How Privatization and Corporate Influence Enabled Trump’s Unchecked Warmaking
The article argues that decades of turning national security into a private-enterprise model let Donald Trump launch wars, such as the 2026 attacks on Iran and Venezuela, without seeking public or congressional approval.
Two recent books trace the evolution of U.S. warmaking from a publicly accountable institution to a profit-driven enterprise. Murphy documents how, after World War II, the Pentagon reorganized its budgeting to mimic a free market, hiring thousands of accountants and adopting corporate management techniques that turned officers into business managers. Levinson reveals a parallel “echo system” in which presidents enlist private NGOs and think-tanks to craft public-relations campaigns that mask official policy, sidestepping bans on government propaganda.
The article applies this history to Donald Trump’s 2026 military actions against Iran and Venezuela, noting his explicit statements about seizing oil and enriching himself and his advisers. It contrasts Trump’s outright dismissal of congressional approval with earlier presidents who, while still seeking public support, operated within the same privatized framework. The analysis concludes that the intertwining of corporate finance, private advocacy, and unchecked presidential power threatens democratic control of foreign policy.
Why it matters
It shows how corporate-driven reforms have let recent presidents wage war without public oversight, endangering democratic control.
How this story developed
- Aug 15 Trump aides say president reluctant to campaign for down-ballot Republicans
- Sep 1 Lone Star Liberty PAC committed $15 million to a new television advertising campaign for Paxton.
- Sep 2 Trump told reporters the helipad, intended for Marine One, is now operational after critics warned that landing on the lawn was unsafe. The announcement coincides with the restart of construction on the White House Ballroom, a project the president has championed despite legal challenges. The Supreme Court recently cleared the way for continued building, and Trump says private funds are covering the work. He also highlighted other capital-area renovations, including work near the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool.
- Sep 2 The Cook Political Report moved Texas and Iowa into toss‑up status.
- Sep 2 A poll shows Talarico at 44.0% and Paxton at 43.4% among likely voters.
- Sep 3 USDA announced plans to fund small and midsize meat‑packing operations.
- Sep 3 The Justice Department petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend a district judge’s order that halted a new USPS regulation tightening mail-in ballot requirements.
- Sep 3 Sand publicly opposed Harris’s potential 2028 presidential run.
- Sep 4 The Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit challenging the ballroom lacks standing, allowing construction to continue.
- Sep 4 The administration filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court.
- Sep 5 Judge extended the preliminary injunction blocking the rule.
- Sep 5 Judge Talwani issued a new order on Friday extending the injunction.
- Sep 6 Trump ordered a Dallas midterm convention just before Thanksgiving, triggering a ticket‑sale scramble and prompting several GOP officials to boycott the event.
- Sep 6 Administration filed a third petition to the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the injunction.
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