This week in Donald Trump's conflicts of interest: Serious gifts to the Trump family

From Chinese trademarks to more plugs by Ivanka Trump, the conflicts just keep on coming

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published June 17, 2017 6:30AM (EDT)

 (Reuters/Lucas Jackson/Shutterstock/Salon)
(Reuters/Lucas Jackson/Shutterstock/Salon)

Once again, the political headlines have focused on matters other than President Donald Trump's conflicts of interest. When it comes to Trump-related matters, Russia of course dominated the news cycle, but that doesn't mean Trump's problematic actions are limited to that country.

China is granting even more trademarks to the Trumps

As the Associated Press reported on Wednesday, the Chinese government has granted preliminary approval to nine trademarks related to Trump's business empire that it had previously refused. The AP also reports that Ivanka Trump's brand has won approval for four new trademarks of her own since April 20.

Students for Trump is also promoting Ivanka Trump's products

The non-profit political organization Students for Trump posted a Twitter promotion on Tuesday that mentioned something which, in theory at least, should have nothing to do with Trump's political campaigns.

Yes, apparently students who support Trump are incorporating Ivanka Trump's fashion line into their cause.

Trump's private lawyer is giving instructions to government employees

Marc Kasowitz, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, has been giving instructions to White House aides even though he is only supposed to represent Trump's individual interests, according to a report by the New York Times. Kasowitz is not a government employee, so if he has indeed told aides that they should discuss the Russia probe as infrequently as possible or advised them on whether they should hire their own lawyers, that is troubling to say the least.

Trump can't stop mingling with guests at his New Jersey golf club

Students celebrating their eighth-grade graduation and a wedding party both received surprise visits from the president, according to a report by the Washington Post. Considering that it's highly unlikely these people attended Trump's golf club for free, there is something unsettling about the message this sends regarding how the affluent can pay large sums of money to a president's private business in order to obtain access to him.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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