No Sacrifice—No Sacrifice at All By Maria Grant

When Donald Trump talks about how much the U.S. has given to Europe and Canada and gotten nothing back in return, he gives the impression that he himself has been generous, even magnanimous, and his generosity has not been reciprocated. Trump’s speech at Davos last week was a complete embarrassment. He never acknowledged the many countries in NATO that supported the U.S. during various conflicts. Or the families who had lost children during those conflicts. In short, he did not acknowledge those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s comments, “insulting and appalling.” Starmer said he was “not surprised they’ve caused such hurt for the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.” Britain lost 457 service personnel during the war in Afghanistan. 

It got me thinking about exactly what kind of sacrifices Trump himself has made. Let’s not forget that Trump received five deferments during the Vietnam War, including one for bone spurs. He never joined the Peace Corps or VISTA. None of his children served their country, or worked for a nonprofit, or volunteered to help the needy. No sacrifices there.

And it gets worse. In 1988, Trump established the Donald J. Trump Foundation, a New York-based charitable foundation. The foundation was dissolved in 2018 following a New York Attorney General’s investigation that revealed a shocking pattern of illegality, and misuse of funds for personal and business interests. In 2019, Trump was ordered to pay $2 million to eight different charities as part of a settlement regarding the misuse of funds. Eric and Ivanka, who were officers of the foundation, were required to undergo training regarding the duties of officers of charitable organizations. 

I would argue that instead of sacrifice, Trump has ratcheted up the grift machine to line the coffers of the Trump dynasty. 

Since Trump’s reelection in 2024, the Trump family has pocketed more than $1.8 billion in cash and gifts from leveraging the presidency for personal gain, including more than $1.2 billion in crypto gains alone. No sacrifices there. 

And it gets worse. Trump recently pardoned Binance founder Changping Zhao who previously pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program which allowed money to flow to terrorist cybercriminals and child abusers through the Binance platform. Last year the Trump administration announced that it would deliver hundreds of thousands of advanced AI chips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That deal followed a UAE investment in a Trump crypto venture via Binance. (The UAE is expected to deliver those chips to China, thereby circumventing an advanced AI chip embargo.)

At the beginning of his second term, Trump owed nearly $500 million to New York State which had sued him for fraud, and more than $88 million to E. Jean Carroll who had sued him for sexual assault and defamation. (The fraud financial penalty has been revoked, and Trump is appealing the E. Jean Carroll verdict.) 

In summary, thanks to this second term, Trump’s finances have taken a very positive turn. No sacrifices there.

In addition, Trump has capitalized on the whole Mar-a Lago situation. Not that many years ago, initiation fees were about $20,000. After the 2016 election, Trump jacked up the initiation fee to $100,000. Last fall, it was set to rise to $1 million. According to the New York Times, thanks to the presidency, Trumps gains from Mar-a Lago are estimated at $125 million.

Plus, Trump’s namesake, Donald Trump Jr. has co-founded his own private club in DC creatively named The Executive Branch which charges an initiation fee of $500,000. 

Then, of course, there are the profits from the Trump Store and all the tchotchke associated with it. Add to that the $400 million jet that Trump accepted from Qatar and plans to take with him when he leaves office, and the $27 million profit from the Amazon-funded film Melania. 

There has never been a presidency that has sacrificed so little and brazenly profited so much. 

And it gets worse. The Washington Post has reported that many pledged donations that Trump made were not delivered, and his charitable donations had dropped to $0.

Many articles have been written stating that Trump has normalized selfishness. Such selfishness is pretty much the opposite of sacrifice, which is especially galling from a guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Perhaps that’s why last week’s speech in Switzerland was so difficult to hear from a man who has been given so much and sacrificed so little. 

Abraham Lincoln once said, “There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice, it is because someone has suffered before you.”  It behooves all of us to remember the sacrifices of those who came before us. Especially if you’re the one occupying the oval office. 

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Maria Grant, formerly principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm, now focuses on writing, reading, music, bicycling, and nature.