After outcry, Trump Jr.’s foreign policy speech changed to ‘fireside chat’
new delhi — As criticism mounted that the American president’s eldest son was pushing an ethics boundary by making a foreign policy speech at an Indian business summit, conference organisers hurriedly changed the speech’s title.
Donald Trump Jr. was slated to speak on Friday evening on “Reshaping Indo-Pacific Ties: The Era of Cooperation.”
But a few hours before he was set to speak, the agenda for the Global Business Summit had changed, announcing instead “A Fireside Chat with Donald Trump Jr. “
With summer already approaching, it’s already far too warm to be lighting cozy fires in New Delhi.
The summit, where Trump Jr. is sharing space with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is part of his whirlwind trip promoting Trump-brand luxury real estate.
Critics had said that Trump Jr. airing his views on international relations, especially while sharing a platform with senior Indian government officials, was problematic because of the implication that he has his father’s ear.
“I am concerned that Mr Trump’s speech will send the mistaken message that he is speaking on behalf of the president, the administration or the United States government, not as a private individual, or that he is communicating official American policy,” Sen. Robert Menendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a letter earlier this week to the US Embassy in New Delhi.
Menendez said he expects that
trump Jr. is a private individual and neither the State department nor the White House has provided any support for this trip beyond coordinating with his Secret Service protection Lindsay E. Walters, White House spokeswoman
the US State Department and the embassy will treat Trump Jr. like any other American on private business and “will take every effort to avoid any perception of special treatment or a conflict of interest.”
On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Lindsay E. Walters said the Trump administration “takes seriously its obligation to ensure that government resources are not used to provide a private benefit to anyone.”
“Donald Trump Jr. is a private individual and neither the State Department nor the White House has provided any support for this trip beyond coordinating with his Secret Service protection,” Walters said.
President Trump has pledged to stay away from any new foreign business deals during his term in office to avoid potential ethical conflicts. While the projects that Trump Jr. is promoting in India were inked before his father was elected, ethics experts have long seen the use of the Trump name to promote even existing business ventures as tricky territory. —