Charlamagne tha God unleashed a blistering critique of President Trump on Tuesday, targeting the administration's $1.8 billion fund to settle the president's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The radio host, born Lenard McKelvey, called the deal a textbook example of corruption at taxpayer expense.
"I don't care what your race is, I don't care what your party is. There is no way on God's green Earth that we can be OK with this," Charlamagne said on The Breakfast Club, where he named Trump his "donkey of the day."
The Department of Justice announced Monday that the so-called "anti-weaponization" fund would issue formal apologies and compensation to individuals who claim they were wronged by the government. The fund is part of a settlement after Trump sued the IRS for $10 billion. Charlamagne argued the move amounts to a patronage scheme. "Let's be clear: President Trump is just paying his goons. This is incentive for his goons to do his bidding again," he said.
The commentator contrasted the settlement with cuts to social programs. "Americans out here arguing over student loan forgiveness and Medicaid cuts, affordable housing, and whether teachers deserve raises," he said, "but we got to sit back and watch Trump and his friends rob us of money that should be used for us." He pointed to veterans struggling for healthcare, teachers running GoFundMe campaigns for basic supplies, and libraries closing due to federal budget cuts.
"But you are using billions of dollars in taxpayer money — money that should be used to fund essential services at the federal, state, and local levels — for a political reimbursement program," Charlamagne said.
He framed the settlement as a betrayal of ordinary Americans. "You're taking money from people struggling to pay rent, buy groceries, and survive inflation, which has surged under the Trump administration, by the way," he said. Polling shows GOP support for Trump's economy has dropped 15 points as inflation bites, underscoring the political sensitivity of the issue.
"You are taking taxpayer dollars and redirecting it to people who are connected to political power. That's why people get cynical about politics, because the rules always seem different depending on who you are and who you're aligned with," Charlamagne said.
The author of Get Honest or Die Lying called for public outrage. "Our taxpayer dollars going to this weaponization fund to compensate his allies should piss you off. You should be outraged. You should actually be in the street protesting against this." He added, "Not only is it corrupt, it is a blatant slap in the face to the economic hardships folks are facing."
The settlement comes as the Trump administration faces scrutiny over its handling of federal funds and its relationship with political allies. Critics have questioned the legality and ethics of using taxpayer money to resolve the president's personal lawsuit. The White House has defended the fund as necessary to address government overreach, but Charlamagne dismissed that justification. "Actions will always tell you what politicians value more than rhetoric does, and everyone's sitting around waiting for this golden age to happen. It's not. Not for you, anyway," he said. "For him and his family, his allies — they're getting fat while you starve."
