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As a candidate for president, Donald Trump used to promise cheering crowds at stop after stop on the campaign trail that if he won the election he would be too busy to play golf or visit his properties. “I love golf,” Trump told supporters in Portsmouth, N.H., in February 2016, “But if I were in the White House, I don’t think I’d ever see Turnberry again. I don’t think I’d ever see Doral again — I own Doral in Miami. I don’t think I’d ever see any of the places that I have… I just want to stay in the White House and work my ass off, make great deals.” 

To the contrary, President Trump has found time to visit his properties hundreds of times while in office, with time left over to lavish them with praise in official remarks, and to reward his paying customers with privileged access to and positions in his administration. For nearly four years now, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that any claim of separation from his business was a lie, and coupled with his unprecedented decision not to divest his business empire before entering office, this empty promise has led to some of the most egregious examples of presidential corruption and conflicts of interest ever raised by a modern president.

Since day one, CREW has been tracking President Trump’s conflicts of interest, showing how the line between the Trump Organization and the Trump administration has blurred so much that it is unclear where President Trump’s public responsibilities end and his private financial interests begin. Unlike any other modern president, Trump has forced the American people to ask if the decisions and policies his administration is implementing are because they’re the best policies for the nation, or because they personally benefit him — either by helping his businesses directly or the special interests spending money there.

The numbers are truly staggering. As of September 21, President Trump has racked up 3,403 conflicts of interest. The list reads like an instruction manual for how not to drain the swamp: 

• President Trump has visited his businesses 503 times, and 303 of these visits have been made to golf courses. This year alone he has visited 7 properties 74 times in total. The days that he has spent visiting properties account for a third of his presidency;
• 338 individual executive branch officials have visited Trump properties 885 times. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have visited Trump properties more than any other executive branch officials besides the president — 39 and 36 times, respectively. Following them are Vice President Mike Pence, Former Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin;
• 141 individual Members of Congress have visited Trump properties 344 times. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham tops this list with 27 visits, followed by Sen. Rand Paul, and Reps. Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, and Kevin McCarthy. The majority of these visits (284) have been to the Trump Hotel in D.C.;
• 145 foreign officials from 75 governments have visited Trump properties. More Turkish officials have visited than representatives of any other country;
• 69 state officials from 34 states have visited Trump properties, including 18 governors. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida tops the list;
• In total, public officials from Congress, the executive branch, and foreign and state governments have made 2,014 visits to Trump properties; 
• Conveniently located just blocks away from the White House, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. is the most popular property for federal, state, and foreign government officials to visit. Public officials have visited the property 973 times. Mar-a-Lago is next with 385 visits, followed by Trump National Bedminster with 181 visits, Trump National Golf Club in Virginia with 138, and Trump National Golf Club West Palm Beach with 110 visits from public officials;
• The President has taken many opportunities to use his office for free advertising for his many properties. White House officials including Trump have used their platform to promote Trump businesses 426 times, often in their official capacities. Trump specifically has mentioned his properties in speeches and interviews 338 times;
• Special interest groups, political groups, and foreign governments have held a combined 231 events at Trump properties during Trump’s presidency. Special interests have hosted or sponsored 130 events at Trump properties during Trump’s presidency. Trump administration officials and Republican members of Congress often attend special-interest events at Trump properties, granting these interests invaluable access, often behind closed doors, in exchange for a large payment to President Trump’s businesses. Forty-eight administration officials, including 13 Cabinet members, have attended a special interest event at a Trump property, and 41 members of Congress have gone to one;
• Political groups have hosted 88 events at Trump properties since Trump took office. Whereas prior to his run for president, Trump businesses were never paid more than $100,000 by political groups in a single year, they have taken in millions of dollars in political spending each year since he ran. The president’s businesses have raked in $23.2 million from political groups since Trump announced his run for office in 2015 and $9.7 million since he took office. Political groups have paid $3.2 million to the Trump hotel in Washington, $2 million to the Trump National Doral, and $1.2 million to Mar-a-Lago. The top spenders are Trump’s own campaign, the RNC, and a joint fundraising entity that raises money to those two groups, which, together, have spent more than $20 million. None of these totals include untold amounts spent by dark money groups that generally don’t have to report such spending;
• Though many of Trump’s best customers are his own political groups and those in his immediate orbit, political spending at Trump properties is widespread. More than 200 conservative and Republican political groups have made a payment to one, and more than three dozen of those have paid more than $10,000. These giant payments to the president’s businesses have afforded groups that sponsor events at Trump properties access to high ranking officials. President Trump himself has attended 31 of them, and Vice President Pence has gone to another 15. Eight cabinet officials have attended 22 political events at the president’s properties, and 67 members of Congress have attended one or more;
• Foreign governments or foreign government-linked groups have hosted 13 events at the president’s hotels and resorts during the Trump presidency. These events have brought 67 foreign officials and 20 Trump administration officials to the president’s properties;
• Despite Trump’s promise that there would be a separation between the White House and Trump Organization during his administration, the president has continued to be involved with the Trump Organization. He has apparently retained the power to make decisions for his businesses while in office and has persistently given his paying customers privileged access and information. Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has sought to highlight its proximity to power as a marketing tool;
• While Trump swore against pursuing foreign deals while in office, 67 trademarks have been granted to the Trump Organization from foreign governments. China has granted 46 trademarks to Trump’s company, more than any country.

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