What are the allegations of corruption against Joe Biden and Donald Trump?

Donald Trump's business activities represent profitable conflicts of interest

Question: What are the allegations of corruption against Joe Biden and Donald Trump?
Position‹2 of 2: Corruption allegations against Donald Trump
Argument1 of 4›: Donald Trump's business activities represent profitable conflicts of interest

Donald Trump has not given up his business interests whilst president, and has received millions of dollars from foreign sources, including from many states with which the US is politically involved with. This represents a clear conflict of interest.

The argument

Donald Trump, unlike presidents before him, has retained ownership of many of his businesses and continues to profit from them. It is reported that he earned $73 million from foreign sources during his first two years as president - he has business interests in over 30 countries. These earnings are from his golf resorts in Scotland and Ireland, as well as from states where the US has significant foreign policy interests - he received $3 million from the Philippines, $2.3 million from India and $1 million from Turkey. Officially, Trump has handed the management of his businesses to his sons Eric and Donald Jr., who have pursued opportunities around the world, including in Scotland, Indonesia and India. Trump and his sons have also used taxpayers money on travel and security on business visits to Trump properties. The problem here is that by having so many business interests around the world, Trump might be tempted to act in his private business interests, not those of the American people who elected him. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law owns a 25% stake in Cadre, which benefitted from tax breaks introduced in 2017. The fact that the Trump family continues to earn millions of dollars whilst in office suggests that private interests are a driver of policy. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have counted over 3,000 conflicts of interest involving Donald Trump.

Premises

[P1]A president who retains ownership of global businesses has financial incentives that can conflict with the public interest. [P2] Trump has kept ownership of businesses in over 30 countries, earning tens of millions from foreign sources while in office, including from states with major US foreign policy stakes. [P3] Watchdogs have documented thousands of conflicts of interest involving Trump and his family, including policy decisions like 2017 tax breaks that benefited their holdings. [C] Therefore, Trump's business activities constitute profitable conflicts of interest that amount to corruption.

Counter-arguments

There is no legal obligation for Trump, as president, to give up his business interests. Trump said “the law’s totally on my side, the president can’t have a conflict of interest”. It is only convention that presidents give up their involvement with private businesses, so Trump has not done anything wrong in handing operations over to family members.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] A potential conflict is not itself corruption. The premise establishes an incentive structure; the conclusion requires showing that some decision was actually taken for private gain. [Rejecting P2] Foreign revenue is not by itself evidence of influence. A resort's takings track the business rather than any policy, and the figures cited include ordinary commercial income from countries with no identified demand attached to it. [Rejecting P3] The tally comes from an advocacy organisation applying its own criteria, and the tax provision named was part of broad legislation benefiting a large class of investors. Divestment is a convention rather than a legal requirement, which is precisely the ground the defence stands on.