President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that holding the G7 summit at Trump's Doral resort would not be a profit for the president. Reports about it fly in the face of the White House claims, however.
The Miami Herald reported in July, when Trump floated the idea, that Doral is in a financial rut and the G7 meeting could help Trump climb out of it.
"Hosting foreign dignitaries has been a financial boon for Trump’s private Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago Club, providing some insight into what financial gains might be expected from hosting the G7 Summit at Trump Doral," said The Herald.
Taxpayer dollars would be spent on the rooms, event spaces, food, staff, and more, all of which will include a profit for Trump.
As one Politico reporter noted, even if Trump agrees to donate all of the profits from the G-7, he will enjoy millions in free advertising for the property at the time he needs it most.
"Hosting the G7 Summit — consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — at any of his properties would exacerbate claims that Trump is profiting from the presidency in violation of the so-called Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Trump is already facing lawsuits over similar allegations, primarily about his hotel in Washington, D.C." reported The Herald.
Trump is already dealing with lawsuits for profiting off of his properties. World leaders have intentionally stayed at Trump properties as a means of scoring the president's favorability. At his property in Scotland, Trump managed to reroute military travel from stopping at American bases in Europe to refuel and instead stop at his Trump Turnberry resort. It's ultimately cost taxpayers millions more in fuel costs at the small airport instead of lower-cost options at military bases.
Read the full report on how Trump will profit off of Doral from The Miami Herald.