In 2020, it will be America’s “turn” to host the annual G7 conference/summit. In years past, American presidents have hosted world leaders at resorts in Sea Island (Georgia) and Denver and at Camp David. Last week, Donald Trump announced that he awarded the G7 conference contract to… himself. He was planning on hosting the summit at his Trump National Doral in Miami. This is in violation of many local, state and federal laws. You can’t award these kinds of lucrative contracts to businesses you or your family members own. There was immediate consternation and the Democrats were like “well, we’ll just have to add this to the impeachment inquiry,” but then… Trump changed course. He announced this weekend that the summit would no longer be held at Doral. What changed his mind? Republican grumbling:
He knew he was inviting criticism by choosing his own luxury golf club in Miami for the site of a gathering of world leaders at the Group of 7 summit in June, President Trump told his aides opposed to the choice, and he was prepared for the inevitable attack from Democrats. But what Mr. Trump was not prepared for was the reaction of fellow Republicans who said his choice of the club, the Trump National Doral, had crossed a line, and they couldn’t defend it.
So Mr. Trump did something that might not have been a surprise for a president facing impeachment but that was unusual for him: He reversed himself Saturday night, abruptly ending the uproar touched off two days earlier by the announcement of his decision by Mick Mulvaney, his acting chief of staff.
“He had no choice,” Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and longtime friend of the president’s, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “It shouldn’t have been done in the first place. And it’s a good move to get out of it and get that out of the papers and off the news.”
The president first heard the criticism of his choice of the Doral watching TV, where even some Fox News personalities were disapproving. By Saturday afternoon, his concerns had deepened when he put in a call to Camp David, where Mr. Mulvaney was hosting moderate congressional Republicans for a discussion of issues facing them, including impeachment, and was told the consensus was he should reverse himself. Those moderates are among the votes Mr. Trump would need to stick with him during an impeachment.
It’s not that I find Donald Trump’s weak-spined capitulation all that interesting, nor do I even find it notable at this point that Trump is a giant f–king grifter. What I find interesting is that… Trump is actually worried about Republican support. He’s actually worried that some of these dumbass Republicans who sold their souls to Russia in 2016 might… stand up to him. And so he changed course. Imagine what would happen if more Republicans actually said some sh-t about Russia, Ukraine, treason, etc.
So interesting that, when I announced Trump National Doral in Miami would be used for the hosting of the G-7, and then rescinded due to Do Nothing Democrat/Fake News Anger, very few in Media mentioned that NO PROFITS would be taken, or would be given FREE, if legally permissible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019
Doral in Miami would have been the best place to hold the G-7, and free, but too much heat from the Do Nothing Radical Left Democrats & their Partner, the Fake News Media! I’m surprised that they allow me to give up my $400,000 Plus Presidential Salary! We’ll find someplace else!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2019
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
A Trump supporter I know applauded this decision saying it would save money. Which of course it won’t. He can seriously do no wrong for some people.
My dad has a lot of friends who are Trump supporters (he’s one of the few in his group that hates Trump) and they are always saying that it doesn’t matter if Trump is using his properties to make money since “he isn’t taking a salary.” Trump doesn’t need the $400,000 a year salary since he is raiding the treasury and charging a fortune for world leaders to stay at his resorts and hotels.
Trump supporters are just lost, lost people.
Kelsey- at least those Trumpsters acknowledge he is making money. A lot of Trumpsters I know think that hosting at Doral would be free. I’m like, “Seriously?”
Exactly. $400,000 is nothing compared to what they have stolen so far.
Except Trump actually does take the salary. He deposits the checks, collects interest on the deposited money for months, then donates the original amount, and claims it as a tax deduction. And the donations only occur when the media asks about them.
Daughter-Wife and Balless Ken are said to have made $82MILLION alone last year. And let’s not forget all the Chinese patents awarded to them (incl. VOTING machines!), and to Dump (for “escort” services/massage parlors) I am still asking: where are all the little girls/teen girls who were stolen from their families who are caged at the border??? They weren’t ALL given away to DeVoss’ “orphanage” to be “adopted”.
They’ve been radicalized. That can’t exist when coincided with common sense & sanity, so his supporters have chosen their path. Hell, he could shoot someone on 5th Ave & they wouldn’t care! I predict that there will be no turning point for these people until they are publicly ashamed to support him.
Camp David is built for such events.
That this was even announced, getting lots of free advertising for the dump, is a violation and impeachable offense.
The most hilarious Trump action for me this weekend was Ivanka desperately trying to distract from Daddy’s genocide and polish her image by tweeting a video of herself watching a video of herself.
You know that when Camp David was suggested and he was informed that POTUS held it there with no problem, he crossed his arms and was shaking his head, ‘No Obama, no Obama, no Obama’ like the brat that he is.
The man is delusional and crazy. How was this a good idea.
Miami in June would be miserably hot and humid. Trust Trump to pick the worst location of all his properties for the date. And how does he think it would be free? Are the people who work there not going to be paid for the day? He’s so stupid.
Doral is the one that is losing money hand over fist since his inauguration. That is why he chose that dump, it is on the brink of closing.
This.
No doubt he wanted to use taxpayer money to try and upgrade Doral. That’s one reason he is probably so angry that he had to change the location.
He and his lazy, grifting family are just charging all their expenses to the taxpayer and feeding at the trough. Trump has already spent over $100 million of taxpayer money on golf outings alone.
Of course Trump wanted US taxpayers to pay for renovations on his dump of a “luxury resort.” Read reviews of it on TripAdvisor & Yelp: everything there is old, broken-down, dirty, smelly and basically disgusting. The staff is rude and unaccomodating. Bedbugs are the least of the Doral’s problems. So Trump thought he’d be clever and get a free reno/upgrade of the whole place on our dime, “in preparation for the G7.” To say he’s a thief and a grifter is putting it mildly. This is not the behavior of an honorable, honest person. He needs to be kicked out of the White House NOW.
This was high profile and drew attention but I believe Trump properties, esp in DC, are still getting a big piece of the government business. From what I’ve read Trump properties are charging regular rack rates for rooms (sleeping and meeting rooms), food, and beverage, not waiving admin and service fees (which range from 20-25% of the bill) for all the events they host, including when they have to house Secret Service. Government rate is lower but still pricey at high end hotels like Trumps and hotels only have a limited amount of rooms they will offer st that rate nor are they obligated to offer it at all if the property is sold out. So yeah, they are profiting by the increased business, “encouraging” agencies to use Trump properties, esp in DC, and charging full rate for the privilege.