WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump vowed to be a dictator only on his first day back in office, but his critics say four months of corruption “bigger and more brazen” than in his scandal-plagued first term is beginning to alienate supporters. 

The US president’s decision to accept a luxury jet from Qatar is the latest in a barrage of ethical conflicts that opponents say have blurred the line between his public role and private business interests.

“It’s brazen corruption and hypocrisy,” said Tiffany Muller, the president of leading anti-graft lobby group End Citizens United (ECU).

“But it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from a leader more focused on making himself richer than on lowering costs or addressing the struggles of working Americans.”

Trump argues that the $400 million Qatari plane — worth 100 times the combined value of every presidential gift from foreign governments this century — would be for the country, not him personally. 

But it sparked a rare backlash from allies who backed him in his first term through two impeachments, accusations of self-dealing and claims by ethics watchdogs of almost 4,000 conflicts of interest. 

ECU released a report on the first 100 days of Trump’s second term that amounted to a damning indictment of a presidency it said was defined by greed and self-enrichment schemes.