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Separate. Totally separate.

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Remember when conflicts of interest, apparent and actual, mattered? Remember when being the president of the United States was considered an act of patriotic service not a business opportunity? That time in American history has passed. Donald Trump is the president, and along with hollowing out American norms, institutions, and reality, he is going to make money from being president. He is making money from being president. Mar-a-Lago, which Trump has dubbed the Winter White House, doubled its membership fee to $200,000 just days after the inauguration. And thats surely just the surface of the profiteeringshameless chump change compared to bigger, darker moves that have been hinted at by friends and family.

Trumpand his team of lawyers, financiers, and apologists, of coursewill point to stacks of paper and the fact that he appears to no longer be in control of the day-to-day operations of the Trump Organization as evidence that all is well. But, as a front-page story in the New York Times on Saturday outlines, Trump is still closely tied to his business interests; he still profits from them, and he still has ultimate control over them.

So lets just be clear about whats happening here: Donald Trump, temporary president of the United States, is still a businessman.

Original post:
Donald Trump Is Still in Control of His Business Empire - Slate Magazine (blog)