Trump’s reported plan to sell bombs to Israel spotlights his stock trading

Americans are subsidizing a massive sale of devastating bombs to Israel as it attacks Lebanon and wages what many nations and human rights experts have described as a genocide in Gaza. And President Donald Trump might be in position to cash in.

As The Washington Post reported:

The Trump administration is preparing a multibillion-dollar sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in the largest single sale of the controversial munition in recent years, a U.S. official told The Washington Post.

The $2.8 billion package, which would be purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars, includes 40,000 bombs that weigh 2,000 pounds each, including 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, said the official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military matters. The sale also includes 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.

The report says that “the transaction is financed through a mechanism known as Foreign Military Financing, in which the United States provides the money that Israel uses to buy the weapons.” The Post also noted the condemnation Israel has received over its use of the destructive bombs in designated safe areas in Gaza for civilians. The Associated Press also reported on the plan.

“All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process,” a senior administration official told the Post when asked about humanitarian concerns. “We do not comment on pending sales.”

Put simply, according to these reports, U.S. taxpayers would pay billions — at the same time Trump is destroying the economy and lecturing Americans about how the country can’t afford things like childcare and health coverage — to weapons manufacturers so Israel can keep bombing regions of the Middle East, and the people who live there, into oblivion. All, mind you, while American discontent toward Israel continues to simmer.

And Trump’s personal ties to weapons manufacturers are essential to keep in mind here. The bombs in this reported arrangement include ones manufactured by General Dynamics, a company the president has personally invested in. Trump has reportedly made more stock trades than all members of Congress combined since retaking office.

And as CNN recently reported, stock purchases in General Dynamics were among his recent financial disclosure forms:

Trump also bought and sold stocks in US defense contractors as Iran negotiations were ongoing. He reported various transactions involving Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and RTX between June 12 and June 24, with some of the sales coming the day after Trump had purchased that stock.

It’s unclear whether — and if so, to what extent — the president still holds stock in General Dynamics. The White House did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment but has repeatedly said that Trump’s portfolio is handled by a third party with no direction from the president.

Trump has been buying and selling stocks in all sorts of companies directly influenced by his policies — including artificial intelligence companies and private prison firms that help lock up immigrants. He has enabled his sons to enrich themselves off weapons manufacturing. And he also has shamelessly touted defense companies’ ability to make money from his warmongering agenda.

In July, Trump gave a revealing answer when a Fox News reporter asked him whether he was concerned about the economic impact of his deadly war with Iran.

“We’re making a lot of money,” Trump responded. “The defense companies are doing great.”

Trump’s financial ties to weapons manufacturers are a topic ripe for Democrats to investigate if they retake power in Congress in November. Not just because doing so is politically advantageous, but because the idea of a president personally profiting from sales of deadly weapons of war is a moral abomination that deserves more attention.

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