The U.S. in 2025-Personalist Kleptocracy
"L'etat c'est moi"-Louis XIV and Trump probably
The U.S. government is showing signs of becoming a personalist kleptocracy...which is the type of government that currently best describes Russia, Belarus, Venezuela and describes many of the governments that pre-date modern liberal democracy.
Let’s start with definitions. A personalist government is one in which power is concentrated in one individual, as opposed to a political party. Political influence rests with the leader and, as a result, political action becomes centered on winning the leader’s favor. There are few constraints on the leader’s decision-making powers and mechanisms to hold the leader accountable are weakened. This has been the mode of government for most of human history. Liberal democracy is the exception, not the rule.
The focus on one person, combined with weakened constraints, naturally leads to kleptocracy. Kleptocracy refers to government officials using their powers to steal public resources for their own benefit. This happens at the top, where people who wish to win the leader’s favor offer bribes to achieve their preferred outcome. This also happens all the way through the system, as those affiliated with the leader seek their own payoffs to make government decisions.
This is also known as corruption. Corruption is when government officials use public power/resources for their own personal benefit. It does not just have to be monetary resources and benefits. The reason corruption is so antithetical to the idea of democracy is that, in democracy, the people control the government. The public resources are just that, for the public. This includes things like money paid through taxes as well as the power given to the government by the people. A democratic leader is entrusted with the power and resources of the people and expected to be a good steward. When the leader abuses the power and resources of the people, trust has been broken, and we refer to this as corruption.
Think back to the first Trump impeachment. The U.S. Congress had allocated military aid to Ukraine. Congress is the representative of the people, stewarding the resources of the people to pursue a foreign policy in the interests of the people. Trump threatened to withhold this aid unless Zelensky launched an investigation into alleged Biden deals in Ukraine. These allegations were based on a conspiracy theory, but that is beside the point here. Trump was using the power and resources of the people to achieve personal benefit. In this case, Trump wanted to dig up dirt on Biden, his opponent in the upcoming 2020 election. This is corruption in the same way as bribery is corruption.
So, why do I think we are becoming a personalist kleptocracy? Almost everything about U.S. politics now centers on Trump. Think about how the media and we talk about decisions made by the U.S. government. Decisions about trade policy, foreign policy, domestic programs are all discussed in light of what Trump thinks about them. Whether tariffs on a country go up or down depends on Trump’s mood or the relationship that another leader has on Trump...it does not depend on an action by Congress representing the interests of the people of the U.S. Foreign policy depends on how Trump feels about the country and the leader. This was evident when Trump and Vance harangued Zelensky to say thank you, even though Zelensky had repeatedly thanked the American people and Congress...just not Trump. Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia and discussed how much he liked Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman. Again, focus on personal relationship and not U.S. interests.
Congress, the Republican party, the interests of the people have faded and been replaced by the whims of the leader, Trump. The natural consequence is that people want to please the leader (and those close to him), which results in kleptocracy. Here are just two examples from Trump’s memecoin. Most recently, a small company that makes TikTok videos announced they planned to buy up to $300 million of Trump’s memecoin. The company, GD Culture Group, plans to sell stock to raise the money to purchase the memecoins. Why would they do this if not to persuade Trump to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the U.S. Similarly, a Houston-based trucking company bought $2 million in Trump’s memecoins and issued a $20 million bond to purchase more memecoins. The hope is to keep trade open between the U.S. and Mexico. As of early May, Trump and his family’s net worth has increased by $2.9 billion through just crypto investments.
Of course, the Qatari government’s “gift” of a $400 million luxury plane for Trump to use as Air Force One and then keep after he leaves office is another example of kleptocracy. It is probably unrelated to Trump’s business ventures in Qatar and the Middle East, where his business deals have tripled since his first term or his attorney general, Pam Bondi receiving payments to lobby for the Qatari government in the past. This is to say nothing of the ways in which Trump’s family has also enriched themselves, and others close to him, such as Elon Musk. When decisions are taken out of democratically accountable institutions like Congress, and given to one person, this is the type of kleptocracy that results.
In a personalist kleptocracy, the leader sees no difference between his interests and the nation’s interests, no difference between his property and public property. Trump famously described the classified documents he took from the White House as “mine” and views the Department of Justice as his lawyers to target his enemies.
The danger of a personalist government is that the powers of the government serve the interests of the leader and not the people. In the past, and in other countries, this leads to tyranny, oppression, and poor economic performance due to widespread kleptocracy. Just look at Russia. Of course, the founders understood this, which is why they put in the emoluments clause. As you can see from the language of the clause above, accepting a bribe from a foreign leader, or profiting because of your office is unconstitutional. The remedy is for the Supreme Court to make a ruling that is upheld or for Congress to impeach and remove. But in a personalist government, accountability mechanisms are weakened.
So here we are. Trump views the government as his. He, his family and his associates are using the power of the government to enrich themselves and people, both domestic and foreign, are bribing him to make decisions in their favor. This is a personalist kleptocracy.