We can’t tell if he’s acting in the public interest or tending to the family business.
“America First,” or America for sale? That’s the question that must be asked as President Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida this week at his private club.
For months, ethics lawyers, good governance experts and members of Congress have warned the president that he is violating the Constitution by refusing to divest his business interests. Our Founding Fathers deliberately included a clause in that sacred document which forbids the president and other federal officials from receiving profits from foreign governments.
A recent decision by China to grant President Trump’s businesses nearly 40 valuable trademarks — after more than a decade of unsuccessful attempts to get them by businessman Trump — is the clearest sign yet that foreign governments can and will seek to curry financial favor with the president of the United States and his family.
The president’s actions have created a crisis for our democracy.
On any given day, America’s relationship with China is tested by difficult issues, including China’s currency manipulation, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, climate change, respect for human rights and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Our trade relationship with China has enormous consequences for both American workers and the price of products Americans buy every day. And so the American people have a right to know whether the president’s decision-making is being conducted in their public interest or in his private financial interest.
Indeed, the president has made a number of abrupt policy changes toward China lately. In February, he suddenly switched his stance on the key issue of Taiwan’s status — in favor of China’s preferred policy. When asked about the switch, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that when Trump negotiates, “the president always gets something.
