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  • Presidential candidate Donald Trump has a stake in hundreds of businesses including

  • hotels and golf courses around the world.

  • While it’s still unsure how much the real-estate mogul is actually worththere’s no denying

  • he’s a wealthy man.

  • But what happens to all Trump’s assets and investments if he becomes the next president

  • of the United States?

  • Will he have to give up his businesses while in office?

  • Well, it’s complicated but the answer is no, legally speaking.

  • The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 does not require that the president sell or change

  • how they handle their private businesses.

  • In fact, only unelected officials who serve in the executive branch are prohibited from

  • a business based conflict of interest.

  • For example, the Treasury Secretary under George W. Bush had to sell off his Goldman

  • Sachs stock before taking office.

  • But the president is exempt, on the basis that any business holding could be viewed

  • as a conflict of interest since the president holds the highest office and is assumed to

  • have a hand in everything.

  • Instead of taking all of the President’s business holdings, we as the electorate are

  • expected to trust the person we elect not to act dishonestly.

  • Still, if elected, Trump would be at the very least legally required to disclose all of

  • his holdings, companies and business relationships.

  • Historically, in order to maintain propriety, presidents have put their investments in a

  • blind trust, which is run by a third party without involvement by the president.

  • Since the 1960s, most presidents have done so.

  • But the problem with blind trusts is that it’s really hard to make sure theyre

  • blind.

  • And there is a big complication when it comes to Trump: his name.

  • Since his a large source of income is his brand name, it would be impossible for Trump

  • not to notice which buildings and businesses license his name after transferring ownership

  • of it to a blind trust.

  • Also, if his children run the trust, as he said they will, it would obviously be far

  • from blind.

  • Without Trump selling off the entire Trump Organization and removing his children from

  • the company as well, the conflicts of interest that exist can’t truly be mitigated.

  • This is potentially a huge problem, especially concerning Trump’s unique political and

  • business relationships.

  • Take South Korea for example: Trump recently said that the country should handle its own

  • military defense without any U.S. aid, including the development of nuclear weapons.

  • And in past business dealings in South Korea, Trump partnered with Daewoo Engineering and

  • Construction, a company involved in nuclear energy.

  • Hypothetically, if Trump is elected and follows through with his push for nuclear development

  • in South Korea, Daewoo Engineering and Construction - therefore the Trump Organization - could

  • potentially make an enormous profit.

  • And this just one example of potential foreign conflicts of interest.

  • According to Newsweek, Trump is allegedly connected to business dealings in at least

  • 10 other countries including India, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and Germany.

  • And The New York Times reports that the Trump Organization owes hundreds of millions of

  • dollars to the Bank of China and Goldman Sachs.

  • But in truth, we don’t even know the depth of his businesses and possible conflicts since

  • he has not publically released his financial information.

  • In essence, if elected, we’d have to trust that he would act in the best interest of

  • the United States, despite the apparent conflicts that would emerge as he engages politically

  • with former partners

  • and foes.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump has a stake in hundreds of businesses including

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