Antonio, who founded the Philippines-China Business Council in 2005 as special envoy to Beijing, says he sees no conflict between his public role and personal partnership.
“My role is to expand relations between the two countries,” he said. Of his business ties to Trump, he said: “I believe it could be an asset.”
Antonio said he visited Trump Tower in New York a number of days after the US election; he hasn’t spoken to the president-elect, Antonio said, but he has seen Trump talking to potential candidates. Asked about his relationship, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks replied: “They haven’t met.”
Regardless, Antonio’s dual role as a personal business partner and official government envoy underscores the worldwide scale of potential conflicts facing Trump and his family even before he’s sworn in because the forty fifth president. Questions arose in two cases: According to media reports, Trump took a break from transformation discussions to satisfy with three business partners who’re constructing Trump-branded skyscrapers in India. On Monday, a spokesman for Argentine President Mauricio Macri denied the reports Nation newspaper that in a post-election phone call with Macri, Trump asked for help obtaining permits for an actual estate project in Buenos Aires.
Trump dismissed concerns a couple of potential conflict of interest. “Before the election, it was common knowledge that I had real estate interests around the globe,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday evening. “Only the dishonest media makes a big deal out of it!”
Few laws govern how U.S. presidents must conduct their personal business affairs. Presidents are exempt from the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, an exception based on the idea that presidents shouldn’t worry about launching ethics investigations when making difficult decisions.
Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump adviser, said that while Trump’s extensive business interests mean “we live in unprecedented times,” she is receiving advice from “various lawyers, accountants and advisers who tell him what he can and can’t do.” to do”. I’m sure he is not breaking any laws.”
The U.S. Constitution prohibits government officials, including presidents, from accepting payments or gifts from foreign governments or taking advantage of an organization with ties to a foreign government – but Trump’s take care of Antonio is unlikely to violate that provision, said Robert Kelner, chairman of the campaign committee and political law practice at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC.
“If a foreign government hadn’t funneled funds through this company to Donald Trump, I do not think the emoluments clause can be relevant – that is a really distant issue,” he said.
There is nothing illegal about Trump’s dealings with Antonio as his special envoy for trade and economic policy and his business partner – however it creates unnecessary complications for American diplomacy, based on Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota law professor who was president George W. Bush’s chief ethics lawyer. The agreement implies that, as president, Trump could have to reply to requests from a business partner who paid him tens of millions, he added.
“We have a president in the Philippines who is clearly unstable,” Painter said of Duterte. “We do not want a situation in which the American president would be financially linked to his entire group of supporters. This will have an adverse impact on our policy and our ability to find a way to deal with Duterte and try to mend our relationship with the Philippines.”
Some analysts compared Duterte to Trump, but Duterte rejected the comparison.
The Trump Organization’s interests within the Philippines “could help smooth relations” between the 2 countries, said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia on the Council on Foreign Affairs.
These interests may develop. Antonio said he’s discussing additional projects within the Philippines’ resort and recreation sector with the Trump family. For now, nevertheless, Trump and Antonio are working together at Trump Tower in Century City in Makati, Manila’s financial district.
Measuring 280 meters, it’ll be one in every of the tallest buildings in town. Antonio said the tower will open within the second quarter of 2017; He has already sold all 250 apartments, he said.
Trump said he would avoid a conflict of interest if his eldest children, Donald Jnr, Eric and Ivanka, took over management of his businesses. Ethics experts, nevertheless, doubt whether such a move will effectively separate his private interests from his public duties. His kid’s involvement in transition planning raised further questions on the plan.
Antonio said he visited New York a number of days after Trump’s November 8 victory. He said he went to Trump Tower, where he saw the president-elect talking to several “cabinet candidates,” including Michael Flynn, who ultimately decided to grow to be national security adviser.
Although he didn’t speak on to the president-elect during this visit, he told Antonio that he had spoken to members of Trump’s family. Hicks and Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jnr, didn’t reply to emails looking for comment sent after normal business hours on Monday about conversations with members of the family.
Antonio said he first met Trump in 1990 in New York through a mutual friend. Their children know one another, he added. Antonio’s 39-year-old son, Robbie, is a listed resident of Trump Tower in New York and is an actual estate investor and art collector. Function in Vanity fair “The Museum of Me” magazine from 2013 detailed how he commissioned a series of his portraits from famous artists, including Julian Schnabel. Robbie Antonio didn’t reply to requests for comment.
Century Properties is understood for its branding deals with global brands including American star Paris Hilton and Versace; commissioned French designer Philippe Starck to design skyscrapers in Manila. Ivanka Trump promotes her jewelry on an organization website promoting a Trump-branded tower. Antonio said he hopes to see one in every of Trump’s children on the tower’s opening ceremony next yr.
The company will not be resistant to weakness in the luxurious residential real estate market. Vacancies in luxury apartments in Makati’s central business district rose to about 13 percent within the three months ending in September from 9.8 percent within the second quarter, broker Colliers International estimates. Century real estate sales fell to 4.19 billion pesos ($84 million) within the nine months to September from 6.62 billion a yr ago. The decline “might be attributed to a significant slice of revenues generated in 2015 and prior years from accomplished projects, in addition to lower pre-sales and recent project launches,” Century Properties said.
Antonio said owners of Trump-branded properties in Manila are “probably very completely happy” that Trump won the election and that the skyscraper is now named after the longer term US president. “He hopes Trump will still make time for him when he takes office,” Antonio said, but either way he expects to stay near the remainder of the family. “We are cooperating with everyone – Donald and the children,” he said. “I believe he’ll be very busy at his recent job now.”
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: Manila Benefits from Trump Connection
