# Would \ Pres. Trump put all assets in a blind trust **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 17, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321 "2016-03-17T21:00:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/1 "2016-03-17T21:00:49Z")
as past Presidents/candidates have done? If/when he becomes the nominee, he should do it then. But would he/will he? Here’s an [article](http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20160316/NEWS02/303169969/trumps-500-businesses-would-pose-unprecedented-ethical-dilemma)that discusses this issue. In essence: > [@](#): > > Mitt Romney put his assets into a blind trust during the 2012 presidential campaign. So did Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. The late Jack Kemp left his seat on Oracle’s board during the 1996 election. And Nelson Rockefeller offered to put his substantial holdings into a trust while being confirmed by the Senate to serve as Gerald Ford’s vice president in 1974. > > President Obama opted not to put his money into a blind trust, but his holdings are almost entirely made up of bland investments like U.S. Treasuries and mutual funds. > > Trump is in a different situation. Investments can be put into a trust that someone else controls. That’s harder to do with businesses, especially since he has so many. > > To truly eliminate a conflict of interest, Trump would have to sell off his businesses and put his proceeds in what’s known as a double blind trust. In that arrangement, Trump would have no communication with his chief financial adviser in order to avoid any suggestion of impropriety. I cannot see Trump doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/2 "2016-03-17T21:09:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > as past Presidents/candidates have done? If/when he becomes the nominee, he should do it then. But would he/will he? > > Here’s an [article](http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20160316/NEWS02/303169969/trumps-500-businesses-would-pose-unprecedented-ethical-dilemma)that discusses this issue. In essence: > > I cannot see Trump doing that. I don’t think even _he_ thinks he’s going to win, so it should never reach that point. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/3 "2016-03-17T21:26:28Z")
It’s a legal requirement if he actually wins, so I don’t think he’ll have a choice. Especially given that the Senate probably won’t be super averse to impeaching him. I doubt he’ll bother if he just wins the nomination though. I’m pretty sure there’s no legal requirement that he does so. IIRC, Romney’s trust was run by his personal lawyer, and so the extent to which it was “blind” was pretty debatable. But it didn’t seem to be much of an issue. I can’t imagine the public will care if Trump just doesn’t bother with the fiction. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/4 "2016-03-17T21:49:16Z")
Imagine, presidential suites at his hotels endorsed by the actual president! The White House selling Trump steaks from the Rose Garden. A line of official presidential ties with Trump’s face stitched on the inside… ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/5 "2016-03-17T22:09:50Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > It’s a legal requirement if he actually wins, so I don’t think he’ll have a choice. The article linked above lists no such requirement. It says: > [@](#): > > Executive branch officials also are prohibited from earning income from their businesses and must abide by strict impartiality rules. > But Congress decided not to apply those restrictions to the president or vice president. They have to disclose their holdings, but they don’t have to disown them. > So Donald Trump could be president without selling his businesses. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/6 "2016-03-17T22:27:39Z")
The rest of that quote is: > [@](#): > > But Congress decided not to apply those restrictions to the president or vice president. They have to disclose their holdings, but they don’t have to disown them. > > So Donald Trump could be president without selling his businesses. > > Still, most candidates try to eliminate conflicts of interest well before Election Day. > > …_\_… > > A spokeswoman for Trump declined to say whether Trump would consider selling his companies to avoid potential conflicts. Most candidates care about appearances. Up to now, Donald hasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/7 "2016-03-17T22:42:28Z")
He could host a reality show to pick a trustee to administer his money for him. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/8 "2016-03-17T23:31:48Z")
I’m pretty sure that he would not get ripped off by his trustees. \*Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is a difficult man to get along with. He’s fat, he’s lazy, he’s rude, he’s inconsiderate – in fact, in just about every measurable way, Dover is a repulsive human being. So woe to the criminal forced to deal with Dover, because it will be an extremely unpleasant experience. \* [**At The Scene Of The Crime**](http://at-scene-of-crime.blogspot.com/2013/09/let-dover-come-over.html) — Blog 2013 I love Joyce Porter. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-shudder-pres-trump-put-all-assets-in-a-blind-trust/749321/9 "2016-03-18T01:37:21Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > It’s a legal requirement if he actually wins, so I don’t think he’ll have a choice. Especially given that the Senate probably won’t be super averse to impeaching him. I think the Senate won’t considering it is the House that impeaches.