Donald Trump 'hoping to keep business' when he becomes president

Mr Trump is planning to hand the operational responsibilities of his real estate company to his two adult sons

Donald Trump has faced criticism since he was elected about potential conflicts of interest between his role in the Trump Organisation and his job in the White House (AP)

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly hoping to keep a stake in his business when he becomes president.

Mr Trump is planning to hand the operational responsibilities of his real estate companies to his two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr, but is resisting calls to divest, The New York Times reports.

Citing sources briefed on the discussions, the paper also said Ivanka Trump would take a leave of absence from the Trump Organization — suggesting she is exploring an advisor or advocate role along with her husband Jared Kushner.

Ms Trump is reportedly looking into how to separate herself from her apparel and licencing brands and is planning to appoint a president to run her company's operations.

The Trumps are allegedly exploring a "legal structure" allowing Mr Trump and his daughter to separate from the company.

Last week, Mr Trump tweeted to say he will hold a news conference on 15 December to "discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

He added: "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!"

It remains unclear what Mr Trump will announce at the briefing.

The President-elect has faced criticism since he was elected about potential conflicts of interest between his role in the Trump Organization and his job in the White House.

Any company he has a stake in and which rose in value as a result of his decisions in office would create a conflict of interest.

The US Office of Government Ethics sent a tweet to Mr Trump last week saying it would "sing your praises if you divested".

"As we discussed with your counsel, divestiture is the only way to resolve these conflicts," the office said. "Bravo! Only way to resolve these conflicts of interest is to divest. Good call!"

In an interview with The New York Times last month, Mr Trump argued there was a lack of laws governing conflicts of interest for a sitting president.

"The law is totally on my side," he said, "meaning, the president can't have a conflict of interest."

Unlike any past President-elect in history, Mr Trump is yet to release his tax returns.