U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the National Governors Association (NGA) dinner and reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 22, 2025.
In an article in The New Yorker published Monday, journalist Evan Osnos argued that the Trump administration's "greed" has motivated the United States' "aspiring oligarchs" — as well as their opponents — into action.
"Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have been startled by the new rules for buying influence. In December, a seat at a group dinner at Mar-a-Lago could be had for a million-dollar contribution to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that serves as a war chest for the midterms," Osnos wrote.
According to Osnos, "more recently, one-on-one conversations with the president have become available for five million. The return on investment is uncertain, a government-affairs executive told me: 'What if he’s in a bad mood? You have no clue where the money is eventually going.' Another lobbying veteran described the frank exchange as 'outer-borough Mafia shit.'"
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The author further noted that after President Donald Trump returned to the White House this winter, his inner circle began shaping a new institution tailored to their ideals.
Among them was his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who helped launch an exclusive, invitation-only club called the Executive Branch. Membership requires a hefty initiation fee that can reach up to $500,000. One of the founding members, Silicon Valley investor David Sacks — now the administration’s point person on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency — described the initiative as an effort to build something fresh, trendy, and aligned with Trump’s vision.
Though the exact location remains undisclosed, Sacks assured that the club would be a safe space for supporters, free from “fake-news reporters” or unfamiliar, untrusted individuals.
The article also mentioned a launch party co-hosted by Sacks "at the Occidental, a venerable restaurant near the White House where political operatives once worked to defuse the Cuban missile crisis over crab cakes and pork chops."
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The place had designated spaces for V.I.P.s and V.V.I.P.s, and guests included "an extraordinary range of officials from the new administration," per the article.
"Lobbyists from the pharmaceutical and finance industries were pleased to find themselves in close quarters with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the director of National Intelligence, as well as the chairs of the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. One attendee later described it as an improvement over the scene at the Trump International Hotel, which was popular during the first term," the New Yorker piece noted.
But the idea was not received well outside Washington.
Former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a two-time Trump voter who has sometimes voiced criticism of him, dismissed the club as a “money grab.”
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-O.H.) drew a comparison to Nero’s decadence, labeling the club a “grotesque portrait of ruling billionaires.”
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