The two main complaints seem to be that:
1. Trump benefits from the assets in the trust. Yeah, OK? But that's how it is even in the simple situation where the official puts his stock in the blind trust. If the stock goes up or issues dividends it still belongs to the official. So, yeah they benefit from the money made from assets in the blind trust.
2. Trump legally retains the assets in the trust. Ummm, that's how it's always been. Has someone confused a blind trust thinking that assets in it are longer those of the grantor (official)? That they donated them away?
The real objective of a blind trust is that the official, and others, don't know what his/her money is invested in. Of course the official will personally benefit if the trustee invests the assets well. And no, the official doesn't 'lose' the assets, merely gives up control and 'knowledge'.
This (Trump's) will not be a blind trust and cannot be because existing laws make that impossible.
If the blind trust sells stock the fact it was sold remains unknown. The sale is not public knowledge. It is not required under law to be public information. It cannot be found out by others.
You sell a building it is required by law to be entered into public records at the courthouse. The sale cannot be kept secret. If a sale were to happen it would be immediately picked up and broadcast in every business publication and on every cable news channel. It will be widely publicized instantly. Completely the opposite with stock.
When stock is sold no one knows who bought it. E.g., no one can claim I bought the President's Apple stock. Stock is fungible. Apple stock sales from people all over the world go into one big 'pot'. Purchases by people all over the world come out of that 'pot'. No one knows whose stock they purchased. Somebody buys Trump's building(s) it is recorded in the public records and everyone can see who purchased that property.
If some low level diplomat claiming to have spent the night in one of Trump's thousands of hotel rooms gets your panties in a bunch wait until a rich Saudi or Russian buys one Trumps buildings and brags about it.
The situation is what it is. If you don't like you shouldn't have voted for Trump.
And this whole issue should have been raised a year ago (if not prior). It's simply too damn late now. Forcing the sale of Trump's assets now causes the exact kind of conflict of interest problems you people claim to be so worried about.
Fern
