According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a kleptocrat is "A thief in a position of political power; a greedy or corrupt politician." First appearing in 1968, the term has usually been attributed to more corrupt governments typically in developing nations, nowadays we have our own stereotypical image of the American politician and kleptocracy, although, they should be (and usually are) able to resist this tendency.
"Kleptocracy” and “kleptocrat” have become buzzwords for this Presidential transition and have seen a recent surge in news reports. Over the past three decades, the words “kleptocracy” and “kleptocrat” appeared in the news fewer than 1,000 times. In just the past three months, one or the other has appeared over 1,000 times. Why bring this up now? We have an unprecedented possibility of kleptocracy in the United States. Donald Trump is, intentionally or unintentionally, entangling his business with the office of the Presidency. Again, his intents are unknown, but there's is a possibility of using his position for financial gain in his enterprises that are hard to ignore.
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Just last week he announced that he would not be selling his global hotel chain, and will continue to accept reservations paid for by foreign governments and donate those profits to the U.S. Treasury. All previous presidents in the modern era have sold their business interests before they assumed the office. But Trump thinks he has discovered a loophole: He will “donate all profits from foreign government payments made to his hotels to the United States Treasury,” his outside-the-Oval lawyer Sheri Dillon announced at a press conference on January 11.
The plan itself is flawed in that the hotels would still keep over 85 cents of every dollar foreign governments may spend there, the rest being donated to the Treasury Department, a tax-deductible contribution that ultimately benefits his business. This conflict of interest is not a non-issue, many foreign dignitaries may view staying at his hotel as a courtesy, making the problem cyclical.
The emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits anyone “holding any Office” from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind” from “a foreign state.” Furthermore, it prohibits the “acceptance” of gifts or emoluments from foreign governments. Rather than maintaining a safe distance from his business prospects, he has placed them in his own backyard, which happens to be on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
As explained in a recent New York Times piece, Trump's business ties could complicate the initiatives to stop kleptocratic behavior in other countries, quoting one nonprofit leader (a nonprofit that monitors corruption in Africa, no less) as saying “it’s a perfect scenario for kleptocrats in Africa to point to someone in the White House. They will compare themselves to Donald Trump.”
“Kleptocrat” and “kleptocracy” have been popping up in more articles as the country gears up for inauguration day, but both words should be used carefully when referring to nations or leaders who are not facing more formal accusations. As a brief disclaimer: opinion columns can get away with using those buzzwords, and I can't speak for the intentions of PEOTUS, nor do I claim to know them. But the repercussions of this issue is a reality we all have to face. “Innocent until proven guilty” applies to thieves big and small, even those in the spotlight.
