Trump opponents see opening to make corruption a midterm issue

Donald Trump has long avoided political damage for his own party from repeated allegations of graft and conflicts of interest. In this year's midterm elections, Democrats are betting that they can finally exact a price.

Combined with the rising cost of living, corruption is shaping up to be a major campaign battlefront in races that will determine control of the U.S. Congress. Polling suggests voters are eager to see lawmakers take on conflicts of interest and self-enrichment by leaders, including a president whose personal wealth has surged since he returned to office last year.

"This issue is popping in a different way this cycle than it has in previous cycles," said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, a group that backs Democrats who support campaign finance reform.

Privately, even Republican officials concede Trump's actions have kept corruption at the top of the agenda. Earlier this month, GOP legislators pushed the White House to abandon, at least for now, plans for a $1.8 billion fund that could have been used to benefit Trump allies.

On Friday, Trump handed Democrats a fresh avenue of attack when he unveiled his $400 million gift from Qatari government - a Boeing Co. 747-8 that will serve as the new Air Force One, nearly double the size of the current model. U.S. taxpayers footed the bill for security and communications upgrades, while Trump has said he plans to retire the plane to his presidential library after he leaves office.

"This plane was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody's ever seen before," Trump said in front of the aircraft inside a hangar at Joint Base Andrews.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut was quick to pounce, posting on X, "No president has ever stolen an Air Force for himself. And you paid for it."

Democrats argue the plane is just the latest example. Trump has made thousands of stock trades, including shares of companies working with the government. He's issued pardons to people convicted of financial crimes who in some cases donated millions to groups that backed him. His administration has weakened consumer protections and has approved legislation that is providing massive windfalls to corporate America. With voters worried about making ends meet, he's focused on adding an opulent ballroom to the White House.

The president has repeatedly rejected allegations of conflicts of interest and corruption. "President Trump pledged to take on entrenched interests that have corrupted our political system, and he has repeatedly delivered," White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

Polls show Americans aren't persuaded.

Voters are concerned about "both the corruption that they see with the elite and the wealthy getting ahead, and those who are close to power getting ahead or benefiting, at a time when they feel like they can't even pay their rent and their healthcare in the same month," said Melissa Toufanian, managing director at Navigator Research.

In a study released this month, the Democratic pollster found government corruption is running even with high inflation as top voter concerns in 67 battleground congressional districts. Voters in both parties have a sense that their representatives aren't focused on the economy because they're more concerned with their own self-interests, Toufanian said.

Democrats are hoping to regain control of the House and Senate in November, but they face tough odds in many key races. Even winning one chamber would give them the chance to push probes and investigations of Trump and the administration, potentially including repeats of the impeachment inquiries he faced the second half of his first term.

Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat seen as a potential 2028 presidential prospect, has made graft a central focus of his reelection campaign. "The Mar-a-Lago mafia has taken American corruption to spectacular new heights," he said in a recent speech.

James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, has also focused on the issue. "Once we defeat the most corrupt politician in America, we can defeat this corrupt system," he wrote on X on Wednesday.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who's running for reelection, attacked Trump on Thursday for the UFC event staged by allies on the White House lawn on his birthday as "pure corruption."

In early June, End Citizens United and Stand Up America launched a "Kick Out Corruption Tour" that will feature Democrats, including Booker, at events aimed at highlighting Trump's actions in office.

"Trump has really brought the corruption out of the smoke-filled back room," said Christina Harvey, executive director of Stand Up America, an advocacy group focused on political corruption.

But the issue isn't a slam-dunk for Democrats with an electorate that has little respect left for politicians of any party.

A recent poll by the Brennan Institute found that while 68% of voters surveyed thought Trump was corrupt, fully 85% felt the same about Congress, citing elected officials using their offices for personal gain and campaign funding coming from rich donors and corporations.

Republicans, also seeing the issue pop in public and private polling, are trying to manage it. Some have put some distance between themselves and Trump - particularly over the White House plan to create the "weaponization fund" that could enrich his allies.

"People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the president and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability," Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who recently lost his primary bid for reelection, said on social media.

Others are offering a more proactive message. Vice President JD Vance is leading a task force assailing public-benefit fraud and highlighting White House efforts to root it out.

"Only someone OK with corruption wouldn't think it's hypocritical for Democrats to point fingers on fraud, waste and abuse," said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.

Still, Democrats think the Trump administration's often-brazen mixing of private gain with public policy gives them an advantage on the issue, especially when linked to cost-of-living woes.

Democrats are hoping that by offering ideas like bans on stock trading by government officials and tighter restrictions on lobbying, they'll be able to leverage the corruption issue into victories in the contests in the fall.

"Our advice to campaigns: It's not enough for us to call out corruption. Voters don't trust either party," said Muller of End Citizens United. "You have to have some reform plans."

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 12:51 PM.