Trump Family Business Deals Raise Ethical Concerns Over Presidential Profit
By Leyah Jackson
In the past, U.S presidents have avoided profiting from office. A Trump family deal spree may change this. Trump family business deals could open the door for future presidents to profit from office.
According to the Associated Press, former president Harry Truman refused to lend his name to any business—even after his time in office—and George W. Bush dumped his individual stock holdings before taking office.
Courtesy of Global News
Under President Trump, things may change.
Led by Donald Trump’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., the family real estate business is seeing a swift overseas expansion, with each deal potentially shaping tariffs and military aid.
“I think there are absolutely ethical concerns about presidents profiting off of their presidency. If they make a buck off the American people, it raises concerns about their legislative moves and the fact that they may be making decisions to make more money as opposed to anything else,” said Phaedra Hyche, fourth-year political science major.
The family business has expanded into cryptocurrency with ventures that brought in billions of dollars. The brothers have also invested in several companies, many of which are interested in doing business with the U.S government, which their father is the president of.
“As a voter, I think this is crazy. To me, it seems like insider trading out in the open because their dad can inform them about things in the government that could help the business and vice versa,” said fourth-year cybersecurity major Anthony Jackson.
Recently, the duo made a deal giving them high stakes in an armed drone maker seeking contracts with the Pentagon and with Gulf states under attack by Iran and dependent on aid from the U.S military.
Critics are concerned that these business deals are a conflict of interest that could cause ethical problems.
In Qatar, a Trump golf club and villa project is being developed by a company owned by the Qatari government. It is unclear whether these international deals played a role in changing U.S policies; however, both the U.S and the countries benefited from the deal.
Qatar received access to advanced U.S. technology, and the Trump Organization received millions of dollars in fees.
