Donald Trump Announces Dec. 15 Press Conference to Discuss Leaving His Business
Donald Trump tweeted early Wednesday morning that he will hold a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 15 in New York City to discuss plans to distance himself from his business.
“I will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to make America great again!” the president-elect wrote. “While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!”
These statements come after Trump’s various private business engagements around the globe have been called into question when paired with his duties in the Oval Office, including a six-byline report from the New York Times detailing potential conflicts of interest. Although Trump said on the campaign trail that he would turn over his business to his adult children, this is the first time president-elect has announced any plans to distance himself from those ventures since winning the election. Some also call into question whether turning over his business to his children might still influence his decisions as president. Trump’s latest tweets do not mention any specifics regarding when and how he plans to turn over power, which will presumably be discussed during the Dec. 15 press conference.
Variety has reached out to the Trump’s camp for comment.
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