We do not exist as a nation to enrich the president

President-elect Trump’s inevitable tsunami of conflicts of interest has already begun. Traditionally, the president puts his business interests into a blind trust, which operates outside the sphere of his knowledge or personal preferences.

The reason for doing this is so the nation may be reassured that the president is not making policy decisions on behalf of the country that are in any way motivated by what may, or may not, benefit him personally. In other words, we do not exist as a nation to enrich the president.

Instead of using a blind trust, Trump has assured us that his children are totally capable of handling the vast array of his businesses, their assets, their debts, their obligations, their plans to make money in the future, and also keep their father, our president, insulated from the day-to-day workings of Trump World.

Now, two things have happened. Donald Trump has announced that No. 1: He is depending on his three oldest children to be senior advisers to him, and No. 2, as his advisers, he wants all three to be given Top Secret security clearances so they can also attend the national security briefings that, as president, he now receives.

Does anyone else have a problem with this?

I guess President Trump can appoint anyone he wants as advisers, but, there is no blind trust. It’s his children who are supposed to be the ones keeping him insulated from the family business, so he may prioritize the business of the United States of America and not attend to matters that affect his own profits. Really? His children?

Although just typing this still makes me feel ill, Donald Trump is going to be President of the United States. This is the very definition of conflict of interest, and it is only the beginning. Trump voters, you got what you wanted. You own this thing. Try not to let him grab America by its private parts, while he attempts to do this job.

Rebecca Wright is a resident of Kailua-Kona