The kerfuffle over Nordstroms cancelling Ivanka Trumps line highlights what I believe to be the biggest fault Trump has - his lack of grace, couth, and not knowing where he has no authority. Naturally, and rightly so, the media has attacked him and will no doubt continue to go over his behaviors with a fine-toothed, SJW comb. But the problem with Ivanka's clothing line made me realize something about the Trump presidency, and more so his children.
They're not losers.
And not only are they not losers, they're entrepreneurs.
This begets a whole host of potential conflicts of interest, back room dealing, and speculation about nepotism, but it also highlights a problem the American public has not had to deal with when it comes to presidential children in the past. Since Trump has trained his children to be businessmen, women, and entrepreneurs, this otherwise admirable trait, by necessity will call into question whether their dad is pulling strings for them or not. Every business move they make, every investment they take, America will be watching them. And there will always be the specter that Trump is somehow unfairly benefiting them through the office of the president.
But let's think about this for a second.
Had Trump's kids been the mere trust fund baby, spoiled brats that previous presidents' children have been, would America have batted an eye? Admittedly, a lot of this has to do with the fact that Trump is older and his children are adults (contrasted to say the Clinton's, Obama's, and Bush Jr's children), but if Trump's kids had been the typical blue blood losers and NOT the movers and shakers he brought them up to be, would their entrepreneurial endeavors even be in the news?
The truth is Trump should not be disgracing the office of the presidency by getting involved in his childrens' businesses. But the fact they have businesses in the first place to even get involved in is a step up from the "Chelsea the Magic 26 Year Old Hedge Fund Manager Clinton" or the Bush Trust Fund League children that we're typical of seeing in American politics.
Missing the historical framing. Up until the postwar period it was not unheard of for a President to deal both in his business and the politics. Washington did not turn Mt. Vernon into a museum just because he took the oath of office. Even W. Wilson kept ties with his old alma mater when he was president. The whole idea of 'conflict of interest' is a relatively new concept vis a vis the presidency. It is certainly not something that holds sway in Congress by the way -- They are richer when they leave than when they entered.
ReplyDeleteTrump may be many things good or bad but I don't think he is up for a bribe. Lord, he has more money than he will ever need even at his lavish style. "A man will pay any price to put the first shirt on his back. He is more discerning about the second."
As a father Trump seems to have done a great job raising children to not have the problems like drugs and whoring around like other 1% kids seem to have.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be good for wealthy fathers to try and see what he is doing differently.
I think it's quite possible Nordstrom dumped Ivanka's line for the reason they stated; it wasn't moving merch. They signed her due to all the attention, and kept her thinking that regardless of the outcome of the election all that attention would be free advertising - but after all that, the stuff ain't moving. The product might not be that good, and even attaching a famous name won't help. Remember ''Trump Steaks'', ''Trump Vodka'' and ''Trump: The board game''? Those all flopped.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, there are a substantial number of potential customers that hate Trump's guts - and that matters for sales.
The Subway chain probably took a hit over Jared Fogle. Martha Stewart did no favors for Kmart (but to be fair, Kmart's been slowly dying for the past 20 years, and may finally kick the bucket this year), Tiger Woods, since his girl troubles (and the decline in performance in pro golf because of it) isn't helping Nike - who've dropped it's whole golf merch line over it.
As you said, Trump's between a rock and a hard place here, any indication (accurate or not) that he helped his kids will used against him - but there's really no way to separate or distance himself from his kids either, short of one or more being a total fuckup that is.
"The truth is Trump should not be disgracing the office of the presidency"
ReplyDeleteHa, the entire Federal govt is a disgrace to liberty, decency, and the Constitution.
Speaking of Nordstrom, has anyone taken a look at its stock lately? It seems the boycott may be having some effect.
ReplyDeleteOne word describes my biggest concern about Trump: petty. He really needs to stop venting off on every little thing on Twitter and save the platform for when something important is being censored by the MSM.
ReplyDeleteYou'd better believe I'm watching the Trump kids and the family business ...
ReplyDeleteBecause if I see them divesting from the larger cities, moving out of New York, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea what's coming next.
They're my canary in this coal mine.
It's more like we're finally seeing what the real purpose of these supposed ethics and conflict of interest laws actually is- to keep the political class in power. Clearly nobody that has ever worked in the private sector will ever be completely free from some perceived interest in the economy, and the attacks on Trump's cabinet nominees serve as a clear demonstration that the political elite are out to protect their own established channels to gaining political power.
ReplyDelete