NEW DELHI -- Donald Trump Jr. said that any talk of his family profiting from his father's presidency is "nonsense" while on a visit to India that has raised ethical concerns about using the name of the American president to promote international business ventures.
The eldest son of President Donald Trump, who is in India to meet the promoters and buyers of Trump brand luxury homes in the country, said his family is actually missing out on business opportunities because his father pledged to conduct no new foreign business while he was in office.
Trump Jr., who along with his brother Eric now runs the Trump Organization, told Indian television channel CNBC-TV18 on Tuesday that when critics talk about them "profiteering from the presidency and all this nonsense" they forget about "the opportunity cost of the deals that we were not able to do."
"It's sort of a shame. Because we put on all these impositions on ourselves and essentially got no credit for actually doing that ... for doing the right thing," he added.
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For at least a week before Trump Jr. arrived in India on Tuesday, several major Indian newspapers carried glossy, front-page advertisements with the statement, "Trump has arrived. Have you?"
The ads promised that buyers who order apartments in a new Trump-brand luxury real estate development in a suburb of the Indian capital by today will get "a conversation and dinner" with Trump Jr. a day later.
The visit prompted U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey to ask if the embassy in New Delhi had provided any aid or guidance. Menendez, the ranking Democratic on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote that he expected the U.S. State Department and embassy would treat Trump Jr. like any other American on private business and "will take every effort to avoid any perception of special treatment or a conflict of interest."
In the letter to Ambassador Kenneth Juster, Menendez asked if diplomats had briefed Trump Jr. during his visit or provided any support staff. Menendez also asked Juster whether any steps were taken "to make clear to the Indian government and citizens of the country that Mr. Trump in no way speaks on behalf of the United States government."
The U.S. State Department said the embassy was supporting the Secret Service team responsible for Trump Jr. but otherwise had no role in his visit. It said that while the State Department assists with booking hotels and other travel arrangements, such costs are paid by the requesting agencies, such as the Secret Service.
Trump Jr. is expected to visit and promote business in all the Trump-brand projects across four Indian cities. The Trump Organization has licensing agreements with all its Indian business partners. They build the properties and acquire the Trump name in exchange for a fee.
With five projects in India, the country is the brand's largest market outside the U.S.
A Section on 02/22/2018