Donald Trump is setting up a fund for victims of the US state.Image: keystone
US President Donald Trump has drawn criticism over a new compensation fund for alleged victims of authorities.
May 19, 2026, 07:58May 19, 2026, 07:58
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke of “bribes” for Trump allies.
According to the US Department of Justice, around 1.8 billion dollars (around 1.5 billion euros) will flow into a new fund intended to compensate alleged victims of politically or ideologically motivated actions by the state.
The fund is the result of a remarkable settlement between Trump and the judiciary: the president sued the state as a private individual in January and demanded billions in compensation. The lawsuit accused a former employee of the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of unlawfully gaining access to tax data from the family business Trump Organization during Trump’s first term in office (2017-2021) and passing it on to “left-leaning media.” The authority is subordinate to the US Department of the Treasury.
Chuck Schumer, senator and Democratic minority leader, sharply criticizes Trump.Image: keystone
Trump drops lawsuit
The Justice Department has now announced that the public prosecutor’s office has reached an agreement with Trump to set up the fund. In return, the lawsuit was dropped. Schumer described Trump’s actions as corruption.
According to several US media outlets, the fund could be aimed at Trump supporters who were present during the storming of the Capitol in 2021 and were charged for this during Joe Biden’s administration. Trump issued a number of pardons after taking office in 2025.
On that day in January 2021, there was a violent storm on the Parliament building in the US capital Washington, where the election victory of the Democrat and Trump opponent Biden was to be officially confirmed.
Trump – then voted out of office after his first term (2017-2021) but still in office – repeated in a speech the repeatedly refuted claim that he had been deprived of his election victory through fraud. After the speech, Trump’s supporters stormed the parliament building. (nil/sda/dpa)