Trump To Pay For Japanese PM’s Mar-A-Lago Stay As A ‘Gift,’ White House Says

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and his wife Akie board Japanese Air Force One at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Feb. 9, 2017. Abe will be the first Asian leader to hold a meeting with U.S. Donald Trump. ( The Yomiuri Shim... Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and his wife Akie board Japanese Air Force One at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Feb. 9, 2017. Abe will be the first Asian leader to hold a meeting with U.S. Donald Trump. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images ) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Trump will “personally” pay the tab for the weekend he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have planned at Trump’s Palm Beach resort, Mar-A-Lago, a senior administration official told Politico.

“The president is personally paying for the Mar-a-Lago portions of the trip,” the official said. Trump and Abe will travel to Florida after meetings at the White House Friday. An administration official told reporters earlier that their together weekend will involve “a fair bit of golf” and “relaxing,” according Politico.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at the press briefing Thursday that the trip had been offered to Abe as a “gift.”

“The president has offered as a gift to the Prime Minister, he will be his guest at Mar-A-Lago,” Spicer said, adding that the rest of the Japanese delegation will not be staying at the resort.

Since his inauguration, Trump has been under fire for claims that he may be violating the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which prohibits U.S. officeholders from accepting gifts or fees from foreign governments. Critics argue that foreign leaders are able to curry favor with the President by paying to stay in his various hotels or engage in other business ventures.

It is unclear whether the clarification that Trump will be personally footing the bill of Abe’s Mar-A-Lago stay was in response to those concerns.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. What is left of the ethics department is going to be working overtime on this one…

  2. Gifting beyond a certain nomial amount(eg ~$100), I think requires approval. This is true for all/most companies.

  3. And when and what will Ol’ Abe be " gifting " donnie down the road ? ? …

    ( to be continued )

  4. I am sure that in return he is hoping to be pissed on by a gift geisha on his first trip to Japan.

  5. See immediately above.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

52 more replies

Participants

Avatar for ajaykalra Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for jloomis3 Avatar for navamske Avatar for dweb Avatar for economides Avatar for rhea Avatar for becca656 Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for mantan Avatar for johnrm Avatar for morriganinoregon Avatar for cd Avatar for denisj Avatar for serendipitoussomnambulist Avatar for linustoo Avatar for mrf Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for dnl Avatar for sjk Avatar for brd813 Avatar for spencersmom Avatar for tiowally Avatar for em_dash

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: