Trump’s $1.8B Fund Draws Cries of ‘Brazen Corruption’

Trump’s $1.8B Fund Draws Cries of ‘Brazen Corruption’

From Left, Right & Center by KCRW

May 22, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Trump's anti-weaponization fund and its potential use of taxpayer dollars amidst political controversies.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code KCRW at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/KCRW What is an anti-weaponization fund? Is it a legit use of taxpayer dollars to help people of all political stripes who were wronged by their government, or is it a corrupt slush fund to help President Trump and his political allies? One immediate question on the minds of Democrats is if people who attacked the Capitol on January 6 will be some of the early beneficiaries. Also, despite Trump’s sagging poll numbers, he continues to hold sway over his party with one primary vote after another against sitting Republicans. Is there a political cost for Trump and the GOP if a coalition of lame ducks starts growing with an eye towards their own counter-revenge? And we’ve got some great questions from you this week, including whether we really need politicians at all to run a government. Producer: Leo Duran Host: David Greene Guests: Elizabeth Bruenig , staff writer, The Atlantic ( @ebruenig ) Mike Dubke , veteran GOP communications strategist and advisor. He was the White House Comms Director under Donald Trump in 2017 ( @MikeDubke )

People in this episode

Host: David Greene

Guests: Elizabeth Bruenig, Mike Dubke

Topics covered

  • Trump
  • political corruption
  • anti-weaponization fund
  • January 6 Capitol attack
  • Republican Party dynamics

Keywords

  • Trump
  • anti-weaponization fund
  • political corruption
  • January 6
  • Republicans
  • KCRW
  • Elizabeth Bruenig
  • Mike Dubke

Sponsors

Incogni

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Atlantic

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