Hello:

The Philippine president is MURDERING his citizens. Our State Department registered its strong objection, as it should have..

But, Trump is IN (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/world/asia/donald-trump-philippines-jose-antonio.html) business with the new Philippine Trade Envoy to the US. Will Trump, the president continue to OBJECT to the murders??? Or will Trump, the businessman, AVOID pissing off his partners???

How is that gonna work??

excon

Good question. And another: Trump the businessman is trying to negotiate with the Scottish government over planned off-shore windmills that he feels will spoil the view from his golf course - how will that issue affect how Trump the President works with Scotland in negotiating issues on trade, North Sea oil exploration, etc? Can you say "conflict of interest?"

You don't have to go to Scotland to find "conflicts of interest" with King Donald, just start at Dakota,

Donald Trump's stock in Dakota Access oil pipeline raises concerns - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trumps-stock-in-dakota-access-oil-pipeline-raises-concerns/)

Or New York,

Secret Service May Pay $3 Million for Trump Tower Space (http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/secret-service-trump-tower-lease/2016/11/24/id/760604/)

And who pays for his wall again likely with his name on it in big gold letters?

Hello again,

What I don't understand is why Trump doesn't understand his conflicts. If he doesn't put his assets at arms length, EVERY single action he takes WILL have the STINK of conflict all over it.. His presidency will be DESTROYED before it even has a chance..

I dunno if that makes me happy or sad..

excon

And all his eponymous assets are glaring targets for terrorists et al.

Part of the issue is his wide and vast business reaching, Of course others have had the oil company issues.

But as to who he does business with, ethics has little to do with modern business, if it did, there would be no clothes business from China or Vietnam and other places that use slave type labor, child labor and more. Of course if Americans has perhaps a real level of ethics they would not buy products produced in these areas.

So perhaps it is a larger soap box for the entire American population. My new American flag I ordered, yep made in Mexico. My ball cap with US flag, made in China.

I see no resolution beyond liquidation . Even a blind trust is insufficient given the fact that most of his business is the result of name branding. Former Reagan speech writer ,Peggy Noonan ,said it best :

For half a century Donald Trump has devoted all his professional energies to money, profit, the deal. That is how he thinks: It’s his deepest neural pathway. He’s a free-market capitalist who started with a lot and turned it into more. He created jobs, employs many. Good! But that’s his mind: money, profit, the deal. He has brought up his children to enter his business. Whatever else they do, they have surely absorbed the family ethos.
And now, for the first time in his life, money, profit, the deal is not his job.
He will be president of the United States. He can’t help the family business as president. He can’t help his children make a living as president.
He has to be losing money as president and putting personal profit motives behind him. Which means putting the ways and habits of a lifetime behind him.
Because he’s entered something much bigger: the presidency. History. The welfare of the republic.
That’s his job now, and it requires sacrifice.
I don’t know if there’s anyone around him who can convince him that the attitude with which he’s operated for 50 years must end, and something wholly new and different begin..............................
The editorial page of The Wall Street Journal offered a sound though difficult route: Mr. Trump should liquidate his stake in his company and put the proceeds in a true blind trust, in which the Trump children keep the assets in their name. He can “transfer more to them as long as he pays a hefty gift tax.” A fire sale on real estate would no doubt be seized upon by buyers like Donald Trump — people looking for the greatest asset at the lowest price. But it’s hard to see how any other plan would help Mr. Trump avoid endless accusations that he is enriching himself as president, that he is, in fact, a dopey kleptocrat who can’t help doing what he does.
It would be a painful act, selling the business he loves and around which he has ordered his life. But there would be comfort in this: In doing the right thing, in denying his opponents a sword, in enhancing his stature and demonstrating that, yes, he will sacrifice for his country.
That’s pretty great comfort.
You’ve made your money. Now go be a patriot.
Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal: Welfare of US is Trump’s concern now, not profit from many business ventures - WacoTrib.com: Guest Columns (http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/columns/guest_columns/peggy-noonan-wall-street-journal-welfare-of-us-is-trump/article_aef76b40-d63e-5489-8680-6c93d39a3bb8.html)

Hello:

The Philippine president is MURDERING his citizens. Our State Department registered its strong objection, as it should have..

But, Trump is IN (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/world/asia/donald-trump-philippines-jose-antonio.html) business with the new Philippine Trade Envoy to the US. Will Trump, the president continue to OBJECT to the murders??? Or will Trump, the businessman, AVOID pissing off his partners???

How is that gonna work??

excon

I think someone should lecture Dump on ethics

It's impossible to create a true blind trust here. "Liquidating assets" is unrealistic - you can't just sell off golf courses and hotels in a fire sale. Putting the assets in his kids' names I believe would generate gift taxes on the order of 40% (assuming his assets are worth more than a few million $$), which is totally unrealistic to expect someone to pay, and would still not avoid the appearance of impropriety.

The NY Times had a suggestion in its business section yesterday - assign an independent monitor with access to all details of all business transactions and who reports publically on any potential conflict issues. This way all transactions are transparent and Trump could avoid the appearance of impropriety. It's not as perfect as a blind trust, but would go along way to developing confidence that Trump won't be running the State Dept as his investment bank. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/business/dealbook/how-trump-could-ease-his-conflict-of-interest-problem.html?ref=business&_r=0

Hello again, e:

I read that.. Going a "long way", ISN'T going far enough. Trump should have THOUGHT about the ramifications of becoming president.. He didn't. Bummer for him.. I agree with tom. Full, and complete liquidation is the ONLY solution. Short of that, he'll be MIRED in scandal.

excon

I think the idea that a president should not have investments is ludicrus, however, What is wrong with passing control to his family who are already executives of his corporations? What he has to do is carefully weigh decisions he makes which might impact those businesses by advantaging them through advance knowledge. He couldn't do worse than Obama with billions wasted in questionable deals

Nancy Pelosi who's husband has taken full advantage of her inside information and has profited enormously purely from HER political position... So has Harry Reid, and Schumar not to mention many others. Hypocritical to expect ONE elected official to do it when no other elected officials are expected to.

He will be mired in scandal no matter what he does,

Anything, will be hated no matter if it was good.

Although I see him doing nothing since I doubt the party works with him

Hello:

The Philippine president is MURDERING his citizens. Our State Department registered its strong objection, as it should have..

But, Trump is IN (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/world/asia/donald-trump-philippines-jose-antonio.html) business with the new Philippine Trade Envoy to the US. Will Trump, the president continue to OBJECT to the murders??? Or will Trump, the businessman, AVOID pissing off his partners???

How is that gonna work??

excon


Trump should stay out of the internal affairs of other nations.the UN is the watch dog that can make appropriate comment,because there are treaty obligations