As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office, the real estate mogul’s international financial relationships are coming under increased scrutiny, prompting many to worry about the next Commander-in-Chief’s potential ethical quandaries. While Trump has vowed to distance himself from his business commitments, he’s failed to put to rest lingering doubts about his ability to occupy the White House without turning an envious eye toward his gold-adorned Manhattan condo. After reportedly meeting with three Indian business partners at Trump Towers late last week, Trump is now being questioned about his ties to Saudi Arabia.
According to a new report by the The Washington Post, Trump registered eight companies in the Kingdom of Saud during his presidential campaign. The companies all appear to be connected to his massive hotel enterprise.
“In August 2015, as Trump’s presidential campaign began to take flight, Trump registered eight separate companies with names such as THC Jeddah Hotel and DT Jeddah Technical Services, financial-disclosure filings show,” details the Post. “Their names followed a pattern set by Trump companies connected to hotel deals in foreign cities: in this case, Jiddah, the second-biggest city in Saudi Arabia.” The Post continues, explaining that there’s still much that we don’t know about Trump’s business dealings abroad:
Four of those companies, in which Trump was named president or director, remained active at the time of Trump’s May financial filing. The disclosures do not provide more detail for the companies, and Trump representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
The President-elect has attempted to reassure the American people that he will be a dutiful and independent public servant by directing his children, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric to take control of his vast real estate empire. But the Trump children’s recent work on the campaign on their instrumental role in the president-elect’s transition team raises questions about how close the billionaire businessman’s heirs may actually come to the lever of government power.
In fact, Ivanka Trump’s presence at the President-elect recent meeting at Trump Tower with a Japanese delegation that included Prime Minister appeared to breach diplomatic decorum, summoning the scepter of nepotism in what should have been a standard meeting between two world leaders.
“In August 2015, as Trump’s presidential campaign began to take flight, Trump registered eight separate companies with names such as THC Jeddah Hotel and DT Jeddah Technical Services, financial-disclosure filings show.”
The Washington Post
Despite Obama’s executive excesses, the Office of the President of the United States reports to the people. Nepotism and cronyism have no place in the White House. The patriots at Concord Bridge didn’t fire the first shot heard ‘round the world to bring back a monarchy where kings provide favors to feudal lords. Liberal or conservative, Americans are especially averse to the machinations of pay-for-play and quid pro quo antics. That’s one of the many reasons why Hillary Clinton didn’t get elected.
For all the talk about “building a wall,” Trump would be wise to build an iron curtain between Trump Tower and the White House.
