A petition calling on President Trump to release his tax returns and provide more information about his separation from the Trump Organization has already surpassed the 100,000-signature threshold required to prompt an official response from the White House.
The petition, one of the first two created on the White House website after Trump took the oath of office and assumed control of the domain, demanded that the new administration “[i]mmediately release Donald Trump’s full tax returns, with all information needed to verify emoluments clause compliance.”
As of Saturday at noon, the petition had garnered 126,177 signatures.
Trump and his team have argued repeatedly that Trump’s victory in the presidential election is sufficient proof that the public does not care whether he publishes his tax returns. The president broke with longstanding tradition when he declined to release copies of his returns while running for office.
The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution has never been tested on matters related to the presidency, but Trump’s critics have suggested it could ensnare him due to the global nature of his business interest. That section of the Constitution bars government officials from accepting emoluments, or gifts and compensation, from foreign governments.
Some critics have questioned whether Trump would violate the Emoluments Clause by allowing foreign dignitaries to stay at his luxury hotels.
During his Jan. 11 press conference at Trump Tower, Trump said his plan to separate himself from his company included a provision that would require his hotels to donate foreign hotel profits to the U.S. Treasury.
Another petition calling on Trump to “divest or put in a blind trust” on his far-flung financial holdings had attracted 36,898 signatures by noon on Saturday.
