# Trump Cuts a $1.8 Billion Deal With Himself

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/trump-cuts-a-1-8-billion-deal-with-himself
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/trump-cuts-a-1-8-billion-deal-with-himself.md
Podcast: [Political Breakdown](https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875)
Published: 2026-05-26T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://next.kqed.org/news/12085145
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1402661638.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/political-breakdown-683875/episodes/trump-cuts-a-1-8-billion-deal-with-himself
Duration seconds: 1667

## Resource

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

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## Transcript

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