As we continue the story of the emperor with no clothes, we stop off the train and gather around the notion of private interest vs. national interests. It has long been speculated that the president puts his own interests before that of the country. Before we dive into that matter, I first want to highlight that in 2016 I saw the voting of Trump as a breath of fresh air, a new perspective in the incumbency that is the federal government in Washington D.C. The cycles of fraud and abuse of power run rampant in Washington D.C. and we have nothing as individuals in society to show for it except for exuberant debt and rising costs of material goods. Whether those rising costs are the due diligence of D.C. or lack there of, we have grown tired of promises for change and accountability with no extra money in our pockets and no signs of progress outside of corporate autocracy. Putting America first seemed like a great plan, a fresh perspective that put American interests above no one else, but what we got was a man who puts his own vindictive, self-interest above national interests as a whole.
Although America is inevitably a free society, freedom of choice, freedom of travel, freedom to do as we so please, what Trump has created in 9 months in office is a negative connotation against the leftist narrative. As much as I am against woke media and the over exaggeration of topics, both sides are guilty of such rhetoric. After analyzing SEC documents into Trump’s Media and Technology company, I noticed something interesting about the wording behind Truth Social. It was created in 2022 to compete with the likes of other social media conglomerates like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Amazon. Nonetheless, it reports that free speech is tantamount to maintaining American values in the FIrst Amendment. Trump even won a lawsuit against Youtube in the amount of 24 million dollars due to censorship on the platform. Regardless of this fact, I am concerned that he has done a juxtaposition in regards to such an expression he portrays in his company's SEC business overview. Out of self-interest, he has attacked media companies for bad media publicity, hoping to control the narrative against himself. In my lifetime, although short, I have yet to see a president attack the media such that Trump has. To attack the press and in doing so aim to control free speech, he has opened Pandora’s box in terms of Presidential power. Does the President have the right to subdue free speech for his own personal gain?
Another key interest in examining the President, I find it troubling to conclude that he is the only president in modern times not to elect to open a Blind trust, instead opened a revocable trust. Before we dive into the concepts of self-interest which this article pertains to, we must first understand the difference between the two. In a blind trust, a political official no longer maintains control of their financial vested interests, but gives that control up to a person or entity that he has no relation to personally or familially. Instead of opening a blind trust like his predecessors, President Trump has opened a revocable trust, which in essence, still gives him complete control of assets and company handlings . He has every legal right to change, add, or remove assets, or dissolve the trust at any time. When analyzing this more closely, a revocable trust gives the President legal control of his business, further leading to potential conflict of interest. Although his son(s) control the company now, it seems as though Trump still holds the reins.
So what has been going on with the Trump Organization and its subsidiaries? In the very recent past, we have seen major deals with countries in the middle east. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Dubai, TMTG has entered agreements and contractual obligations to build and open real estate properties. Although controlled by his son Eric, TMTG is set to expand overseas interests in the Trump name, further extending personal ties with overseas governments, businesses, and contractors. Since Trump has executed a revocable trust, it appears that he still holds a vested interest in the projects and stands to profit personally from the deals now and into the future further enriching himself and his family while in public office. The question is, should Trump halt his company while in office, or should he be able to further his business ventures while in the White House.
According to federal law 18 USC 208, it is a crime for a federal-executive branch officer or employee to “personally and substantially participate,” in a particular government matter in which they, their spouse, minor child, general partner, or an organization they're connected to has a financial interest. In recent times, we have seen the President provide AI computer chips to the Qatar government shortly after they invested 2 billion dollars into Trump’s crypto-currency venture. Although some will say that the two are unconnected, it seems as though personal interest is at play. An interesting and very important fact is at play here as we revert back to federal law. Federal law 18 USC 208, as it is written, does not pertain to the President of the United States and his Vice President. As a result, the business and government decisions of the President are not held criminally under federal law. The broad powers of the President and his decisions could essentially touch the nation’s economy and indirectly affect their personal finances. Nonetheless, the president knows this, and in my opinion, is abusing such power to line his pockets, now, and in the future for himself and his family.
Whether it be the gift of a 400 million dollar airplane for 1.2 trillion in spending in the middle east, billions in funding of Trump’s crypto company for AI chips, or keeping a revocable trust that is misaligned from the status quo of modern presidents, it clearly shows the President inadvertently puts his own self-interest before that of the country. While he praises the deals with foreign governments in the name of American jobs and economic investment into the country, there are not six degrees of separation between the Trump Organization and the inner workings of the White House. While we sit back and fight over immigration reform, Trump takes favor for favor with foreign and domestic entities. Although it is hard to remove human emotion from the equation of our existence whether it be laymen or president, it appears that Trump values personal loyalty and favor over everything else. As we end this story I leave you with rhetorical questions to be pondered: What are our national interests, should reform be made with regards to current federal law when it comes to personal, financial interests of the president, and finally, should we let it go as business as usual?
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