As the railings fall, Trump blur the lines between the Presidency and personal profits
Since the 1960s, almost every US president has admitted that he should not be profitable personally – or at least he should avoid doing so. At the beginning of democratic and republican leaders, Ethical Directives for their management. President Donald Trump did soon after he started to work in 2017. Some of the same language When Bill Clinton promises the ethics of Barack Obama.
This year, President Trump did not make such a promise.
HE Signed Ethics promises for the transition process of the presidency as it is called by laws. And hours after sworn to the task, he canceled the ethical rules of former President Joe Biden without giving a hostage covering his own administration.
Why did we write this
US presidents are traditionally expected to keep their own financial interests separate from their political interests. President Donald Trump’s actions challenged norms and causes some ethical observers to say that new laws are needed.
Even if Mr. Trump finally signed such an order, it is not clear who will apply it. In his first week in the office, he fired the US Government Ethics Office Director, together 17 -1 out of 4 from 4-in-house federal agencies (ignoring the 30-day notification required by the laws).
Of course, the promises themselves do not guarantee ethical behaviors by presidents or administrations. In the first period, Mr. Trump raised the ethical red flags by refusing to subject or put their financial assets to a blind confidence, like other presidents, and said that he would continue a “separation wall önemli to be ruled by his sons between himself and his Trump organization. Foreign dignity, critics, a form of open curator, during the task of the task of Free of Mr. Trump’s golf clubs and hotels frequently made a reservation. During these four years, Mr. Trump spent a significant amount of time in his own property with other senior government officials. hundreds of thousands of dollars taxpayer money.
Now, in the second period, in less than three months, ethical experts say that Mr. Trump has pushed borders in new ways and collected millions of dollars in this process. In addition, considering the fact that Mr. Trump’s own life and family comes to the forefront, it is difficult to know whether personal interests work in addition to political priorities for the nation in actions ranging from tariff negotiations to reshaping of the government.
“The first administration always reflected what Trump is doing to earn money in the first administration, Jord said Jordan Libowitz, Communication Director of non -profit responsibility and ethical citizens (crew) in Washington. However, this second Trump term, “both type and scale is fundamentally shaped to be shaped,” he says.
According to the president’s supporters, such concerns are exaggerated. Mr. Trump, for a long time, was famous as an aggressive businessman who had achieved wealth and success. It doesn’t matter as long as it follows every ethical guide or worried about possible conflicts of interest, as long as it gives results for America. Many of them also point to the business relations of President Biden’s son Hunter as an example of how other first families explicitly emphasize the power of the presidency.
Anna Kelly, Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly, said in response to the investigation of this article.
Nevertheless, ethical observers say that the presidency has reached an unprecedented scale that self -director is in danger of potentially a large amount of money. In his first position at the White House, the crew predicts that Mr. Trump earned at least hundreds of millions of dollars – whether the ethical lines have passed. This exceeds the $ 400,000 salary he rejected. And this does not include other administrative authorities and consultants with visible conflicts of interest that can personally benefit from access to information and impact.
Cars on Tesla White House grass
Before Mr. Trump returned to the White House in January, Amazon Melania Trump has a 40 million dollars for a documentary – almost three times the next highest bid – successfully offers, more than 70% of which is reported Going directly The first lady reported that Wall Street Journal reported. A December articleHe also described the CEOs that he was in a hurry in favor of Curry, with Mr. Trump, including millions of donations to the opening fund.
Unlike 2017, Trump Organization this year Not railed To pause any foreign real estate agreement, to accept not to act with foreign governments. Nevertheless, Liv Golf, financed by the Saudi Egemen Servet Fund, rented Mr. Trump for Doral, Florida, Golf Field A tournament Last weekend. A new Trump tower is being built in the serious Saudi Arabia’s serious.
Last month, Mr. Trump hired a live ad with CEO for Tesla Cars in the White House and Elon Musk, the “private state employee” Elon Musk, and then pointed out what he wanted. Donation of 100 million dollars Trump was the best donor in the 2024 campaign and gave Republican candidates and groups about 300 million dollars in the 2024 campaign). US Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick on March 19, “Buy Tesla” stock to the Americans During the view of FOX News.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before, Rica said Richard Brifsault, Columbia Legal Professor and Reporter for the American Institute of Legal Ethics Principles Project.
To be sure, Washington had a share of ethical scandals in the past. In the 1860s, when Washington politicians were backfire from a new railway construction, the Crédit Mobilier scandal and in the 1920s, the internal secretary accepted a bribe from oil companies. In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon’s re -election campaign was Watergate, where he secretly used donor money to surveillance of the democrats and covered with him.
But “none of these examples [involved] He is a chairman who has directly benefited from his decisions, Ked says Kedric Payne, Ethical Senior Director at the Campaign Law Center. At least with the first two examples, the politicians may argue that President Nixon was reorganized when the Watergate scandal was released.
“Presidency Gap”
The US Constitution finds out that conflicts of interest should be seen as a serious threat to body policy, especially when foreign governments want influence. It is forbidden by the presidents to accept foreign gifts by the Emolments article of the Constitution. In the first period of Mr. Trump, some cases violated this standard, but the Supreme Court moved to reject These cases leave the office. A difficulty, the constitution open mechanism The application of the emolments substance and the congress has not yet passed the legislation to do so.
Moreover, President and Vice President technically exempt They cannot save themselves from certain policy issues, as the presidents of the entire government. The Congress did not deal with this “presidential gap ve or has not expanded its financial explanation requirements.
In George W. Bush Administration, White House Ethics Lawyer Richard Painter said, ında Through Obama to the end, ”presidents usually watched the expectation that they would not use their own names to earn money while serving in the White House. Mr. Trump broke this norm in his first period, Mr. Painter said, “But it’s much more extreme.” Says.
Mr. Trump made money from his license agreements for years and lending his name to various forms of goods, which has been an application that he has been re -entering the White House. According to the 2024 island Description FormAt that year, Mr. Trump won a 60 -dollar Trump -approved Bible, which contains the copied text of the US Constitution, the word of commitment, and the choir of Lee Greenwood’s “God’s grove”, $ 300,000 of the $ 300,000 from the Bible of God. Mr. Trump also won more than $ 4.5 million from the book “Letters to Trump” and more than $ 500,000 from the book “Maga Journey”.
In addition, between T Retail LLC and T Tower Retail LLC, Mr. Trump received more than $ 5.5 million from retail goods, including Trump ICE LLC, which brought more than $ 100,000 from Trump branded spring water. He named it in golden clocks. 100,000 dollars each. Gettumbesneakers.com repeats that supporters can buy gold for $ 399 for $ 399 and pre -order Cologne for $ 199 In fine pressure The site “has nothing to do with any political campaign”.
However, the name of the bottled water and expensive watches can take a break from the presidential decor, but while the real estate is continuing, it can be pale compared to the profits of Mr. Trump from the public media company and crypto currency.
Libowitz, “There are too many hotel rooms where you can book. There are too many golf tours that someone can play,” he says. “Trump has moved from physical goods and property to digital goods.”
Real Social and Trump Breast Money
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. roughly doubled Mr. Trump’s net value put him back in Forbes’ richest 400 list of people. Over the last few months, the company has extensive oscillations in stock prices, some analysts argue that DJT is known by Ticket – overly valued.
The potential conflicts of interest here are remarkable: for example, a foreign government can buy shares and win the leverage through the US President.
Then, days before the opening of Mr. Trump, the breast coins released – $ Trump and $ melania. MEM money, which is a kind of extremely variable crypto currency caused by internet breast Viewed suspiciously Even by many people in the crypto industry. $ Trump’s market value exceeded $ 14 billion shortly after the launch, but since then Dropped to 2.2 billion dollars. Crypto currency prices, Mr. Trump’s “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve”The movement would help the country use the power of digital assets for our prosperity ..
However, crypto currency values are only part of the money -making equation: coin exporters, such as Mr. Trump’s commercial organizations, make both coin sales and money. transaction fees. According to some estimates, these fees have reached $ 100 million for Trump money. “He’s going to go up or down in the crypto, he makes money,” says Mr. Payne. “For Trump, just win, win, win.”
As the general manager of the country, the president has an unrivaled megaphone.
“I love $ Trump – very cool !!! The largest of all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mr. Trump wrote On the media site, real Social, last Sunday. During the hour, the price of the breast increased by $ Trump by 12%.
