在21世纪，美国总统利用职位获利的趋势日益明显，和1950年代的哈里·杜鲁门形成鲜明对比。杜鲁门卸任后仅靠回忆录及当时相当于每月$1,350的养老金生活，拒绝任何可能商业化总统地位的机会。而如今的总统可接受外国赠送的波音747飞机和价值$130,000的金条，家族成员也频繁与外国合作区块链项目，反映职权私利化的加剧。

美国政府监管逐步松懈，腐败惩治力度削弱，司法部已实质性暂停落实《海外反腐败法》，公共诚信部门也遭削减。总统宽赦的对象包括为其政治运动捐赠$100万的亲属，企业高管为讨好总统捐赠新建白宫舞厅。如今说客不再主攻国会，而是专注于展示能影响总统的能力，企业并购、关税、出口控制等重要决策因个人好恶而波动，导致法律公正性被蚕食。

当前美国政府支出占GDP比例已达36%，远超1920年代的5%。如今直白贩卖政治影响力的时代不同于“镀金时代”或1920年代，现任总统几乎未因谋取私利付出政治代价，两党相互掩护、官商关系混杂令腐败有恃无恐。虽然历史表明，过度腐败后大多会迎来治理改革，但目前企业经营的最大问题已从“合规”转变为“是否认识总统”，这对长期繁荣极为不利。

In the 21st century, American presidents increasingly profit from office, sharply contrasting Harry Truman’s 1950s example. Truman lived on memoirs and an army pension worth $1,350 a month in today’s terms, refusing any offer that would commercialize the presidency. Today’s president accepts a Boeing 747 and a $130,000 gold bar from foreign governments, while family members forge cryptocurrency partnerships abroad, indicating a heightened trend of self-enrichment.

Government oversight is weakening in the US, with anti-corruption efforts declined and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act largely shelved. The Justice Department’s public-integrity unit has been gutted, and pardons have been extended to donors, including the relative of a million-dollar contributor. Lobbyists now bypass Congress to demonstrate presidential influence, and crucial decisions like mergers, tariffs, and export controls fluctuate according to the whims of a single leader, eroding the rule of law.

Federal government spending now accounts for 36% of GDP, compared to just 5% in the 1920s. Unlike the Gilded Age or twenties, when politicians bought support, contemporary leaders pay little political price for self-dealing. Bipartisanship shields corruption, as both parties offer examples of questionable conduct. Although history suggests that periods of excess lead to reform, today’s business climate is dominated by one question: “Do you know the president?”—an ominous trend for America’s long-term prosperity.