Donald Trump's business empire is a complex web of companies and trusts.  Many people think he stepped back from his businesses when he became president.  But, a recent filing with British regulators tells a different story.  The filing shows that Trump still has significant control over his business empire.

The filing identifies Trump as someone with influence over Golf Recreation Scotland Limited.  This is the company that owns Trump Turnberry, a golf resort in Scotland.  The resort hosted four British Opens before Trump bought it in 2014.  The filing also reveals that Trump has control over the trust that holds most of his assets.

The trust is called the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust.  It owns Golf Recreation Scotland Limited and many other assets in Trump's empire.  The filing states that Trump has the right to exercise significant influence or control over the trust.  This means that Trump can make big decisions about his businesses, even if he's not involved in day-to-day operations.

During Trump's first term, his son Don Jr. and executive Allen Weisselberg were the trustees of the trust.  Eric Trump was the chairman of the advisory board.  The trustees had the right to exercise significant influence or control over the company.  But, Trump was still the one calling the shots.  He delegated authority to his children and executives, but he retained ultimate power.

Trump has always been involved in his businesses.  Even when he promised to step back, he couldn't help but assert control.  For example, in 2017, Trump hosted a press conference to highlight his moves to hand things off to his heirs.  But, at the end of the event, he said, "I hope at the end of eight years, I’ll come back and say, ‘Oh, you did a good job. ’ Otherwise, if they do a bad job, I’ll say, ‘You’re fired. ’”  This shows that Trump still saw himself as the boss of his businesses.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said that the filing was a simple administrative update.  But, the filing shows that Trump has been in control of his businesses all along.  Despite efforts to make it seem otherwise, Trump has always had a hidden hand in his business empire.

There are many questions about Trump's business empire.  For example, how much is he really worth?  Trump's social-media venture accounts for more than half of his estimated $5 billion net worth.  But, it's hard to know for sure because Trump's businesses are so complex.  It's also unclear how much control Trump has over his businesses now that he's out of office.  But, one thing is clear: Trump has always been involved in his businesses, and he's not about to give up control anytime soon.

Trump's Hidden Hand in His Business Empire

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