President-elect Donald Trump keeps control of his business empire

IT is customary for US presidential candidates to divest themselves of their business holdings before they assume office as president, or they put their assets into a blind trust. But apparently, Donald Trump is not ready to do either of those things. Instead, he is considering turning over his global real estate company to his two adult sons, but he intends to personally keep a stake in the business and he is resisting calls to divest himself of his holdings.

Under his present plan, Ivanka Trump, Mr. Trump’s elder daughter, would also take a leave of absence from the Trump organization in a sign that she is seriously considering moving to Washington with her husband, Jared Kusher, who intends to go with his father-in-law to Washington as an unpaid adviser. Ivanka Trump told the press that she plans on becoming an advocate for childcare.

Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric Trump, who grew up their father’s business and are currently serving as executive vice president, told the press that complaints about appearances of impropriety could be a continuing distraction for their father as he puts together his administration. Even though the law is on Mr. Trump’s side, there are no easy answers to that he should do about his massive financial holdings that are scattered across twenty countries.

If he keeps a stake in a company, questions about whether he is acting in the country’s interests or in his own business interest will be unavoidable.

Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and both of the Presidents Bush all held their assets in blind trusts while they were in office. For a trust to be truly blind, assets would have to be liquidated and Mr. Trump, who will be the wealthiest president in American history, would have to have no knowledge of how the proceeds were being invested.