Bernie Sanders Calls Out Trump Over Massive Legal Settlements in 2025
Senator Bernie Sanders has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump over the staggering legal settlements he has secured this year, highlighting the contrast between Trump’s oft-repeated claims about rejecting a presidential salary and the enormous sums flowing into his coffers from litigation.
Throughout his time in office, Trump frequently underscored that he did not personally retain the $400,000 annual salary allotted to U.S. presidents, instead donating portions of it—including the first paycheck of his second term to fund White House renovations. However, financial disclosures and media reports in 2025 reveal a very different reality. Far from experiencing any fiscal hardship, Trump has leveraged a series of high-profile lawsuits into a major source of income, earning sums that far exceed the standard presidential salary, which has remained unchanged for over twenty years, according to CBS News.
In addition to the $400,000 salary, presidents receive a $50,000 non-taxable expense allowance, a $100,000 travel budget, and a $19,000 fund for official entertainment—benefits Trump has technically accessed, though he often minimizes them in public statements. This year, his legal victories have drawn widespread attention, both for the size of the settlements and the potential implications for his post-presidential influence.
One of the most notable cases involved Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit dates back to 2021, after Trump’s accounts were suspended in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots. While the bans were lifted in 2023, litigation persisted, ultimately resulting in a $25 million settlement in Trump’s favor. Reports indicate that $22 million of this settlement is earmarked for his planned presidential library, slated to open in January 2029, illustrating how legal victories are directly funding projects tied to his enduring political and cultural legacy.
Other tech giants have followed suit. YouTube reached a $24.5 million settlement with Trump in late September 2025, after suspending his channel over concerns regarding potential incitement. Similarly, Twitter, now rebranded as X, settled for $10 million in February, stemming from Trump’s 2021 permanent account suspension—a measure originally justified by the company as a precaution against further incitement of violence.
Sanders’ critique underscores the broader debate over the intersection of wealth, power, and accountability, questioning the optics of a former president amassing multimillion-dollar legal windfalls while maintaining a public posture of financial restraint.
Trump’s 2025 Legal Windfall Sparks Outcry, Sanders Labels It “Kleptocracy”
Donald Trump’s streak of legal victories continued in July 2025 with a blockbuster $16 million settlement from Paramount, parent company of CBS. The case originated from a dispute over a CBS interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal critic, has claimed that Trump’s total gain from CBS could reach $36 million, factoring in an additional $20 million in planned advertising and programming support promised by Paramount’s future owner, David Ellison—a figure Trump himself confirmed.
The cumulative impact of Trump’s settlements has ignited strong reactions among political observers. Sanders, in particular, has condemned the windfall, characterizing it as an example of “kleptocracy.” In a widely shared post on X, Sanders outlined the scope of Trump’s reported 2025 earnings:
- $3 billion: primarily from cryptocurrency
- $940 million: from law firms
- $400 million: plane-related transactions with Qatar
- $36 million: CBS
- $25 million: Meta
- $24 million: YouTube
- $16 million: ABC
- $10 million: Xhttps://756f8233405878dc06535abda55b823e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html
- $230 million: potential Department of Justice settlement
The proposed $230 million payout from the Department of Justice has fueled further controversy. According to reporting from The New York Times, Trump asserts that the sum represents compensation for costs and damages arising from federal investigations conducted over the years. Sources indicate that senior DOJ officials with prior ties to Trump may consider approving the payout, though critics argue the very idea of a sitting president seeking such funds raises profound ethical and legal questions. Trump has downplayed the financial implications, stating, “I don’t know about the numbers. I don’t even talk to them about it. All I know is that they would owe me a lot of money. But I’m not looking for money. I’d give it to charity or something.”
Trump’s 2025 financial narrative highlights an unprecedented intersection of legal strategy and personal wealth accumulation while in office. While some commentators frame these settlements as savvy business moves, others warn of a clear conflict of interest, questioning whether it is appropriate for a sitting president to profit so substantially from litigation while leading the country.
Beyond the headlines, the situation has sparked broader debates about the ethics of wealth accumulation, the responsibilities of public office, and the potential influence of financial resources on governance. Whether seen as clever entrepreneurship or an overreach, the scale and nature of Trump’s 2025 earnings mark a unique chapter in American presidential history—one in which legal battles have become not only instruments of accountability but also a major source of personal income. The episode forces both Americans and global observers to reconsider the boundaries between public service, personal gain, and ethical governance.
