How should I understand "I trade A for B"?
[ADDED:] Which of the following is the meaning of "I trade A for B"?
- I give A so that I can get B.
- I give B so that I can get A.
The following is an example from a piece of news on this site:
The change comes as Chretien's Liberal Party is besieged by charges that it trades favors for campaign money. The announcement appeared intended to shore up his political standing with an increasingly restive electorate and within his own party to preserve his parliamentary leadership position.
I understand that "trade" means exchange and "favor" means "the support or approval of someone", which should refer to "the support of the Chretien's Liberal Party" here. But what does it mean that "it trades favors for campaign money" --- "the party exchange the support for campaign money"? How did they do they?
A Favor is a special privilege or right granted or conceded
So if the Party is trading favors for campaign money it means that if donations to the Party are made they will reciprocate by, for example, passing legislation that benefits the donors or taking other actions afforded by their position in a quid pro quo fashion.
When you trade A for B, it means you give A so that you can get B. It might be more clear if you think of it as "I trade my A to get B".