The cover of New York Magazine’s April 2–15, 2018, issue is a collection of stories that look at why, with the midterm races picking up in earnest, corruption is Trump’s greatest political liability, and why it should be the narrative focus of the Democrats’ campaign against him. Jonathan Chait writes about how the extent of Trump’s corruption has taken even cynics by surprise; David Cay Johnston writes about how Trump’s love of money has no limits; and Nick Tabor and Joy Crane present a timeline of all of Trump’s self-dealing in office so far.
“Reading the news every day, we were struck by the constant drip-drip of reports of corruption by the Trump administration,” says editor Eric Bates on how the idea for the cover story first arose. “We wanted to find a way to bring together all the ways that Trump and his circle are using the presidency to enrich themselves into one comprehensive list — something that would drive home the unprecedented scale and of the self-dealing and thievery. It was clear that Trump hasn’t drained the swamp — he’s just cornering the market on it.”