Questions loom about conflicts of interest in second Trump term
CNN
In the two months since the election, President-elect Donald Trump has urged his nearly 8.5 million followers on Truth Social to buy limited edition guitars that bear his signature and Trump-themed fragrances that “represent winning.”
In the two months since the election, President-elect Donald Trump has urged his nearly 8.5 million followers on Truth Social to buy limited edition guitars that bear his signature and Trump-themed fragrances that “represent winning.” A $899 gold-plated inauguration edition was recently added to the line of Trump watches he first launched this summer and his nascent sneaker brand is now offering footwear featuring a state-by-state map of his electoral victory. The post-election sales pitches illustrate just how closely Trump’s personal business interests are entwined with his politics. But less than two weeks from taking the oath of office, the Republican billionaire and the Trump Organization have not offered details to the public on how precisely they intend to wall off those varied interests – which range from hotels, golf clubs and licensing deals to a new cryptocurrency venture – from his job as president. So far, Trump has transferred his shares in Truth Social’s parent company into a longstanding trust of which he is the sole beneficiary, according to recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. His oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is the trustee. Ethics experts say those steps fall well short of the blind trusts and divestitures from private business interests that other presidents have used to avoid ethical conflicts with their job. And there are signs that the Trump Organization will erect fewer limits on its activity than it did during Trump’s first four years in the White House. His son, Eric Trump – who oversees the company day-to-day – has said the company will continue to pursue business opportunities overseas, dropping a self-imposed prohibition on foreign deals that the company said was in place during the first term. The marketing activity around Donald Trump’s return to the White House “indicates that there is clearly a focus on monetizing the presidency,” said Kedric Payne, senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center watchdog group. “The concern is that he will now use the presidency to benefit himself and his family beyond what is imaginable.”
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