# ‘Shameless venality’: how a flurry of lawsuits has thwarted Trump’s self-enrichment schemes

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/shameless-venality-how-a-flurry-of-lawsuits-has-thwarted-trumps-self-enrichment-schemes/
- Published: 2026-11-15T13:00:15+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T13:18:59+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/15/trump-self-enrichment-lawsuits
- Topics: Business, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Lawsuits have challenged Trump’s efforts to advance his financial and political interests.
- A judge rejected a proposed $1.8bn fund linked to Trump’s IRS lawsuit.
- A separate ruling criticised $20m in public funds spent on government adverts.

## Summary

Non-partisan groups have used lawsuits to challenge President Donald Trump’s attempts to benefit his finances and political interests, drawing sharp rebukes from federal judges. The cases matter because they test whether public institutions can be used to advance a president’s private interests and underline the courts’ role in checking executive power.

One dispute concerned Trump’s $10bn lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax information: a proposed settlement would have created a $1.8bn fund for people alleging political persecution and granted Trump and his family immunity over past tax matters. A Florida judge called the proposed fund deceptive and a fraud on the court; the Justice Department later dropped it, though the immunity provision remains. In New York, a judge also rebuked the use of $20m in public funds for adverts promoting Trump’s record before the midterm elections.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.