- 11.28.16
Here are some of President-elect Trump’s gnarliest business conflicts, by country
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump (and surrogates) often criticized Hillary Clinton for her family’s interactions with heads of state via the Clinton Foundation, and the conflicts they would pose were she to become president. But, as The New York Times has thoroughly reported, the impending Trump administration will have its own potential conflicts to navigate in order to keep business untangled from matters of state. Here are some of the thorniest, by country:
Brazil
The Trump Hotel Rio de Janeiro is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, which is specifically looking into why two pension funds–which control the retirement payouts of government employees–invested $40 million into the hotel. The property is owned by Trump’s Brazilian business partner, LSH Barra.
The Philippines
In October, Jose E.B. Antonio, a Philippine real-estate developer, was named by the country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, as a special envoy to the United States. Antonio is also a business partner with Trump on a $150 million tower in Manila.
Turkey
Following Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., President Erdogan demanded that Trump’s name be stripped from his Istanbul-based towers. However, Erdogan’s protests have ceased since Trump expressed support for Erdogan’s recent crackdown on dissidents.
