Elsa Chang

President Trump has taken a pretty unusual hands-on approach to the economy, using billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to purchase shares in private companies like Intel for the U.S.

government.

The U.S.

government also has positions in a handful of other companies, many involved in minerals and energy.

President Trump has publicly pressured CEOs and forced the restructuring of social media giants like TikTok.

Members of the administration argue that these moves are essential for national security.

We've got to have the infrastructure to help our national security and our economic security.

And that's what Donald Trump is bringing to America.

But critics...

like California Governor Gavin Newsom, call it, quote, crony capitalism.

Consider this.

What is the boundary between business and presidential power?

And how is the Trump administration rewriting those rules?

From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.

It's Consider This from NPR.

President Trump has spent his first year back in office rewriting the rules of American capitalism.

But what will that mean for the future of our economy and of our government?

Well, those are the questions that NPR financial correspondent Maria Aspin set out to answer.

This episode was produced by Vincent Accovino with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by our executive producer, Sammy Yannigan.