President Donald Trump just launched a fragrance called Trump Victory 45 – 47, part of the “Fight Fight Fight Collection”. The lid of the $249 (R4 427) bottle is a (obviously) gold statuette of Trump, tummy flat, shoulders back, looking like the Oscar for Best President in the World Ever. You get $100 off if you buy two.
The President’s fragrances, for there is one for boys, one for girls, is “For Patriots Who Never Back Down, Like President Trump. This Scent Is Your Rallying Cry In A Bottle. Featuring Trump’s Iconic Image And Raised Fist, This Limited-Edition Cologne Embodies Strength, Power, And Victory.” And yes, the first letter of every word is capitalised.
Since Trump took office, the Trump Store launched 168 new products, including clothing, hats, BBQ snacks, pickleball racquets, coffee cups, earrings, a beer bucket, pet food bowls, ice cream scoops and a hip flask. You can also buy sneakers (“Trump Won”) on the side), luxury watches, with the Trump Victory Tourbillion selling for $100 000. There are coins ($3 645 for the “Victory Gold Medallion”), Trump Bibles (KJV version of the bible, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and most importantly, the handwritten chorus of Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA”). And let us not forget the $TRUMP meme coin, which netted the Family Trump hundreds of millions. The top 25 “investors” spent over $111 million to secure exclusive perks such as a VIP dinner with Trump.
When someone takes the highest office, we expect them to at least pretend like they are working for the best interests of the whole country and not just those who pay them. The incredible harm done to South Africa by Jacob Zuma was not in the R246m house the public gifted him, but in the message it sent. Zuma was open for business, just not the country’s business.
It is lukewarm comfort that anyone who lives in a house built by Public Works is no doubt dealing with a leaky roof dodgy plumbing, and mould on the walls. In this world, government policies are bought and sold by the wealthiest and paid for by the poorest. This has to some degree, always been so, but when this was considered shameful at least government ministers were more cautious. This has now been normalised to such a degree that the world’s wealthiest man gave $250 million (0.08% of Musk’s wealth) to get Trump elected. For a hot minute it looked like this might have been Musk’s best investment, only for the two to fight like scorned lovers. Trump 1; Musk 0.
The author Yuen Yuen Ang writes “China is not a pure meritocracy, nor is it a pure kleptocracy. It is a corrupt meritocracy.” Ang notes that “corruption is so endemic that it has generated its own vocabulary. For instance, a ‘naked official’ refers to an official whose family and assets are moved abroad, while he remains in China to retain power. ‘Elegant bribery’ refers to the use of art, calligraphy, or antiques as bribes instead of cash.” Yet even with all this so clearly understood, it is still shameful to be considered corrupt in China. A “wall of shame” displaying portraits of corrupt officials symbolises public accountability efforts and the stigma attached to corruption, showing that exposure can bring public disgrace and official punishment. Of course the top dog is safe and allegations of corruption are used to bludgeon opposition, but the greater Chinese society is not celebrating corruption.
When there is no consequence for corruption, not even shame, it is very difficult for a society to hold together. If the main man can sell access to his power then why can’t you pay the metro policewoman some “money for a cool drink”? Why should you not drive drunk if you have some “lunch money” on you? We should all be horrified when Trump said “over expansive and unpredictable FCPA [Foreign Corrupt Practices Act] enforcement against American citizens and businesses — by our own Government — for routine business practices in other nations not only wastes limited prosecutorial resources that could be dedicated to preserving American freedoms, but actively harms American economic competitiveness and, therefore, national security.
I was proud when Ramaphosa took a 14kg golf book as a gift for Trump, rather than gifting him an aircraft, although it’s silly to think that Trump is a great reader. The well-worn trope that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” now seems quaint when corruption is now openly celebrated. This not ok.
Donald MacKay is founder and chief executive of XA Global Trade Advisors. MacKay has been advising local and foreign companies on global trade issues for more than two decades. X handle: XA_advisors; email: donald@ xagta.com; website: xagta.com.
***The views in this column are independent of and Independent Media.
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