Chumps Are Us

Yes, you, dear reader—at least assuming you’re not among the small community of courtiers sucking public funds dry. Instead, in virtually every way imaginable, Trump has made it easier for all those insiders to profit and, in turn, rip you off. If you bet on or invest in anything Trump might influence and you don’t have inside information, you’re a chump. As the expression goes: If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. Keep up with all our newsletters, articles, podcasts, and livestreams—and decide which ones show up in your inbox: The recent rash of curiously well-timed trades in prediction markets is one example of how those who have drawn up chairs to Trump’s banquet table appear to be feasting at public expense. Yep. The corruption is epic. To appropriate a certain phrase, “we’ve never seen anything like it.” And in this case that’s literally true. But not to worry, the White House has asked politely that their people not to commit crimes: The White House warned staff against improperly leveraging ​their positions to place bets in ‌futures markets in an email on March 24, a day after President Donald Trump ordered a brief pause in ​some Iran strikes, a White House ​official said on Thursday Ethics rules already prohibit executive workers