In a post celebrating MLK Jr. Day, Heather Cox Richardson (HCR) noted that heroes aren’t necessarily perfect and don’t need to accomplish spectacular things. Instead, she believes that heroes choose “to put others before themselves,” “to do the right thing no matter what,” even if no one is watching. They truly serve the public by making selfless decisions like those she cites of John Hancock, Sitting Bull, General Eisenhower, Rosa Parks, and MLK Jr.
Heroic actions are the antithesis of the selfish approach to government practiced and supported by the Trump administration. They repeatedly put their own private gain at the forefront, even when people are watching. It’s clear that government positions and services are now for sale, and conflict of interest laws and guidelines no longer apply.
Ethics codes for elected and appointed officials suggest stepping aside from decisions which create even “the appearance of impropriety” so Americans can trust that decisions are made for the public good rather than private bank accounts. Abandoning these principles has been a hallmark of Trump II, as the president chose not to place his business affairs in a blind trust (like many previously) to avoid constant questions about conflicts of interest.
There have been plenty of Democrats and Republicans over the years who have chosen to feather their own nest at taxpayers expense, getting rich(er) by influencing decisions that favored them economically. Their crimes usually required extensive investigations, but today nothing is hidden and even lip service to “the public good” has been thrown out the window.
This Pandora’s box was opened in 2019 when Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into investigating Hunter Biden in return for the release of aid promised by Congress. In a failed “quid pro quo,” his personal political gain was clearly the “quid” (or the “quo”), and used taxpayers’ money to attempt extortion. But after impeachment for this documented conflict of interest failed, similar actions are now commonplace, supported by a cowardly GOP House and Senate.
New business ventures just since Trump’s 2025 inauguration have generated as much as $4 billion (on paper) for his family businesses. He accepted a “gift” of a $400 million jet (costing taxpayers hundreds of millions later) from Qatar, known to allow financial transactions by Mideast terrorist groups. In the middle of making private business deals there, Trump pledged U.S. military support for Qatar in case of attack. Try to find a shred of public good in those transactions.
One of the most shocking abuses, at least to anyone who clung to a tiny thread of belief in the U.S. justice system, is the sale of pardons, either for cash or future loyalty. In just one year, Trump has pardoned four times as many convicted criminals as Reagan or Clinton did in eight years, even pardoning one person twice after a second fraud conviction!
His personal U.S. Pardon Attorney proclaims a policy of “No MAGA left behind.” One New York law firm confirmed that they received almost $1 million for their assistance with one pardon. It’s money which will be well hidden in a web of donations and transactions, but will undoubtedly make its way back to the president or his businesses.
Others have documented private dinners with King Donald which cost $1 million per plate. His pardon of Ross Ulbricht, convicted as mastermind of a web site that sold illegal drugs and stolen passports, was clear payment for Libertarian’s support in the 2024 election. The former president of Honduras received his get-out-of-jail-free card after his conviction as a full participant in a powerful drug cartel in the Americas. (Wait, isn’t that what kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro is charged with?)
The idea that the administration doesn’t see conflicts of interest in these dealings hinges on the fact that Trump and his colleagues truly don’t believe in the concept of public service or sacrifice. They believe that everyone acts in their own self-interest, and the heroes celebrated by HCR for “doing the right thing” are “losers” and “suckers” like the soldiers Trump denigrated in 2018.
Americans put their aspirations into the Declaration of Independence and then sacrificed mightily to put those ideals to the test. Those dreams have helped us survive for almost 250 years, but are clearly endangered by the current administration which values self service over public service, selfishness over sacrifice, and personal gain over the public good. As a country, we are racing towards the bottom and it isn’t clear that we’ll be able to recover our exceptional nature.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.