Donald Trump has an "aching thirst to monetize the presidency," according to the president elect's own biographer.
Tim O'Brien, who spent massive amounts of time with Trump before writing TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, appeared on MSNBC on Saturday to discuss Trump's recent transition moves.
O'Brien, who has previously commented on how he perceives that Trump's brain is "degrading," was asked about the items Trump sells on his social media site, Truth Social.
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Saying Trump is preparing to "fatten his wallet" in the new administration, O'Brien notes that the former and incoming president's habit of selling merchandize with his name on it is "low-hanging fruit."
The writer said that private citizens are given broad discretion to engage in legitimate LLC transactions, but that Trump is taking things to a new level.
"There is a lot of freedom there," he said, noting that the founders "never anticipated someone would enter the White House both with his wallet wide open and with the aching thirst to monetize the presidency."
"So, when you don't have transparency about who the investors are or who the beneficiaries are in these LLCs, it raises an obvious financial conflict of interest that voters and policymakers should be concerned about."