Meet the Trumps — the new first family, one like America has never seen before

THE new first family is one like America has never seen before but Donald Trump’s life is about to become a messy entanglement of business and political affairs.

Donald Trump watches the voting results with his team. Picture: Twitter/@IvankaTrump

THE Trump children are poised to take over the business empire of President elect Donald Trump and also act as his political confidantes, making them among the most powerful people in America.

Paving the way for a messy entanglement of business and political affairs, Mr Trump is expected to divest interest in his 500 companies — which stretch across nations of political significance like China and the Middle East — to his children.

Mr Trump has a net worth of US$3.7B, on Forbes estimates, sprawling across a major business portfolio of real estate, hotels, golf courses, casinos, model management, fragrances, private jet management and productions.

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Mr Trump is not prohibited by laws form continuing involvement in his international business empire at the same time as he runs the country as President, but political convention is to divest interests into blind trust.

Mr Trump has already signalled his children are in line for the job: “If I become president, I couldn’t care less about my company. It’s peanuts,” he said this year. “Run the company, kids. Have a good time.”

The new first family is one like America has never seen before.

The Trump children captured the attention of the presidential campaign with their good looks, refined oratory and glamorous lifestyles.

Even Hillary Clinton commended them last month as her rival’s greatest asset: “His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald,” she said.

Donald Trump with his first wife Marla Maples and Ivanka Trump. Picture: The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

The three eldest Trump children from Mr Trump’s first marriage to Ivana — Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr — have been high level personal advisers on the campaign trail and are senior executives at their father’s company.

The family has repeatedly described the business divesting arrangement as a “blind trust” — a model used by previous presidents.

But the family relationship and the nature of Mr Trump’s businesses means they aren’t blind — he knows what they are and where they are.

When quizzed on ABC in September, Donald Jr replied that his father would not make any decisions relating to the company.

“(It’s) standard operating procedure for any president who has had businesses, whether it was George Bush, whether it’s — he’s not going to have anything to do with it.”

When pushed on the nature of it being truly “blind” Donald Jr replied: “We’re not going to discuss those things.”

Washington University Professor of Law Kathleen said Mr Trump could only minimise crippling conflicts of interest by truly divesting his interests.

“Putting his children in charge of his business interests would not address conflicts of interest at all because he would still have a financial interest in those businesses.”

Ivanka in particular — the child Mr Trump famously said he would be dating if she wasn’t his daughter — played a key advisory role on the campaign, positioning her father as a friend of women and workers. The former model runs her own fashion label, is a mother of three and Vice President of the Trump Organisation. She is married to Jared Kushner who is of a wealthy New York property development family.

It is expected Ivanka — currently Vice President of the Trump organisation will take charge of the Trump business with her brothers Eric and Donald Jr.

Donald Trump's sons, Donald Jr and Eric, came under fire for this hunting picture. Picture: Twitter

The brothers were caught up in controversy when they were criticised for posing in crass game hunting photos, boasting with dead animals and holding the severed tail of an elephant.

Mr Trump’s other children — Tiffany, 23, from his marriage to Marla Maples and Baron, 10, from his current marriage to Melania — were also fixtures on the campaign trail, living up dutifully alliancede their father.

Tiffany went to an Ivy League university, models and has released her own pop song. She is not involved in her father’s business but is expected in many circles to follow the footsteps of her older siblings.

Tiffany won America over when she joined her older siblings speaking publicly in support of their father at the Republican National Convention in July.

She told personal anecdotes about her dad leaving “sweet notes” for her in a move that was credited with broadening his appeal among women.