Trump attended two golf tournaments at his own clubs in one week, and ethics experts say the public has no idea how much his family is making from it

President Donald Trump attended two major golf tournaments held at his own clubs within a single week, raising fresh concerns from ethics experts about how much his family is making from these events. The 79-year-old president’s back-to-back appearances have brought renewed attention to the mixing of his presidency with his private business interests.

Trump first attended the LIV Golf Tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, where he was seen waving to the crowd with his son Eric Trump. Just days before that, he had flown to Florida to attend the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami.

According to The Daily Beast, Richard Painter, a corporate law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said: “We’re troubled by the fact that the president is using his position to promote his own business interests. This is just going to be the tip of the iceberg, and the message has been said all over the world that if you want to get along with the Trump administration, do business with the Trump family or with his golf courses or with his son.”

Trump’s business ties to Saudi Arabia raise serious questions about his priorities as president

Trump’s golf clubs have long been used as venues for LIV Golf events. This is significant because the tour is backed mainly by Saudi Arabia’s government, which has faced accusations of human rights violations. The Trump administration has previously said his assets are managed by his children and that no conflicts of interest exist.

However, ethics experts disagree. Kathleen Clark, a law professor in government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, said: “Saudi Arabia is a murderous, authoritarian, anti-democratic region. 

And for the president to be willing to cut business deals with them on ventures like the LIV Tour is a really nice example about what his priorities are.” Critics have also noted that Trump has repeatedly used controversial distraction tactics during his presidency to shift public attention away from issues like these.

The golf events add to a growing list of conflict-of-interest concerns. These include a $400 million luxury jet that Trump accepted from Qatar, and his efforts to build a close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while his family continues doing business with that government.

Questions have also been raised about how much taxpayer money is being spent on Trump’s travel and security for these trips. According to a HuffPost analysis, Trump has spent over $17.7 million in taxpayer money on travel and security during his second term. 

That includes a $9.7 million trip to Scotland last summer for the opening of a golf course at his resort in Aberdeen. This comes amid wider concerns about how many more years Trump could remain in power, with some pointing to his own recent comments about being in office for eight or nine more years.

Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for a watchdog group, said: “It’s a clear conflict of interest, and it’s something that the American people should be concerned about. The president is using his office to promote his own financial interests, and that’s not what we expect from our leaders.”

Don Heider, executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, called on lawmakers to act. “Where are the ethics of all the members of the Senate and the House? Why are they so afraid of political pressure they won’t speak up and tell the truth consistently and hold this president accountable?” he said. 

He added: “It’s time for Congress to take action and hold the president accountable for his actions. We need to make sure that the president is putting the interests of the American people first, not his own financial interests.”