Trump vows to leave his business ‘in total’

“I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country,” Trump said, saying he will hold a press conference with his children on Dec. 15 to explain the decision.

“While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses,” he added.

The president and vice president are exempt from the conflict of interest laws that apply to most federal employees.

Even so, Trump has faced mounting pressure to address the issue of his business given the nature and scope of its far-flung holdings, which include Trump-branded properties around the world.

“[L]egal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations,” Trump said on Wednesday. “The Presidency is a far more important task!”

Trump has previously proposed an arrangement that would leave his three eldest children in control of his business when he takes office.

Some government watchdogs have questioned whether doing so would properly eliminate conflicts of interest given his children’s involvement in the transition process and, potentially, his White House.