Best of 2025: Revolving Door Project
While we haven’t exactly been surprised by the outright corruption of the first year of the second Trump administration, the gutting of the federal executive and the cowardly acquiescence by political leaders have nonetheless been quite jarring. Looking back, our favorite pieces of this year help us reflect on the failures of 2025, prepare for the onslaught of corruption sure to transpire in 2026, and brace for the real-world impact of Trump’s decimation of the federal workforce. Here’s to next year’s roundup being more hopeful and upbeat due to more effective response from the institutions designed to protect the people from would-be kings.
New innovations in the realm of public corruption
Understanding and tracking Trump’s corruption is essential not only for fighting back against Trump’s abuses, but to lay the groundwork for future attempts to repair the broken system his administration finally shattered. These were some of our favorites from this past year.
In Trump’s D.C., the Swamp Runneth Over
By Timi Iwayemi and Jeff Hauser
The scale of the Trump administration’s corruption is mind-boggling, putting historical corruption scandals like Teapot Dome and Watergate to shame. This piece was our attempt to explain the lay of the land seven months in.
Exxon’s Latest Supreme Court Hail Mary
By Hannah Story Brown
Corporate capture of government has not been limited to the executive branch—the courts are just as guilty, and oil companies are seeking to use this to their advantage.
The Texas Model
By Toni Aguilar Rosenthal
Perhaps the best way to understand the way corporations have taken control of the White House is by understanding oil and gas companies’ stranglehold over the Texas GOP.
Resistance (or a lack thereof)
The second Trump term was met with far less resistance from elected officials and institutional actors than his first term, but the American public didn’t get the same memo. Polling suggests everyday people are clamoring for leaders who fight. These were some of our attempts to highlight this stark divide.
The Case for a Shadow Cabinet
By Kenny Stancil
The fight against the Trump administration requires a coordinated team to lead resistance and offer an alternative vision. Why not a shadow cabinet?
Democratic Voters Are Clamoring for AI Regulation. Their Leaders Aren’t Interested.
By Henry Burke
Election results have shown the public is not on board with the AI industry’s agenda. That hasn’t stopped Democratic leaders from trying to cozy up to the industry.
Silicon Valley’s chokehold on the White House
Time named the “architects of AI” as Person of the Year in 2025. This past year has seen Silicon Valley and the AI industry storm into Washington guns ablazing. Lobbying isn’t enough for the industry anymore. They’ve embraced seemingly illegal gifts, cronyism, and the revolving door into crucial positions across the executive branch. These are our best attempts to highlight the industry’s takeover of D.C.
Trump’s Energy Czar Is All In on AI
By Hannah Story Brown
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is not only serving powerful fossil fuel interests; he’s crucial to the AI industry’s plan for data centers and their energy needs.
What Trump Learned From Silicon Valley
By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis and Henry Burke
Silicon Valley has pioneered lawbreaking like never before, turning illegal ventures into untold billions. Elon Musk helped Donald Trump bring this same approach to Washington.
More AI Means More Cancer
By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis
Discussion of AI often focuses on water usage and rising energy prices. Too often, we forget to highlight the costs this technology imposes on the public’s health.
Relevant now, sadly likely to be even more relevant in 2026
The political media is often too reactive to the news of the day, missing the crucial news that often presages real disasters. These were some of our attempts to provide a somber preview of the inevitably dire consequences of Trump’s devastating cuts to federal capacity.
The Escalating, Bloody Exploitation of Meat Workers Under Trump
By Jacob Plaza
Upton Sinclair would not be unfamiliar with the horrifying scenes seen at meat processing plants under the Trump administration’s weak oversight. It’s just a matter of time before even more people get hurt.
Trump’s Katrina Is Coming
By Kenny Stancil
Gutting emergency response programs has consequences. Natural disasters will hit, and when they do, we will all suffer as a result of DOGE’s reckless cuts to state capacity.
The post Best of 2025: Revolving Door Project appeared first on The American Prospect.