Trump's new 'gargantuan shakedown' may be the last straw for voters: expert

[turbinetree]

By Matthew Chapman
Published May 7, 2026 10:08 AM ET

President Donald Trump has for years gotten away with flagrant corruption and self-dealing off of the apathy of the American people, Mona Charen wrote for The Bulwark on Thursday — but that may finally be coming to an end.

The extent of his excesses, she wrote, can be seen in the "gargantuan shakedown" Trump is trying to stage against the IRS, which started because a whistleblower working for an IRS contractor leaked information about Trump's tax returns.

"Trump and his sons sued the IRS for the aforesaid $10 billion, alleging that the leak had caused them 'reputational and financial harm' and 'public embarrassment,'" wrote Charen. "Hmm. The financial harm claim is risible — is the Trump family really arguing that, if not for this leak, they would have accumulated money even faster than they have over the past six years? As for embarrassment, it seems the Trumps bear the burden of proving they’ve ever felt such a thing in their lives."

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2676863593/

I did not make a bargain with this traitor...........the US Supreme Court and the maga senate made a bargain..........

[Boomerproud]

1. Your last sentence says all that needs to be said.

Knr

[Irish_Dem]

2. Seriously doubt anything is the last straw with voters.

More crimes Trump commits the more they love him.

[tanyev]

3. "That scamp! If he can do it, so can I!"

😒

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yes this is the goal. To produce amoral citizens like in Russia.

If you catch them committing a crime they are angry and outraged.
What nerve you have pointing out their illegal behavior because every one does it.

[orangecrush]

6. 37% of voters

We are living under apartheid.

South Aftrica fixed that

[bif]

7. What's "arthepeid"?

[orangecrush]

8. A misspelled word

[bif]

12. So it's in Aftrica?

[orangecrush]

20. Yes that's the continence

[Joinfortmill]

23. Hahaha

[Joinfortmill]

21. Haha

[orangecrush]

22. ...

[bif]

27. It's good to understand gelography!

[orangecrush]

29. It's a grate big world!

[Irish_Dem]

26. Yes of course we are. White Rich Male Dictatorship.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

4. How much money do they need?

[JHB]

15. All of it.

[Hugin]

28. We're being hollowed out and discarded.

That’s all liquidators like the Trumpists know how to do. They have been allowed to get very good at it over the last 50 years of Laissez-faire Capitalism.

It’s peak predatory capitalism.

They ran though every large corporation and institution in the world. The only thing left is the government itself.

[D00ver66]

5. Question

As a citizen can we sue Trump for billions for reputation embarrassment? I mean if he can certainly we collectively can sue our world reputation is horrible because of him and this government. Time to sue how do we start?

[Bristlecone]

10. If bodies stacked like lumber in refrigerator trucks during covid

Wasn’t the last straw, I doubt this is. It is of course ridiculous and another cash grab scam, but his cult does not care 1 bit. They will wrap themselves into pretzels to convince themselves it’s ok.

[flashman13]

11. By 'gargantuan shakedown' I thought you meant the $1B ballroom. That's chump change. Silly me.

[Cosmocat]

13. I don't think people even really pay attention to this one

I too think he has mostly inoculated his corruption by doing it like a fire hose.

I get the sense that ball room moves the needle a bit, but not of any real significance.

[Lonestarblue]

14. There is no final straw for Trump voters.

He could televise a sexual attack on a female in the Oval Office or discussions about how to embezzle money from the government, and they would claim it's his right to do so. Some people consider themselves so thoroughly Republican that they cannot vote for anyone but a Republican even if he is an immoral crook with no idea how to govern for anything but enriching himself.

[Orrex]

16. The "last straw" before they continue to support him wholeheartedly

[ChicagoTeamster]

17. More reputational harm than Don Jr's coke fueled X rants or Eric's admission to golf reporters that they get their money

from Russia? Or Don Jr hanging around with Witkoff's son who was busted with Cocaine and was a partner in the failed World Liberty Financial crypto coin venture? More reputational harm than the shutdown of the fake veteran's charity? More reputational harm than the shutdown of the fake children's cancer charity?

[BaronChocula]

18. Last straw for WHICH voters

The ones who knew he was twice impeached and knew he pilfered top secret U.S. documents and knew he led an attempted coup and still voted for him? Those voters???

It still amazes me when the "smart" class still underestimates the brain capacity of most voters.

[Zorro]

19. Trump. Does. Not. Care.

He believes he can get away with it, and nothing can stop him.

[Joinfortmill]

24. Yup, he does. I hope he's wrong.

[calimary]

25. Only one thing I want to know about the Donald.

When do we finally get to the point in which we don’t have to hear about him (or from him) anymore?

Just please let me know when he’s GONE.