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Surprise! Trump is listening to critics

Okay, it’s only a few tweets, and the details may not measure up to the promise. But incoming president Donald Trump is responding fairly quickly to concerns that his far-flung real estate operations could be a funnel for favors from countries and other entities he deals with as a businessman.

The New York Times recently published a long analysis of the myriad ways Trump’s business interests around the world could collide with his duties as the nation’s commander-in-chief and foreign policy architect. Other groups have begun to track potential conflicts of interest involving Trump, his business and his family. The Sunlight Foundation has identified nearly 30 so far.

After the election, Trump said he’d turn over the running of his business to his kids, Ivanka, Eric and Donald, Jr., who already have senior positions in the Trump Organization. But that didn’t appease good-government experts, who felt that wouldn’t go far enough.

So Trump has now gone a step further, announcing on Twitter that he’ll withdraw from his business “in total.” For those who prefer reading real sentences, here’s the full statement Trump made in four tweets:

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I will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! 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. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!

There’s no mention of Trump’s kids, which means he could simply be saying what he said before in a different way. To eliminate the appearance of self-dealing, however, Trump’s kids would have to choose between running the company or having an informal hand in the government. Trying to do both would generate endless allegations of quid-pro-quo scenarios, similar to those that have dogged the Clinton Foundation for years. Ethics experts say the cleanest way for Trump to avoid any conflict is to sell his family’s entire stake in the company and let somebody else run it, similar to what Michael Bloomberg did with his company during three terms as mayor of New York City.

But if anybody wants to give Trump the benefit of the doubt—anybody? Bueller?—it seems apparent that he’s heard the criticism of his conflicting dual roles and decided to do something about it. Trump, as everybody knows, is sensitive to public opinion, and as much as he claims to hate the New York Times, he’s also smart enough to know splashy stories highlighting ethical quandaries won’t help his presidency. He promised to “drain the swamp,” after all, not refill it with his own creatures.

It will be clear from the details revealed on December 15 if Trump is serious about leaving his business career behind and serving solely as president during the next four years. If it turns out he’s fudging, the press will howl but his hardcore supporters won’t care. Trump will still face an open highway for the legislation he plans to ram through Congress during his first year in office.

But Trump’s ethical reputation will begin to matter if something goes wrong, and it’s hard to think of a president who hasn’t dealt with unexpected recessions, wars, social eruptions or other big-league challenges. So assume something will go wrong, and Trump’s approval rating—still below 50% despite a recent surge—will sag. Ethical problems Trump can control, piled on top of other problems he can’t, would quickly erode the president’s political capital and his ability to get things done. As Trump himself surely knows, nobody likes a loser. The question is whether he knows how quickly politicians in Washington—even the president—can become one.

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.