At his Doral hotel, Trump will host the G20 summit in 2026.
A comparable notion that would have combined foreign diplomacy with his own business interests was met with harsh bipartisan condemnation during President Trump’s first term.
Despite the fact that it will be held at the Trump National Doral golf club in Miami, President Trump announced on Friday that he will be hosting the next year’s Group of 20 summit there. the obvious moral issues that caused him to abandon a similar notion during his first term of holding an economic summit at the location.
“Everybody wants it there,” Trump told reporters, adding, “It’s right next to the airport. It’s the best location. It’s beautiful,” without specifying who had requested it.
If Mr. Trump were not president, the proposal would break a criminal law and ethical standards that forbid conflicts of interest for public workers. The Supreme Court decided last year that presidents have a wide but undefined criminal immunity for such regulations. actions taken by authorities while in office.
In 2019, Mr. Trump suggested a similar idea of holding a Group of 7 summit at the club, but it was eventually canceled due to opposition. overwhelming condemnation from both Democrats and members of his own party, who claimed that he had crossed a line by mixing his foreign diplomacy with his own business interests.
The fact that Republicans didn’t bring up that criticism right away on Friday suggests how hard Trump has been trying to put out internal disagreements and rebuild the G.O.P. in his likeness following his loss in the 2020 election.
In 2019, Mr. Trump rejected the criticism as “irrational” animosity. However, on Friday, he maintained that he would “make no money,” implying that there would be retaliation. be no conflict of interest for him in hosting foreign leaders, their staffs, and security contingents at his own house. According to a statement from the White House, the president’s retreat would only charge “at cost” and not make money off the occasion. The White House made the same statement in 2019.
The notion would also present a logistical challenge for Trump Doral, Mr. Trump added, as it would be the busiest time of year for the hotel. when resorts often charge the highest rates — when the summit occurs in December 2026.
“That’s the biggest month in Florida,” said Mr. Trump. “In December, January, and other months, you can’t find a hotel in that area of Florida. And that’s the time we’re discussing. Thus, it’s not ideal from that perspective. However, we want to ensure that it’s excellent.”
From the start of his political career, Mr. Trump has utilized his time in office and election campaigns to market and benefit from his brand.
Mr. Trump often held dinners with supporters during his first term at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, now a Waldorf Astoria. the most well-liked location in the city for campaign fundraisers. Additionally, he often went to his family’s real estate, making money from government workers and other people who followed him to Trump-owned hotels.
Despite ethical concerns, Mr. Trump increased the monetization of the Trump brand throughout the 2024 campaign, and this trend has persisted unabated ever since his reelection.
Mr. Trump has also taken a hard stance on making money off the presidency since his return to office, approving business initiatives that would have previously been deemed morally inconceivable.
A new cryptocurrency has brought in $320 million in fees for the Trump family and its business partners, who have also negotiated billions of dollars’ worth of real estate deals abroad. In the last few months, they’ve invested millions of dollars in launching an upscale club in Washington called the Executive Branch, which costs $500,000 to join. The luxury jet that Qatar gave to Mr. Trump has been valued by experts at $200 million, which is more than the sum total of all the foreign gifts given to prior American presidents.
Additionally, Mr. Trump has utilized his clemency powers to reward allies and punish his adversaries. The president pardoned a Florida healthcare executive in April whose mother contributed to Trump’s campaigns by collecting millions of dollars and had a part in them. attempting to reveal the contents of a diary penned by Ashley Biden, the daughter of the former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Even the president’s most vocal detractors hardly acknowledge the bar for ethical issues has decreased since his first term. Take notice of how often he goes to Mar-a-Lago and other Trump-owned establishments.
