You had to dare. Read more: netanyahu plays trump Donald Trump has just crossed a line that even his fiercest detractors hadn't anticipated: transforming access to national security briefings into a sales pitch for his fundraising campaigns. According to the New York Times, the "Never Surrender" organization promises its donors privileged access to classified information via the former president.
So here we are: American state secrets as a loss leader in a fundraising campaign.
National Security, the New Luxury Product
Read more: breaking overthrowing regimeThis drift isn't just another episode in the Trump saga. It reveals something deeper and more disturbing: the complete transformation of the presidential function into a commercial enterprise. Because really, what exactly are we talking about? A former head of state who directly monetizes the most sovereign prerogatives of his past office.
National security briefings aren't public information sessions. They contain elements about military capabilities, ongoing operations, human sources, strategic vulnerabilities. To make them a sales argument is to treat collective security like a consumer good reserved for the highest bidders.
The irony is delicious: the man who spent four years denouncing "leaks" and demanding absolute loyalty from his intelligence services now proposes to share this same information... for cold hard cash.
Infantilization Through Emotion
But the most revealing thing about this affair is the very mechanics of the operation. "Never Surrender" doesn't address rational citizens eager to understand geopolitical stakes. It targets emotionally invested supporters, ready to pay to feel like they're in on the secret of the gods.
This is exactly what I've been fighting against for twenty years: this tendency of political elites to treat voters like consumers of thrills rather than citizens capable of reflection. Trump simply pushes this logic to its peak by literally transforming strategic information into a premium entertainment product.
The donors who bite won't really be seeking to understand the complexities of American foreign policy. They want to feel important, initiated, different from ordinary mortals. Trump sells them exactly that: the illusion of privileged access.
When Institutions Scuttle Themselves
This affair raises a fundamental question: how did we reach a point where a former president can brazenly commercialize access to state secrets? The answer comes down to one word: impunity.
Since 2016, Trump has systematically tested the limits of the American institutional system. With each transgression, the safeguards have yielded or proven nonexistent. Impeachment procedures? Ineffective. Legal prosecutions? Bogged down in procedures. Political sanctions? Transformed into campaign arguments.
The result is before our eyes: a man who considers that everything touching the American presidency belongs to him personally, including the most sensitive information. And most troubling is that he's probably not wrong to think he can get away with it.
The Failure of Checks and Balances
Where are the "responsible" Republicans who explained to us in 2016 that they would know how to channel Trump? Where are the Democrats who promised to "restore norms"? All busy with their petty partisan wars while the former president transforms the White House into a commercial franchise.
Because make no mistake: this drift doesn't concern only Trump. It reveals the complete collapse of the system of mutual control that was supposed to protect American democracy. When a former president can openly monetize state secrets without anyone really batting an eye, it's because the entire system has abdicated.
The Real Question
Beyond legitimate indignation, this affair forces us to ask the real question: what is a democracy still worth where everything is for sale, including what should remain absolutely off the market?
Trump isn't an accident of history. He's the logical product of a system that has progressively transformed politics into spectacle and citizens into consumers. Today, he simply pushes this logic to its natural conclusion: the auctioning off of national sovereignty.
The most disturbing thing isn't that he's doing it. It's that he can do it without provoking general outrage. We've gotten used to the unacceptable. And that's exactly how democracies die: not in a great revolutionary crash, but in general indifference to the banalization of the intolerable.
Marie Duval
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How is Trump selling access to state secrets?
Trump is using his fundraising campaign, "Never Surrender," to offer donors privileged access to classified national security briefings, effectively monetizing sensitive information that was once reserved for government officials.
Q: What does this mean for national security?
Transforming national security briefings into a commercial product raises serious concerns about the integrity of state secrets, as it treats vital information as a luxury item for the highest bidders, undermining collective security.
Q: Who is the target audience for Trump's fundraising campaign?
The campaign primarily targets emotionally invested supporters who are willing to pay for the allure of insider knowledge, rather than rational citizens seeking to understand geopolitical issues.