Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, hired President Donald Trump’s realty company to sell its $12 million luxury, New York City condo. It’s the latest in a number of conflicts of interest from Trump.
Real estate websites show that Sotheby’s International Realty listed the condo until May, with Mother Jones reporting that Trump International Realty has listed it since then. Roche purchased the Central Park West condo in 2006; it’s unclear why the property was purchased back then and why it’s listed now.
According to his financial disclosures, which he is required to file as president, Trump’s realty firm brought in $2.4 million in revenue last year. Trumps owns 55% of the firm, while his children own the rest. Depending on commission rates, the company could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission from the sale of the condo.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company is a big spender in Washington, D.C. where it expended more than $10.7 million on federal lobbying expenses last year. Roche’s lobbying interests raise questions about the company’s intentions for listing its condominium with Trump’s realty firm.
According to Mother Jones, “The condo on the 39th floor of the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle has been on and off the market for several years but hasn’t been successfully sold.”
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit watchdog organization, is tracking conflicts of interest surrounding Trump’s properties. Robert Maguire, research director for CREW, told the magazine that the potential for Trump’s firm to earn commission via the sell of Roche’s property creates “unanswerable questions.”
“The optics are terrible, but there’s also all of the unanswerable questions which are raised by it, like did someone tell them that by enriching the president, they’d have a better chance of having their interests heard by the administration?” Maguire said. “Or is there just a general perception that if you do business with the president, if you enrich the president, you will get better treatment by the administration?”
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Despite its spending, the Swiss pharmaceutical company could stand to lose a lot once Trump’s tariffs come into effect, which could mean the increase of a present 10% tariff to potentially 31%. Roche, however, announced a $50 million investment in the U.S.-based manufacturing, which the White House commended.
Trump’s conflicts of interest range from foreign governments renting out entire floors in Trump office buildings to a Trump memecoin. Roche’s real estate listing with Trump’s realty firm is just the latest reminder that the president and vice president are not subject to the same conflict of interest laws that apply to all other government officials and employees.
“It’s just another instance of how at every turn, the Trump family and their businesses are demonstrating why these rules exist in the first place,” Maguire said.
