The Trump business empire spans more than 140 companies, with interests in at least 25 countries, according to filings with United States regulators — raising fears the President-elect's commercial interests could taint decision-making on both domestic and foreign policy.
"Whatever decisions his government might reach with regards to either domestic policy or overseas policy, people will inevitably point the finger and say he is protecting and extending his business interests and the Trump brand rather than the United States of America," Professor Clarke said.
Mr Trump proposes that his sons will run the Trump organisation under a trust structure and says he will play no part in the business while he is president.
"Don and Eric are going to be running the company, they are going to run it in a very professional manner, they are not going to discuss it with me," he told reporters at his recent press conference.
But the director of the United States Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, said this was wholly inadequate, and that Mr Trump must either appoint an independent party to sell his business interests or establish a genuine blind trust without any involvement of members of the Trump family.
"This is not a blind trust, it's not even close, the only thing it has in common with a blind trust is the word trust," Mr Shaub said at a Brooking Institutions address on January 11.
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