Private Citizens and Foreign Policy

Donald Trump Jr., son of the President of the United States took a private business trip to India. However, during the trip, the president’s son is expected to “take a break from his promotional tour to give an address on reshaping Indo-Pacific Ties: The New Era of Cooperation”. He is to address the summit where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be in attendance. The Trump administration has been vocal in promoting the Indo-Pacific Ties, a stance that India considers illuminates their position globally. The Indo-Pacific Ties is seen as an opportunity for India and Japan to gain recognition in trade and to America, this partnership seems like a chance for the United States to achieve its aims and India is an important partner in achieving it. The support of this partnership is a response to the rise of China economically and militarily therefore the United States needs partnerships with like mined democratic countries in this region.

The issues under examination however is, Does the address by Donald Trump Jn. to the global business summit count as an official foreign policy activity? The United States Constitution restricts foreign policy powers to the Legislative and Executive branch. The purpose of the checks was intended to avoid plunging the country into foreign entanglements without popular consent. Private individuals have been barred from acting on behalf of the United States government. Although rarely used, The Logan Act is a 1799 law that calls for the fine or imprisonment of private citizens who attempt to intervene without authorization in disputes or controversies between the United States and foreign governments. So, is Donald Trump Jr’s behavior an intervention on relations between the United States and India? And if so, should he be held under the Logan Act of 1799? The White House has released statements stating that none of the activities engaged in by Donald Trump Jn. Are organized and coordinated by the government therefore all the activities were personal an unofficial.

To the current administration, the idea that Donald Trump Jr. is not acting as a government official could be clear, but what do the people of India and governments involved in the Indo-Pacific Ties think about what will be said in the summit? To the attendees of the summit, Donald Trump Jr. is directly associated with the United States administration as the President’s son therefore it is correct to assume that those government officials will consider whatever he says as the official United States position on the issue.

Trump Jr. is a private citizen since he has no official position in the current government. He left for India on a mission to promote private business and it could argued that due to his name, it is hard to separate him while taking part in private business, to his father’s name which has an official connotation to it. Should he have turned down the opportunity to address the global business summit to avoid a conflict of interest? I choose to say yes, although this would reflect badly to the United States. Deciding not to speak at the summit would save him from criticism for carrying out official business during a private trip. The people of India have made it an issue of importance for the son of the President of the United States to arrive in New Delhi, India and due to the importance of the Indo-Pacific Ties: The New Era of Cooperation to the people of India they expect that the one American in their country would address the issue if given the chance.

Regardless of the fear of what India and all other official individual present in the summit would perceive, Donald Trump Jr. should have restricted the visit to private business. He stated that his visit was meant to promote the family’s real estate projects. By him giving an official foreign policy speech, he is acting on behalf of the United State government. If he is perceived as a government official, then his private business is related to the United States therefore benefiting from the United States administration. Considering that the President stepped down from the family business to avoid entanglement between his private and official duties, neither should members of his family be involved in both sectors. Private citizens have no business in the United States Foreign Policy affairs, this is a role Constitutionally reserved to the Legislative and Executive branches both of which need checks. Therefore, it would be advisable for Donald Trump Jr. to stay away from foreign policy roles since he is a private citizen and on a private trip.