In a press conference at the conclusion of the G7 Summit, President Trump proposed his golf resort in Miami, Florida as a possible location for the 2020 summit, Politico reports. In 2020, it will be the US’s turn to host the gathering of world leaders from Germany, Canada, France, UK, Italy, and Japan.
Out of the 12 prospective sites being evaluation by the Trump administration, the president says his Miami property makes the most sense because of location and infrastructure, according to CNN. Doral is, he says, only five minutes from the airport, whereas the other options would require a long trip from the nearest airport. President Trump also pointed out that at the National Doral Miami Golf Resort each nation would be able to have it’s own villa. He called the idea “fantastic”.
Trump told reporters that he will not be making money on such a venture and that he “couldn’t care less” about making money and “it’s not about me, it’s about getting the right location”. He continued, “The only thing I care about is this country.” In the press conference, the president claimed he was losing $3 to $5 billion by being president. Forbes debunked that claim earlier this month, saying that the president’s fortune has dropped a little more than a billion but that only a small amount of that drop is due to politics.
The suggestion of hosting the G7 at a property that has not been divested is drawing heavy criticism. An analysis by The Washington Post in June showed that Trump’s frequent trips to his resorts, for golf, vacations, and fundraisers, have brought in at least $1.6 million of revenue, and likely much more, from federal officials and GOP campaigns to his properties. GOP campaigns pay to hold fundraisers at Trump properties, with the hopes that he will attend, and federal employees are reimbursed for staying overnight at the properties.
Even Trump’s own aides and the White House Counsel’s office have worried about the appearance of Trump directing tax payer money into his own pockets, according to the Washington Post. But President Trump has made scores of trips to his resorts since becoming president.
Then-President Obama hosted the G8 summit in 2012 at Camp David, which has lodges, various amenities, and modern communications, according to Reuters. Presidents in the past have often hosted world leaders at Camp David, but Donald Trump has instead hosted foreign leaders at his Mar-a-Lago resort where the profits from his use of the property as president benefits him personally.
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