Trump ‘slush fund’ echoes scorned 19th-century spoils system, academics say

President Trump established a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies and individuals claiming past administrations wronged them, a move academics compare to the 19th-century spoils system where government jobs were awarded to political supporters. The fund, part of a Department of Justice settlement related to a Trump-led lawsuit against the IRS, has drawn criticism as a 'slush fund' and echoes historical practices of political patronage.