DK2 DONALD TRUMP'S 40 YEARS OF MOB TIES

TRUMP ETHICS

ETHICS IS BIG LEAGUE WHEN PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD.

Discussions of Mr. Trump's ethics have focused almost exclusively on potential conflicts of interest with respect to his business holdings. Trump critics invariably end such discussions by demanding Mr. Trump divest himself from all his companies and forbid his children from running his business empire. Those insisting on these requirements maintain that it would be unethical for Mr. Trump's businesses to become further enriched by his presidency. In this they are wrong.

Ethics is indeed a critical factor to a presidency, but this conflict-of-interest phobia and the fixation on monetary gain misses the mark. For one thing, the founding fathers assumed presidents would operate ethically so imposed no onerous restrictions on them. Why? They understood that the subject of ethics transcended mere monetary gain; that it implied working for the greater good and honestly serving the country and its people.

So what is ethics, really, and how does it apply to a president of the United States?

Ethics encompasses far more than potential conflicts of business interests. As it applies to to Mr. Trump, ethics refers to the decisions he makes and the actions he takes to improve the well being of each of the following:

Mr. Trump, himself,

His family and businesses,

The party and voters who brought him into power,

The other 72% of eligible voters who did not vote for him°°° (See Footnote),

All American citizens, businesses and institutions including those experiencing economic or social difficulties,

America's infrastructure, general business climate, and economy,

The many other country players (large and small) sharing the world stage,

Mankind as a whole,

America's and the world's natural resources and environments.

All of them must be considered, but in our 21st century world, there are often no perfect solutions. That's where ethics comes into play. An "ethical" action would be one that provided the most benefit to the greatest number of the above sectors and did the least harm to the fewest of them. It would not be unethical according to this formula for the Trump business empire to double in size during his presidency so long as he were truly serving the greater good and making decisions accordingly. Conversely, a total divestiture from all his business interests while pursuing a policy of cronyism for select friends and special interests (or throwing America and/or the world into war) would be fundamentally unethical and a betrayal of his office. 'America First' comes into play here. It may sound good, but in many instances it is unlikely to be ethical. It also bears a horrible resemblance to the motto that once catapulted the entire world into war: Germany above everyting else in the world.

What is Mr. Trump's ethics record? A study of his career shows scant evidence that he has ever been guided by an ethical compass. The preponderance of his actions, recounted in every history written about him -- including those he paid for and authorized -- show him to have worked almost exclusively for his own personal gain and self-enrichment. Many such specifics are chronicled in the MAFIA DON book, and Mr. Trump admitted this to be the case several times during his election campaign. Some examples: Mr. Trump apparently cared little for his shareholders (most of whom lost vast sums of money owning his corporate stock), for the people and institutions who lent him money, (whom he blackmailed into writing-off much of that debt), for the contractors hired to work on his projects (many of whom never got paid), for his customers (such as the disaffected Trump University students and those who bought into his failed construction projects), or for casualties resulting from some of his other less-than-honorable activities (such as the thousands of good people affiliated with the United States Football League or the tens of thousands of Atlantic City residents.)

Will he now rise above that past to meet his White House Moment and navigate by a more ethical star? To be a truly great leader, Mr. Trump will have to be an ethical leader. This is far from guaranteed and would require the courage to level with the American pepple and admit the lack of ethics displayed in his pre-presidential career. There's no way to get around this step; his closely guarded secrets are his biggest impediment. Here's why.

Ethics and transparency form a group of two. Unethical conduct and lack of transparency are the paving stones on the road to disaster. By systematically hiding important parts of his past, Mr. Trump is putting insurmountable roadblocks on his own path to success. We have all seen examples of this: the woman with a 'relationship problem' who kids herself that her secret lover is not affecting her relationship with her husband; the businessman stealing from his partner who suddenly finds his business blowing up; the country that covertly consorts with its enemies quickly earning the scorn and contempt of long-term allies. If he cannot admit to the things he caused 30 years ago, how can he be expected to be responsible for similar actions today? Only with transparency can Mr. Trump become an ethical and great president.

A display of courageous presidential ethics would have spectacular results. It would unite the country, inspire our allies, bring undecided countries into our camp, and make adversaries take pause. If Mr. Trump would just own up to his past and come clean, we could all put that past behind us and move forward--Americans are nothing if not forgiving. He would need to sever some Mafia ties (and maybe some Russian ones as well) but he is, after all, the President of the United States with the Secret Service to protect him.

A public display of Presidential ethics would guarantee a stellar Trump legacy. The alternative is sad. Of course he's had a long career and there are more than a few secrets to reveal. But Trump has nothing to lose and everything to gain by becoming more honest. It's not as if many would be shocked by revelations he might make. 80% of the American people and almost all the rest of the world already know or suspect. At the moment he's acting like the guy at the office having a sizzling affair with the boss and taking desperate measures to keep it hidden despite the fact that all the seemy details are so well known that they've become #1 topic of gossip at the coffee machine.

Presidential Ethics means Mr. Trump must make his revelations freely and at his own origination. If he won't, and the Justice Department has to get involved, he loses his opportunity to turn the horrible liability of his past into his greatest asset.

°°°Footnote: Mr. Trump received less than 63 million votes out of a total of 226 million eligible voters. That's less than 28%.