‘Looks Terrible’: The New York Post Calls Out Trump Over Ethics Issues

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The New York Post called out President Donald Trump over the mounting ethical issues hanging over his administration in a new editorial imploring him to hit the reset button.

“Team Trump is doing a lot of good, but overshadowing those achievements right now are some ugly optics and confusing-or-worse communications. No two ways about it: The Trump Justice Department settlement of the Trump IRS lawsuit looks terrible,” argued the Post. “A blanket guarantee that the prez and his family will never ever face an IRS audit? A $1.8 billon ‘anti-weaponization fund,’ courtesy of the taxpayers, to be doled out to people who claim they were victimized by Biden-era ‘lawfare’ — with no evident need to even show evidence? This is on a par with Joe’s final-days blanket pardons for Hunter and the rest of the Biden clan. And it landed about the same time the prez disclosed that his personal account has made 3,600 stock trades with total values of $220 million to $750 million while he’s in office.”

The editorial continued:

His personal fortune has reportedly more than doubled since his second term began, from $2.4 billion to $6.3 billion.

Add in his sons’ extensive, highly lucrative crypto dealings with Gulf state Arabs and other foreigners.

None of it is a good look, however legal or above board it may in fact be. It comes at a time when regular Americans suffer spiking energy prices (and the ensuing economic troubles) caused by the Iran war — sacrifices that may be worth the gain of permanently defanging the Islamic Republic, but sacrifices nonetheless.

The Post isn’t the only right-leaning entity to take note of the bad optics; a number of Republican senators have also come out against the $1.8 Anti-Weaponization Fund.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s meeting with the GOP caucus about the issue was described as a “sh*tshow,” and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) sent his members home shortly after it.

“We by no means want to put all Team Trump’s troubles down to ‘poor communications,’ but whatever public message they’re trying to send, and what policies they should rightly be proud of and crowing about, sure isn’t coming through,” concluded the Post. “Somebody needs to get on top of this, with an eye not just on the White House speaking directly to the public’s concerns, but on how what it’s doing looks to average Americans.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!