Will the government fight Trump's corruption? This will be the first test.

What Trump hotel's landlord does on Jan. 20 is immensely important

Trump and his family open the Trump International hotel in DC.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Gary Cameron)

It's no secret that President-elect Donald Trump's sprawling business empire comes with an avalanche of potential conflicts of interests. The possibilities range across at least 20 countries, from regulators overseeing the banks that loaned money to his companies, to foreign officials that could be pressed into changing policies to help his real estate deals. When Trump assumes the presidency, he will enjoy a vertiginous array of chances to indulge in self-dealing.

The question now is: What will American institutions do about it? Will regulators, officials, agencies, activists, watchdogs, and reporters implicitly accept these conflicts of interests as a new normal? Or will they resist? The growing fracas around the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., will provide an important initial test.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.