Trump’s company reveals its ethical guidelines for his second term

The Trump Organization announced on Friday that President-elect Trump will have no role in running his family’s business and the company will donate profits it receives from foreign governments, as part of a set of new ethics measures that will be implemented during Trump’s second term. .

The company detailed an eight-step outline of how it will seek to avoid conflicts of interest and keep Trump separate from his family’s company once he takes office, including hiring attorney William Burke as a new outside ethics advisor who will review major acquisitions and research. Leases, debts, refinancings, and transactions with state and local governments.

The announcement comes ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20, and his business interests are sure to be a point of contention among critics who worry that the Trump family will benefit from the presidency.

“The Trump Organization is committed to not only meeting but significantly exceeding its legal and ethical obligations during my father’s presidency,” Eric Trump, one of the president-elect’s sons and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said in a statement.

“Reflecting that commitment, just as we did during my father’s first term in office, we have not only implemented a series of strong ethical standards, but we have also hired one of the country’s most respected lawyers to guide our firm while serving my father,” said Eric Trump. Other.”

In addition to Burke’s appointment, the Trump Organization said President-elect Trump will have no role in running the company. The company said he would receive limited information about the Trump Organization’s finances.

His investments and business assets will be held in a trust managed by his children rather than a blind trust, similar to the arrangement made during Trump’s first term.

The company also said it will not enter into any new transactions or contracts with foreign governments during Trump’s second term. However, the ethical guidelines did not address potential new contracts with private foreign companies.

The Trump Organization said it would offer discounted rates to the Secret Service and other government agencies for overnight stays at its properties, and that it would donate to the US Treasury “all profits it receives from foreign government sponsorship that the company is able to identify in its accounts.” Hotels and similar companies.”

Trump’s first term in office was marked by repeated criticism and investigations by Democrats over a lack of clarity between the Trump administration and Trump companies.

Trump chose not to place his assets in a blind trust when he took office, instead handing control of his company to his two eldest sons. Democrats have repeatedly accused the president of violating the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which prohibits elected officials from receiving gifts or benefits from foreign governments without congressional approval.

A report by Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in January 2024 concluded that Trump received at least $7.8 million from foreign entities in 20 countries during his first term in office.

A 2020 report from The Washington Post found that Trump’s company has charged the Secret Service $628,000 in lodging fees since he took office in 2017, with the total stemming from Trump’s stays at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and at the Trump National Golf Club in 2017. Bedminster , New Jersey

Trump’s business practices ran into legal trouble last year when a New York judge ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million in fines in a civil fraud case. Trump and his family have repeatedly denounced the case as politically motivated.