Charles P. Pierce: Today in Priorities: Presidential* Edition

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http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a52944/trump-nordstrom-feud/

Today in Priorities: Presidential* Edition

The First Family is enterprising—that's for sure.
By Charles P. Pierce
Feb 8, 2017


The president* had a lot on his mind this morning, so he reached out "over the heads of the elite media directly to the people" to make his case.

My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!

I know, I know. Shiny object. Look at the real issues. But, honest to blog, are we all really expected to accept as normal the President of the United States shilling for his daughter's clothing line in a dispute against an individual retailer? Do I have to learn how to spell "emoluments" again? Yeah, I guess I do.

From The Washington Post:

The Department of Defense is seeking to rent space in President Trump's New York skyscraper, Trump Tower, a move that could directly funnel government money into the president's business interests. The U.S. military agency is "working through appropriate channels . . . to acquire a limited amount of leased space in Trump Tower," Lt. Col. J.B. Brindle, a Pentagon spokesman, told The Washington Post in a statement late Tuesday.

But, back to the First Daughter, her networking is starting to pay off in a lot of different directions. From The Financial Times:

The president's daughter was a trustee of Grace and Chloe Murdoch, Mr Murdoch's children by his ex-wife Wendi Deng, during the campaign. The two girls, aged 15 and 13, hold shares worth close to a combined $300m in the two media groups, which are controlled by Mr Murdoch and his family, and an additional interest in Murdoch companies worth more than $2bn. A spokesman for Mr Murdoch declined to comment on Ms Trump's role on a five-person trustee board, which was confirmed by several people briefed on the situation who said she was a trustee for several years. A spokesperson for Ms Trump told the Financial Times that she stepped down from the board on December 28.

Gee, if I were running for president, I might find a certain advantage in having my daughter help manage the trusts of the daughters of a major media mogul who already was predisposed to support my candidacy. I swear, it's like we elected the Clampetts, if the Clampetts were grifters. They should just put the brand on the Truman Balcony now and put us out of our misery.