[link removed] [[link removed]] John,
It’s Robert, CREW’s VP of Research and Data. I’m reaching out today because tomorrow is Donald Trump’s 100th day in office.
That means, as of today, we’ve reached 99 days with a president of the United States who has failed to divest from his businesses, resulting in unprecedented conflicts of interest.
In honor of that dubious milestone, I wanted to share with you some of the most egregious conflicts of interest we’ve uncovered so far during Trump’s second term.
But if you don’t have time to read a long email, I’ll cut to the chase: there’s only one day left to make a MATCHED donation to CREW. So if you want to hold Trump accountable for his conflicts of interest, help CREW continue our research by making a MATCHED donation today → [[link removed]]Donate $5 → [[link removed]]
John, even for a researcher like me there are almost too many conflicts to keep track of. But these three stand out to me as particularly egregious.
First, there are the Trump-branded real estate projects in foreign countries that will be developed during his presidency.
There are nineteen real estate projects underway in foreign countries that are either being built by the Trump Organization or are licensed to use the Trump name.
These projects could present major conflicts of interest for Trump. In each country where Trump has business interests, especially those where he has new properties under development, he will know that decisions he makes as president could impact his bottom line. Likewise, foreign officials in those countries will have an opportunity to provide special treatment to the president of the United States, or to punish the president for decisions they don’t like.
This is no longer strictly a hypothetical problem either. In March, Vietnam’s prime minister reportedly expressed support for expediting the development of a Trump Organization project in Vietnam during a meeting with a firm that represents Trump’s company. At that same time, the Vietnamese government was lobbying the Trump administration to exempt the country from tariffs.
Second, there are the trademarks that Trump is seeking from his own administration.
Back in February, Trump’s company filed two applications with the Patent and Trademark Office: one to renew the trademark for his “TRUMP THE GAME” board game, and another for a metaverse and NFT project that would help him monetize the presidency through digital collectibles.
These trademark applications create the potential for serious conflicts of interest. The USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks, who’s tasked with considering these applications, finished his five year term days after Trump filed his requests. Now Trump’s Secretary of Commerce will be tasked with nominating a head for the agency as it considers Trump’s trademark applications.
This raises serious questions about whether approving Trump’s trademarks could be part of a loyalty test for the next USPTO Commissioner, and whether Trump would intervene if that commissioner doesn’t grant his requests.
There’s one more conflict I’d like to share with you but if you’re already fired up, make a $5 contribution now to get it MATCHED to $10 → [[link removed]]Donate $5 → [[link removed]]
Finally, Switzerland’s central bank invested in Trump Media & Technology Group, the holding company for his social media company Truth Social.
An SEC filing shows that Switzerland’s central bank, which is substantially owned by local Swiss governments, owns over $5 million worth of shares in Trump Media.
This is the first known instance of a foreign government-connected entity apparently being invested in the president’s public company, but it likely will not be the last. Trump owns around 53% of Trump Media, which means that individuals or governments looking to influence him could attempt to inflate his net worth by purchasing large amounts of shares in his company.
CREW warned for months that Trump’s continued interest in Trump Media opened him up to endless potential conflicts of interest, national security threats and potential violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses.
The purchase of these shares by the Swiss National Bank proves these were not empty warnings.
I know that Donald Trump’s conflicts are almost too much to keep up with. But here at CREW our researchers spend every day poring over public data, working hard to hold Trump accountable. By making a donation today and getting it matched, you’ll be helping to continue funding CREW’s research for the next year and beyond → [[link removed]]If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your tax deductible donation will go through immediately to ActBlue Charities Inc. and be disbursed to CREW within 30 days:
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Thank you,
Robert Maguire
Vice President of Research and Data
CREW HQ
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