3,700+ Conflicts of Interest
Trump never divested from his businesses, accumulating over 3,700 documented conflicts of interest during his first term. Foreign governments, lobbyists, and GOP groups spent money at Trump properties to curry favor.
Unlike every modern president before him, Trump refused to divest from his businesses or place them in a genuine blind trust. The result was the most financially conflicted presidency in American history.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) documented over 3,700 conflicts of interest during Trump's first term:
- Foreign government-linked groups held at least 13 events at Trump properties
- Trump visited his own properties over 500 times as president, each visit directing taxpayer money to his businesses for rooms, meals, and golf cart rentals
- He attempted to host the G-7 summit at his Doral golf resort — a move so brazen he was forced to reverse it after bipartisan backlash
- Lobbyists, foreign officials, and political operatives booked rooms and events at Trump hotels as a known method of gaining access and favor
- The Secret Service spent millions at Trump properties protecting the president at his own businesses
The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution was designed to prevent exactly this kind of corruption — a president profiting from his office through payments from domestic and foreign interests. Trump rendered it effectively unenforceable through sheer volume and brazenness.