this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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[–] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 254 points 4 days ago (10 children)

US Constitution Article 1 Section 9 Clause 8, "Titles of Nobility and Foreign Emoluments":

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

It's literally unconstitutional. In the past, foreign gifts to presidents were typically turned over to the National Archives to avoid breaking the law. If Congress was a functional governing body they would rake him over the coals for this, among the hundred other laws Trump has casually flaunted.

[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 130 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Yeah emoluments clause went out the window in trumps first term. Like week one, probably.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 26 points 4 days ago

The Quid Pro Quo Potus

The fig leaf was that his family were running the business side, not him.

Keeping a watch and gold bar has no fig leaf.

The supreme Court did rush to make sure that anything he did while in office no matter how questionable was okay.

[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 48 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Congress and functioning while the republicans have the majority is an oxymoron.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

At least we have SCOTUS as a check on his powers!

[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 18 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yup, they’re working on a blank check…

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That is after they figure out how to make CA's new maps illegal after saying TX's maps were just fine.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 24 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Clearly, it doesn't mean things like airplanes, watches, and gold bars. It's written right there, anybody can see it, it's just that Libz can't read because of their public school education. They don't even make emoluments any more, that was an olden days thing, like Laudanum.

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[–] FishFace@piefed.social 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

"he didn't accept it for himself, it's for the presidential library"

Hahaha gotteem

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[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Didn't ask about the 400M jet from Qatar, so what's the deal now? Theatrics, knowing full well youre getting nowhere but wasting time from the real issues like EPSTEIN

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Bet they're kicking themselves now. They gave him a fucking plane, and all Switzerland needed to do was give him a watch and a gold bar.

Probably didn't even need to do that. Suck up to the guy for 10 minutes and tell him how great he is, and he'll agree to anything.

[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He'll even offer you a blowie if you're manly enough.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 4 points 3 days ago

Anything for Big Beautiful Bill.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 93 points 4 days ago (1 children)

A gold bar? A fuckin' gold bar?

Didn't he whine about Bob Menendez doing literally this not long ago?

[–] kylie_kraft@lemmy.world 62 points 4 days ago (5 children)

"rules for thee and not for me" could be the regime's most consistent mantra

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 19 points 3 days ago

NOW they want answers? Quatar gave him a 400 million dollar airplane (surely bugged) but you're drawing the line at a 20K Rolex with a gold bar?

Those Quataris really will be face palming now, seeing they could have bribed him so so much cheaper. They gave the ficker and airplane and he still fucked them over anyways

So just to help those corrupt fraudsters a little bit: BRIBING TRUMP DOESNT WORK

He will turn around tomorrow and fuck the Swiss right in the ass again anyway because of course he will, it's trump, he will have forgotten all about his Rolex by tomorrow and wonder why he's being so nice with the Swiss

[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works 78 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Look, you don't need to demand answers to the turd:

It's a bribe. That's it. Your prez took a bribe to cut tariffs to a country.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Good think our system actually predicted this and its illegal even if it WEREN'T a bribe:

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (3 children)

without the Consent of the Congress

I mean, he's a sack of shit for certain, but Congress has the power to stop this and will not, so it is implicit consent.

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[–] Binturong@lemmy.ca 19 points 3 days ago

Global extortion racket goes brrrrrr. There will be no recovery until his and his regime are removed from power and jailed, he will not leave by any other process aside from just dying, and even then I wouldn't put it past the administration to use his image and AI to continue their assault on America.

[–] TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago (5 children)

He can't be that cheap. A rolex isn't all that expensive, considered the money involved in geopolitics. In fact it's spare change for diplomatic events. And neither is a single gold bar.

[–] mcv@lemmy.zip 13 points 3 days ago

But it looks expensive and has a reputation for being expensive. That's what matters to him. Do you think he can handle actual money?

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 3 days ago

he likes anything that is gold, hes pretty shallow.

[–] RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The conspiracy brain tells me some swiss diplomat pulled these from Trump's own safety deposit box as a "we have the skeletons from your closet"-statement and handed them to him as a "diplomatic gift" when it actually was just a threat that he caved to.

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[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

There are many sizes of gold bar though. A 12.4 kg bar is fairly pricey.

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[–] SoupBrick@pawb.social 57 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The answer is because nobody is going to stop him.

[–] Crazyslinkz@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Ding ding ding! Tell em what he's won, bob!

[–] metallic_substance@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

He's won an all expenses paid trip to Alligator Alcatraz! (cue jazzy fanfare music as the camera pans over the Everglades)

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[–] Tilgare@lemmy.world 42 points 4 days ago (2 children)

None of us could afford to, but DAMN is it cheap to buy Diaper Don (relatively speaking). The tariff revenue that Americans would generate on Swiss imports FAR exceeds the value of a watch and a bar of gold.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 16 points 4 days ago

Because he doesn't give a flying hoot about the American people. Or to be honest really his party. This is all just a grift for him.

Europe strategy seems to be more to just threaten him, it's unclear with what but he seems to have backed off tariffs in the EU, but I guess Switzerland felt that they needed to go the bride route. I don't know why because I guarantee Trump thinks Switzerland is in the EU

[–] Einskjaldi@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago

Bribing politicians is cheap, it's generally millions for billions and more like 100k to billion for small politicians.

[–] alpha1beta@piefed.social 33 points 4 days ago (3 children)

It's about time Congress woke the fuck up. The only option here is to impeach - this is textbook corruption that would make Senator Menendez blush.

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[–] Strider@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Some people are reeeally slow in catching on....

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 40 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

"C'mon, let's cut the crap, here's a big hunk of gold. Deal?"

"Deal!"

MAGA Diplomacy

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[–] cmoney@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Supreme Court has ruled that you have to explicitly shout "THIS IS A BRIBE" then wink one eye while shooting finger guns and making that clicking sound with your tongue when exchanging gifts or money to be considered a bribe.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 10 points 4 days ago

The Supreme Court has ruled that this particular POTUS can do nothing illegal while performing an act of state. Since he accepted this bribe specifically as an act of state, it’s a legal bribe by their reasoning.

[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Unless you're a Dem, then it's a bribe if someone says , "Hello" to you.

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[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (2 children)

They play him like a fiddle.

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[–] notannpc@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

Hi Senator,

It was a bribe. Hope that answers your questions.

Sincerely, Everyone with a functioning brain.

[–] ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 5 points 3 days ago

Trump’s love of lavish ~~gifts~~ bribes is well known and many are displayed in the Oval Office

Is it so hard to call out blatant corruption in front of your face?

[–] thoralf@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

What aber does he expect. Trump is as corrupt as it gets. Isn’t that obvious?

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[–] tehn00bi@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

100k investment 1000000k payout.

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago

In old country, is called 'bribe'.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago

I think the world is starting to find out that co-operation is the preferred way forward for the earthly citizens, rather than the current destructive dying beast that is capitalism.

[–] gaymer@aussie.zone 4 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Senators can get fkd! This is capitalism baby

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[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Hey look more naked corruption

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