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Presidents are not subject to the same ethics rules that govern other executive branch employees, but they often take steps, such as setting up blind trusts or handing over control of their assets, to avoid even an appearance of impropriety. But Trump has not been entirely clear on how he would disentangle himself from his complex corporate holdings if he became president. At one point, he suggested he would place his assets in a blind trust "or something." But he also said this trust would be controlled by his children, who would continue to run his businesses. Blind trusts cannot be controlled by an individual's family members. Trump's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on how a conflict of interest with the Old Post Office, or any other property, would be handled.
"People have typically taken steps to silo these different aspects of their lives, because there should not be a doubt in the minds of the American public that the leader of the free world is not going to be putting certain interests over the public's," Tillipman says. "And when you haven't taken affirmative steps, it leaves an open question."
