WASHINGTON ― The president’s eldest son is scheduled to appear at a business summit in New Delhi on Friday. He will speak just minutes before the prime minister of India. His remarks are titled “Reshaping Indo-Pacific Ties: The New Era of Cooperation.”
Will Donald Trump Jr. offer the country’s business leaders a peek into a new U.S.-India relationship in trade? Defense? Terrorism?
Don’t ask the United States government. It claims not to have any idea.
The State Department, usually an authority in matters concerning America’s relations with other countries, said it wasn’t involved with Trump Jr.’s trip, which appears to be primarily about marketing luxury apartments in new buildings that will be licensed to bear the Trump name.
“I’m not familiar with what is going to be the contents of the speech, or how it was put together,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a briefing Tuesday. “He is there as a private citizen, and I don’t have any comment beyond that.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders similarly said the trip is unrelated to government business. “My understanding is he is there in a personal capacity,” she said.
Critics of President Donald Trump’s ongoing ownership of his various branded businesses say the speech is a perfect example of the conflicts of interest he has created and that his family is taking advantage of.
“Don Jr. has continued to blur the lines between the Trump administration and the Trump Organization,” said Jordan Libowitz with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group. “He is touring Indian properties and selling off the opportunity to meet with him, while also delivering a speech on foreign policy at the same summit as the prime minister of India, all while under Secret Service protection on the taxpayer dime.” 
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