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Voters Finally Care About Trump’s Corruption

For years, the data said this message didn’t move swing voters. Now it’s fueling a Blue Wave in Red America.

Dan Pfeiffer

Oct 20

∙

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Back in 2020, I spent a lot of time arguing on Pod Save America, and to any operative who would listen, that the message against Trump should center on the twin pillars of Chaos and Corruption.

At the time, corruption seemed like an obvious hit against Trump. He had promised to drain the swamp, and yet foreign governments were trying to curry favor by spending exorbitant amounts at his hotel; he was fleecing taxpayers by charging the Secret Service to stay at his properties; and Jared and Ivanka were using their government positions to line their pockets. Trump won, in part, because people thought he would take on a broken system, and now he was profiting off of it.

Not so fast.

I eventually got a call from someone high up in the party telling me they had tested the corruption message six ways from Sunday, and it just didn’t work with swing voters. It’s not that voters didn’t think Trump was at least vaguely corrupt or that he wasn’t periodically dipping his beak; they just didn’t care. Trump’s corruption was baked into the baseline. It wasn’t new information that would move them away from Trump and toward a Democrat. Besides, they didn’t really believe Democrats would do much to clean up Washington.

I had some quibbles with the argument, but the numbers are the numbers, and I had clearly lost.

Even at the beginning of Trump 2.0, when he was brazenly enriching himself through crypto scams and taking bribes in the form of private jets, some polling showed that voters still weren’t buying it.

Well, that’s changed.

A Fox News poll from last week found that government corruption was voters’ top concern, even outpacing the cost of living. This is not an outlier; corruption has been creeping up the list of concerns in public and internal polling.

With two weeks to go until the election, corruption is now front and center. Trump’s corruption is weighing down Republican candidates and helping fuel a Blue Wave that threatens to wash across Red America.

Here’s what changed.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

Two things are different from Trump’s first term. First, Trump’s corruption is more egregious. He and the Republicans aren’t even trying to hide it anymore. It’s a smash-and-grab job. Trump’s net worth has gone up nearly $3 billion since the 2024 election.

The second change is even more important...

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Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1922, Army Lt. Harold R. Harris made the first successful emergency bailout of a plane using a ripcord-operated parachute while over Dayton.

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Voucher Spending Tops $1 Billion Again

Ohio spent $1.173 billion on private school vouchers in fiscal year 2026, topping $1 billion for the second straight year.

Nearly half, $532.8 million, went to EdChoice Expansion scholarships, which provide full awards to families earning up to 450% of the poverty line, while others can receive prorated amounts. More than 105,000 students received one.

Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper said the money is going to vouchers while public schools "still are not fully and fairly funded."

The figures arrived days after a state appeals court ruled EdChoice unconstitutional. The program continues while Attorney General Andy Wilson appeals to the Ohio Supreme Court.

"Families should not worry, as there is no immediate impact from the ruling," Wilson said. School choice advocates warn that the roughly 180,000 students in the program could lose access if the decision stands.

Vandals Target Flock Cameras

More than 30 Ohio police agencies searched the Flock network this summer over license plate cameras that were chopped down, rammed, or spray-painted, according to records obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

In Warren County, someone cut down a state-owned camera worth $3,000 along Dixie Highway. In the Toledo area, one camera turned up in the water at Hecklinger Pond Park.

Police say the cameras help solve serious crimes. "Flock cameras and the information they provide to us are too valuable," Toledo Assistant Police Chief Kevin Braun said.

Critics call the readers mass surveillance that logs every driver, not just suspects. Case Western Reserve University's Michael Benza said the vandalism may reflect frustration that government ignored those privacy concerns.

Flock, which runs more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states, said damaging the equipment is illegal and "ultimately hurts the very communities this technology is there to help protect."

Prediction Markets Defy Ohio Order

Most of the 10 prediction market companies Ohio ordered to stop offering sports "event contracts" were still doing so after Friday's deadline.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission sent cease-and-desist letters Oct. 2 to platforms including Polymarket, Robinhood, and Coinbase, calling the contracts unlicensed sports betting. Only Plus500US told the state it would stop.

"They need to come into compliance, or we're gonna force them into compliance," Attorney General Andy Wilson said. The state is threatening criminal and civil penalties and says it can recover what the companies earned in Ohio.

The companies say they answer to federal regulators, not the state. "Markets can't operate when the rules change at every state line," said a spokesperson for Kalshi, which is fighting Ohio in court.

A federal appeals court sided with Ohio against Kalshi last month. Licensed Ohio sportsbooks pay a 20% tax and can't take bets from anyone under 21.

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➤ Statewide: Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania, introduced House Bill 1023 to create a task force studying whether Ohio's early childhood programs prepare kids for kindergarten. Its report would be due Dec. 1, 2027, but the bill must pass by Dec. 31 or be reintroduced next session. (See Details)

➤ Cincinnati: The Christ Hospital Health Network received a $50 million gift from the Farmer Family Foundation, the largest in its history. The money will go toward modernizing and expanding its Mount Auburn campus. The same foundation set the previous record with a $15 million gift last year. (See Details)

➤ Sandusky: Cedar Point reopened Millennium Force Saturday evening, a day after a small metal bracket fell from a ride car into a guest area. No one was hurt, and the park said the coaster passed maintenance inspections and all required safety checks. (More)

➤ Lockland: A stopped train blocked the village’s tracks for at least 90 minutes Sunday, forcing firefighters 30 seconds from a fatal house fire to take a seven-minute detour. It was Lockland’s second train-related response delay in a week, and Norfolk Southern says it is looking into it. (See Details)

➤ Pickerington: The school district is asking voters to approve a 10-year, 0.75% income tax Nov. 3 after a 1.25% request failed in May. If it fails, the district says it would cut middle school band and orchestra, on-campus College Credit Plus classes, and some sports teams. (See Details)

➤ Toledo: Police Chief Mike Troendle is in his final two weeks on the job, retiring Nov. 1 after 32 years with the department. Assistant Chief Kevin Braun, a Libbey High School graduate who joined the force in 2000, will take over. (See Interview)

Enjoy reading The Ohio Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ The Cleveland Guardians were eliminated Monday with a 7-3 loss in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz—both formerly in Cleveland’s organization—each hit two-run home runs for Tampa Bay. (More)

➤ Ohio State freshman defensive back Jay Timmons was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after posting seven tackles, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble in the Buckeyes’ top-five win at Indiana. (More)

➤ University of Dayton linebacker Joe Kingsbury was named Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Week after tying a career high with 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, in a 19-9 win at Butler. The Flyers host San Diego at noon Saturday. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NHL | Soccer

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➤ Cleveland Public Power asked City Council to replace its two-tier residential rates with a monthly fee plus three usage tiers starting in 2027, with increases in 2028 and 2029. CPP hasn't said what the change would cost a typical customer. (See Details)

➤ Lufthansa will launch Ohio's first nonstop flight to Germany in May 2027, flying Columbus to Frankfurt three times a week on a 287-seat Boeing 787. JobsOhio and regional partners backed the route with revenue guarantees, and bookings open today. (See Details)

➤ Hometown Pharmacy opened a 1,900-square-foot store at 3516 South Meridian Road in Austintown, in a former Huntington Bank building across from Sparkle Market. It merges two nearby locations and adds private rooms for vaccinations and pharmacist consultations. (More)

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➤ Ken Schreiber, a Dayton native and retired Air Force and American Airlines pilot, donated $400,000 so the Auglaize County Historical Society could buy Neil Armstrong's boyhood home. The society hopes to open it for tours by 2030, Armstrong’s 100th birthday. (Read Story)

➤ The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra honored Wynton Marsalis after his final Cleveland performance leading the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a group he has directed since 1988. (More)

➤ Franklin Park Conservatory's fall display of pumpkins, mums, and ornamental cabbages, including two pumpkin houses, runs through Nov. 1 in Columbus and is included with general admission. The ticketed Pumpkins Aglow lights up select evenings. (See Photos)

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