President's son singled out for hypocritical corruption 'signal' he's sending from China

Yet another conflict of interest is blossoming in plain sight in the Trump administration, Zeeshan Aleem warned in an analysis for MS NOW — this time centering on Eric Trump's involvement in a state visit to China.

"It’s going to be a high-stakes visit, during which he’s likely to discuss trade, fentanyl trafficking, and Iran policy with Chinese President Xi Jinping. And for some reason he’s bringing along his son Eric Trump," wrote Aleem. "Eric Trump is not a member of his father’s administration. He’s the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, whose holdings include real estate properties and blockchain."

The Trump administration, for its part, insists everything is aboveboard, that Eric Trump is just coming along in his “personal capacity as a supportive son,” and that he doesn't have business interest in China.

But all of this still stinks, Aleem wrote: "This trip creates all kinds of possibilities for deal-making that could undermine the public interest. And we know Trump knows this, too — if for no other reason than his obsession with slamming the Biden family for Hunter Biden accompanying then-Vice President Joe Biden to China."

Eric Trump has already come under scrutiny for his deals to create World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm that stands to gain big from the Trump administration's financial policies. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, Aleem noted.

"Donald Trump has made his second term unfathomably corrupt, and he has brazenly profited off his presidency," Aleem continued. "Trump has a media company, several cryptocurrency businesses, and opaque merchandise businesses. He has reportedly insinuated to oil executives that his policies are for sale. He has secured money from legal settlements that look more like tributes to a king than reasonable financial or legal agreements." All told, The New Yorker believes the Trump family has profited by at least $4 billion through abusing their access to the presidency, although some of Trump's business partners dispute these figures.

Ultimately, Aleem concluded, "Eric Trump’s decision to accompany his father doesn’t just look inappropriate, it looks like a signal for investors. Why else bring Eric Trump along on a state visit? He could always visit on his own, privately. But then there would be less opportunity to further blur the line between private and public interests, and less opportunity for Trump’s family members to line their pockets."