Trump's Legal and Financial Dealings Since 2025: A Deep Dive
Ivo Daalder, a senior fellow at Harvard University and host of the podcast 'World Review with Ivo Daalder', has penned a column for POLITICO titled 'From Across the Pond'. The piece delves into former U.S. President Donald Trump's legal and financial dealings since his re-entry into the White House in 2025.
Daalder's column reveals that Trump has reached multimillion dollar settlements with tech giants Meta and X. However, there's no public evidence of institutions pledging billions in pro bono work specifically for Trump since 2025. In contrast, eight other white-shoe law firms promised over $1 billion in pro bono services for Trump's priorities after Paul, Weiss's deal.
Trump's demands extended to Germany, where he told Chancellor Angela Merkel that her country's lack of defense spending meant the U.S. had to spend too much, stating 'Angela, you owe me $1 trillion'. Despite this, Germany never paid a penny to the U.S.
Trump's tactics also included asking top oil executives to raise $1 billion for his reelection campaign, promising tax cuts in return. He also met with the managing head of Paul, Weiss law firm, securing $40 million in annual pro bono work for causes he deemed worthwhile in exchange for rescinding an executive order.
Daalder's column further exposes Trump's controversial actions, such as cutting off federal research funding from major universities and suing news networks ABC and CBS for broadcasting interviews he didn't like. These lawsuits resulted in the networks paying him $15 million and $16 million, respectively.
Ivo Daalder's column in POLITICO provides a comprehensive overview of former President Trump's legal and financial dealings since 2025. Despite some multimillion dollar settlements and promises of pro bono work, Trump's demands for financial compensation from Germany and his controversial tactics towards universities and news networks have left a complex legacy.
