President Donald Trump is facing a furious backlash bragging about “winning” billions from the very government he runs. On Wednesday, Trump told NBC’s Tom Llamas that at least one of his lawsuits against the U.S. government was “essentially” over — and, in his version of reality, he’d already come out on top.
The $10 billion lawsuit targets the IRS and Treasury Department, filed after a former IRS contractor leaked Trump’s tax returns during his first term. Those returns exposed that Trump paid little to no federal income tax in multiple years.
“You can’t leak documents,” Trump told Llamas. “And any money that I win, I’ll give it to charity, 100% to charities, charities that will be approved by government or whatever.” A classic Trump line: declare victory first, sort out the details later.
He also referenced a separate lawsuit seeking $230 million over the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid in 2022, when agents discovered classified documents. Both lawsuits are directed at executive branch agencies — the very ones he oversees as president — creating a conflict of interest that legal experts say is eyebrow-raising at best.
“Essentially, the lawsuit’s been won,” Trump said. “I guess I won a lot of money.” Which lawsuit he meant isn’t clear. No court has ruled, and no settlement exists. Yet Trump is already claiming victory and dangling the promise of charitable donations to groups like the American Cancer Society.
Critics were quick to pounce. One accuser, in particular, called it “stealing taxpayer money,” framing Trump’s bragging as a surreal abuse of office. Others noted the optics of a sitting president suing his own agencies while pretending to be a generous philanthropist.
Trump’s history with charities gives skeptics even more ammo. The Trump Foundation shut down in 2018 under judicial supervision after repeated self-dealing, including buying a $10,000 portrait of Trump for a golf course. He was later ordered to pay $2 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought by New York state. Former New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood described the foundation’s conduct as a “shocking pattern” of “repeated and willful self-dealing.”
Social media erupted. Critics and journalists alike roasted the president for his audacious declaration of victory, the moral gymnastics of suing his own government, and the hollow charity promise.
On X, responses ranged from sarcastic disbelief to outright condemnation.
Trump: Essentially, the lawsuit has been won. I guess I won a lot of money. I’ll give 100% to charity.
Reporter: You’re taking it out of the system.
Trump: No, I’m putting it back into the system. I’m giving it to charity.
Reporter: 38 trillion in debt and we’re taking 10… pic.twitter.com/ylhbRG4Vg1
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 5, 2026
