Bangladesh, Nov. 30 -- Corruption has always been a defining trait of Donald Trumps public life, but in his second presidency it has evolved into the central operating logic of his administration. What once appeared as opportunistic graft has transformed into a full-scale system of personalized power, transactional policymaking, and institutional sabotage that rivals the kleptocratic politics of the post-Soviet space. The scale and brazenness of this corruption marks an unprecedented chapter in American history, one in which self-enrichment is inseparable from an explicit effort to dismantle the rule-bound architecture of the United States government.

To understand the significance of Trumps corruption, one must first recognize the purpo...