump administration has torn it down brick by brick.

Inspectors general were dismissed without the courtesy of a 30-day warning to Congress. Rules that once barred lobbyists from overseeing the industries they served were dissolved. Loyalty, not distance, became the coin of the realm.

And ethics officers—formerly neutral sentinels—have been replaced with loyal appointees. The foxes now guard the henhouse, and the blueprint for good governance has been traded for a ledger of personal gain.

Crypto Kings and Energy Emperors

The administration’s affinity for cryptocurrency has birthed a financial fable of its own. A meme coin tied to Trump soared in value after the president offered buyers a seat at his dinner table—an invitation that turned hype into hard currency.

The Lutnick family, now split between father in the cabinet and son in the boardroom, continues to ride the crypto tide. Meanwhile, the president’s sons launched World Liberty Financial, a digital empire nestled under the family crest.

In the Energy Department, a different empire has emerged—this one built on fossil fuels. Chris Wright, once a climate change skeptic at Liberty Energy, now steers U.S. energy policy with a fracker’s hand. Net-zero goals have vanished. Renewable programs are reportedly being buried in silence. And some public schools promised federal grants for energy upgrades now find themselves ghosted by the very agency meant to help.

Starlink and the Skyborne Spoils

The race to connect rural America to the internet has also been redirected. Originally built to favor fiber-optic infrastructure, the multibillion-dollar Broadband Equity program has been steered toward satellites—placing SpaceX and its Starlink network in prime position.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick declared the end of “woke mandates” and opened the gates to satellite providers, even as experts warn the technology is slower, less reliable, and far more expensive. Some states have already rewritten proposals to suit this new vision, under pressure or persuasion.

It’s not just an infrastructure plan—it’s a coronation.

The Crown and the Conflict

Ethics experts now say the scale and brazenness of this administration’s approach marks a return to pre-Watergate governance, when power was personal and public office often resembled private dominion.

Whether on the blockchain, in the oil fields, or among the satellites circling the Earth, Trump’s second term is reshaping the federal government into a gilded marketplace—where the price of influence is high, and the rewards for loyalty higher still.