Donald Trump’s presidency has been extensively documented in peer-reviewed literature as a period of intensified corruption, institutional erosion, and executive dysfunction. These findings are not abstract—they carry direct implications for social work policy practitioners committed to ethical governance, democratic accountability, and the structural conditions that shape equitable service delivery.
A 2024 study published in Applied Economics Letters by Fischer found a statistically significant rise in perceived public-sector corruption during Trump’s first term. The analysis linked this shift to nepotistic appointments, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, repeated attacks on federal institutions such as the FBI and Department of Justice, and the post-presidency storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. These actions contributed to a measurable erosion of public trust in executive integrity and institutional safeguards (Fischer, 2024).
This erosion has deepened in Trump’s second term, now fortified by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States (2024). The Court granted presidents absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within their constitutional authority and presumptive immunity for all official acts. Only unofficial conduct remains prosecutable. This decision delayed Trump’s federal election interference trial and effectively placed the presidency beyond the reach of criminal accountability for a wide range of abuses (Supreme Court of the United States, 2024; PBS NewsHour, 2024).
Shielded by this legal precedent, Trump has pursued a series of lucrative foreign ventures that blur the line between public office and private gain. His family secured a $2 billion cryptocurrency partnership with the United Arab Emirates, followed by an AI chip sale that raised national security concerns. Ethics waivers were granted to allies involved in the negotiations, and dissenting officials were removed—further evidence of retaliatory governance and the dismantling of internal oversight (Bellows, 2025).
In Corruption and Illiberal Politics in the Trump Era, Goldstein and Drybread document how Trump’s administration rewarded loyalty, repressed dissent, and normalized authoritarian behavior. The contributors detail how judicial appointments were used to entrench partisan control, how regulatory rollbacks favored private interests over public welfare, and how rhetorical attacks on civil society undermined democratic norms (Goldstein & Drybread, 2022).
Writing in Political Science Quarterly, Kuhner describes Trump’s leadership as a “tyranny of greed,” linking his rise to systemic dysfunction, racial resentment, and unchecked executive power. He emphasizes Trump’s impeachment for inciting the January 6 insurrection as a turning point in democratic erosion, framing the presidency as a case of authoritarian drift masked by populist appeal (Kuhner, 2021).
Further evidence from Littvay, McCoy, and Simonovits shows that democratic norm violations became more acceptable to voters during Trump’s presidency. Their study in Public Opinion Quarterly found that partisan loyalty increasingly outweighed commitment to democratic principles, with many Americans endorsing executive overreach when it aligned with their political interests (Littvay, McCoy, & Simonovits, 2024).
For social work policy practitioners, these developments are not peripheral—they are central. Executive corruption and impunity reverberate through funding priorities, civil rights enforcement, and public trust. When the highest office is shielded from accountability, marginalized communities bear the brunt of policy instability and institutional decay. The Supreme Court’s immunity ruling has not only altered the legal landscape—it has redefined the ethical terrain in which social work must operate. These scholarly insights offer a critical foundation for understanding how executive behavior shapes the policy environment and why social work must remain committed to democratic accountability, transparency, and justice.
References
Bellows, A. (2025, August 27). Forging effective corruption narratives to counter democratic erosion. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/08/forging-effective-corruption-narratives-to-counter-democratic-erosion?lang=en
Fischer, S. (2024). The impact of the Trump presidency on the perception of corruption in the United States. Applied Economics Letters. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2024.2363294
Goldstein, D. M., & Drybread, K. (Eds.). (2022). Corruption and illiberal politics in the Trump era. Routledge.
Kuhner, T. K. (2021). Tyranny of greed: Trump, corruption, and the revolution to come. Political Science Quarterly, 136(3), 596–597. https://doi.org/10.1002/polq.13219
Littvay, L., McCoy, J. L., & Simonovits, G. (2024). It’s not just Trump: Americans of both parties support liberal democratic norm violations more under their own president. Public Opinion Quarterly, 88(3), 1044–1058. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfae042
Supreme Court of the United States. (2024). Trump v. United States, No. 23–939. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf
PBS NewsHour. (2024, July 1). Key facts from the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/key-facts-from-the-supreme-courts-immunity-ruling-and-how-it-affects-presidential-power
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© DeMecia Wooten‑Irizarry. This synthesis reflects original framing and scholarly integration. Citation required for redistribution or derivative use.
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