This new source of money is giving the administration unprecedented new powers.
Brandon LaRoque kept his life savings in a cryptocurrency account. One morning, as he went to check his balance, he discovered that it was all missing. LaRoque is one of many victims of the unregulated crypto industry, and soon there may be more. President Donald Trump has rolled back regulation of the industry. At the same time, he and his family have earned untold billions of dollars from new crypto ventures. Molly White, a writer focused on the intersections of tech and finance, describes the crypto industry, and explains how this new financial industry is shaping our politics and facilitating corruption within our government.
The following is a transcript of the episode:
Brandon LaRoque: Things tend to happen to me first ’cause I’m usually the one willing to try something new first. And I hope I’m not the canary in the coal mine.
[Music]
Anne Applebaum: From The Atlantic, this is Autocracy in America. I’m Anne Applebaum. In this new season, I am asking how the Trump White House is rewriting the rules of U.S. politics, and talking to Americans whose lives have been changed as a result.
