Episode

Trump Cuts a $1.8 Billion Deal With Himself

Podcast
Political Breakdown
Published
May 26, 2026
Duration seconds
1667
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://next.kqed.org/news/12085145
Audio
https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1402661638.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/political-breakdown-683875/episodes/trump-cuts-a-1-8-billion-deal-with-himself
Markdown
/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/trump-cuts-a-1-8-billion-deal-with-himself.md

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Summary

President Donald Trump and the Justice Department, led by his appointee Todd Blanche, have reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Services. The deal includes a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people who claim to be victims of government retaliation. It also includes an addendum providing widespread legal immunity to the president, his family and their businesses. Critics are calling it a slush fund and government-sanctioned corruption. Marisa is joined by Danny Nguyen, a reporter at Politico covering the I.R.S., to explain why the deal is drawing bipartisan backlash. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox. For election information including our voter guide, go to kqed.org/voterguide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices