When Donald Trump makes a foreign policy decision that intersects with his business interests, which one takes precedence?
As the Washington Post writes: “How much income does Trump derive from Trump Towers Istanbul? Does that play into his thinking as he tries to balance the interests and desires of two U.S. allies that are in conflict? At the very least, we should know the extent of his financial interests in Turkey.“
But, the bottom line is we don’t know. And in a Trump world where all stories intersect, the decision by a New York judge to force the president to turn over his tax returns may be the only way we’ll ever find out.
Trump Towers Istanbul is two towers, one a 200-unit residence and the other an office building. According to the New York Times, Trump doesn’t actually own the buildings, but he leases naming rights to a Turkish owner in exchange for a fee. How much? We don’t know.
In this 2015 radio interview, Trump admits to having a conflict of interest in Istanbul:
“I have a little conflict of interest, because I have a major, major building in Istanbul…It’s called Trump Towers. Two towers, instead of one. Not the usual one, it’s two. And I’ve gotten to know Turkey very well.” -Donald Trump, 2015
This post contains analysis and opinion
