Assets of donald trump

One of the major questions is whether Trump will be willing to place his assets in a blind trust—that is, whether he will cede de facto control of his businesses and properties to an independent actor with whom he will have little to no contact during his administration. In response, Trump has repeatedly said that he intends to hand operations over to his three adult children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, which would not, in fact, constitute a blind trust: Not only are they on his transition team and among his top advisers, they are, well, his children, and therefore not nearly independent enough to be trustees. … [Read more...] about What Could Stop President Trump From Putting His Portfolio First?

Along with the many unprecedented problems they create, Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest, as with so many other things, illustrate in striking fashion an existing flaw in American democracy. The problem is corruption: the potential for elected officials to take actions that benefit themselves, their family, their friends, or their business associates rather than the country as a whole. … [Read more...] about The Perfectly Normal Ways Trump Can Enrich Himself as President

Nevertheless, Ivanka’s quest to legally protect her own name is yet another demonstration of the ethical ambiguities that arise from a powerful businessman in the White House, staffed by members of his family. Quite often, the line between the Trump brand and the Trump administration is not a clear one. Famous (and profitable) as the family’s names were before Donald became president—there’s speculation that the name is the Trump Organization’s most valuable asset—Trump’s ascension to arguably the highest office on earth, and his subsequent decision to bring his daughter into the White House, have drastically increased their visibility. … [Read more...] about The Product-Placement Presidency

“The reason this is a challenge is this is a very decentralized insurgency,” said Seth Jones, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an Afghanistan expert. “There are going to be a lot of opportunities for any militia commander, element of the Taliban, the Haqqani network, and other local forces who don't want to see a deal, to conduct violence.” … [Read more...] about Afghan deal will be hard to assess, fraught with pitfalls