SNOBELEN: American politicians reap rewards in and out of office

Trump has peddled watches, bibles and sneakers to his fans

Published May 29, 2026  •  Last updated 26 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at an election night watch party held by the Lone Star Liberty PAC at the Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center on May 26, 2026 in Plano, Texas. Photo by Stewart F. House /Getty Images

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They say there are three levels of dumb: Some dumb, dumb and plumb dumb. I guess I fell into the plumb dumb category when I wandered into political life.

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You don’t have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to realize that, in Canada, politics is not a path to wealth. When I was elected in 1995, I thought I might keep a hand in the trucking business while trying to contribute at Queen’s Park. Not the world’s best plan.

The normal demands of political life make having a side gig unwise. Add the responsibility of a cabinet position and any personal business is impossible. Canadians rightly expect their politicians to be singularly focused on the public good, so business interests must be placed in a blind trust or liquidated.

In my case, that meant selling my company and swallowing a big tax hit. That is, by any commercial measure, plumb dumb. But political life isn’t about commerce.

Most elected people don’t improve their financial position while serving in office and very few do well after they have retired. The point of public service isn’t richness or fame or even gratitude. At least that’s the way things are in Canada.

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Our southern cousins have a different tolerance for politicians using public office for personal gain. The legitimate ways of making riches after serving in office are more lucrative. Think hundreds of thousands for speeches, million-dollar book advances and lucrative consulting gigs. Big money flows in American political veins.

Those post-politics cash grabs aren’t particularly offensive, but the opportunities for personal enrichment while in office cross an ethical line. For decades, people from every political stripe have used insider information to make lucrative stock trades. Americans largely turn a blind eye to a system that makes politicians rich.

But stock trading seems almost nostalgic in an era of predictive markets. Over the last year, there have been strong indications that Washington insiders have won big in the predictive casinos, betting on tariffs and war with insider knowledge.

Even the trading of favours for cash doesn’t seem to offend American voters. The curious tale of Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton is a case in point.

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Paxton was indicted on state felony securities fraud charges a few months after he took office in 2015. He was impeached in 2023 on 20 counts, most stemming from misusing his office to benefit a political donor. He has been accused of using state staff and political donors to conceal an extramarital affair.

To Canadian eyes, there might seem to be a pattern here, but Texas Republicans don’t care. Last week, Paxton, warts and all, won a nomination run-off and became the proud Republican candidate for Senate. Only in America.

But Paxton is hardly the only American politician with questionable ethics. President Donald Trump has taken using political office to gain personal wealth to a new stratosphere.

Ever the huckster, Trump has peddled watches, bibles and sneakers to his fans. His influence convinced Amazon to pay Melania Trump $40 million for a documentary with negative commercial value.

Forbes estimates that in his first year of this term, Trump has pulled in $1 billion and his family businesses have gained an astonishing $3 billion. Those totals would make Charles Ponzi blush.

But American voters on the right of the political spectrum don’t care. Which is a pretty good reason to be proud of the ethical standards Canadians demand and deserve.

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