69 percent of Americans don't think Trump should have to sell his businesses
While two-thirds of Americans think President-elect Donald Trump needs to draw a clear line between his business and his presidential duties, most don't think he needs to resort to selling his business to do so. A Bloomberg Politics poll released Wednesday revealed that 69 percent of Americans "believe it goes too far to force him and his family to sell their business empire to avoid conflicts of interest." Only 26 percent think Trump should sell his business.
Many experts, however, think Trump needs to do more than just hand his business over to his children if he wants to steer clear of potential conflicts of interest. In an editorial published last month, The Wall Street Journal argued Trump's should "liquidate his stake" in the Trump organization, otherwise "political damage to a new administration could be extensive." Bloomberg View editor Tim O'Brien also made the case for why Trump should sell his business — a move O'Brien argued would be surprisingly easy to make.
At this point, 51 percent of Americans say they're confident Trump will "put the nation's best interests ahead of his family's finances when he deals with foreign leaders." Trump is planning a Dec. 15 news conference to discuss the topic, and he's already indicated on Twitter that he'll be leaving his "great business in total" to focus on being commander-in-chief, though selling doesn't seem to be part of the plan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Bloomberg poll was conducted among 999 Americans from Dec. 2-5. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US economy still strong in final preelection report
Speed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strike
Speed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published