The 45th president of the United States is a very wealthy man. He is also a man with an array of conflicts of interest due to his global business empire.

By his own admission, a very large part of his net worth is derived from the value of his brand, which is synonymous with his name. Every time his name appears in print, his brand is simultaneously being promoted and his conflicts of interest aggravated.

In order not to be complicit in promoting his brand and extending his conflicts, I suggest that the media stop referring to the president by name, at least until he resolves his conflicts of interest. In solidarity with journalists everywhere, I am dropping his name from my vocabulary.

News outlets and journalists must not diminish their coverage of the president, but they can stop promoting his business interests. Refer to him respectfully as “the current president,” as “No. 45,” as “POTUS” or even as “Mr. T.,” but please stop mentioning his brand.

Believe me, we’ll still know who you are talking about.

Ron McAllister

York


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