Instead of a detailed divestiture plan, Mr. Trump and his family have discussed several half-measures. One is to shut down the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which is already under investigation by the attorney general of New York, Eric Schneiderman, for alleged violations of state charity laws. According to the attorney general, the foundation solicited donations from people other than Mr. Trump when it was not registered to do so.

In addition, The Washington Post has reported that the foundation spent money for unapproved purposes, like settling lawsuits involving Mr. Trump’s businesses. It also improperly contributed to a political campaign and apparently spent money to buy baubles at charity auctions for Mr. Trump’s personal use, including portraits of him and a football helmet signed by Tim Tebow. Mr. Schneiderman’s office has said that the foundation cannot be legally dissolved until its investigation is over.

The Trumps and their representatives also told The Times that they’re considering hiring an outside monitor to manage the family business alongside the president-elect’s two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric. One of the monitor’s main tasks would be to block improper contacts between the business and the federal government. That’s an absurd role. Mr. Trump and his political appointees would still know what he owns and would still be able to act in his family’s interest even with no direct contact with the two sons. And there is no assurance that the sons could not easily overrule the monitor, who after all would be serving at the pleasure of the family.

Mr. Trump and his family say that they will not enter into new business deals in foreign countries. They are also terminating some real estate projects that are under construction or in the planning stages in Latin America and former Soviet republics. These steps are certainly welcome. But the Trump Organization will remain entangled in many existing deals, some of which involve businesses and executives linked to foreign governments. That’s a big problem, because the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause prohibits American officials from receiving any gifts or income from foreign governments without permission from Congress.