President Donald Trump found yet another opportunity to promote his properties.
During an appearance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday at a bilateral meeting at the G7 conference, Trump said he was likely to hold next year’s summit in at his resort in Doral, Florida, meaning the President would personally profit from the location.
“They love the location of the hotel,” Trump said, noting its proximity to the Miami airport, according to a pool report. “We haven’t found anything that’s even close to competing with it. Really you can be there in a matter of minutes after you land.”
The Washington Post reported that although Trump said a final decision wasn’t made, he “gave a long commercial of sorts” for the property, hailing its acreage, separate buildings for different delegations and “great” conference rooms.
Trump aides told the Post that the President has sought for months to hold the summit at the Doral resort, but many of his advisers have warned against the idea due to concerns about the ethics of the President profiting from an official government event.
Current and former White House officials told the Post that they worried about the appearance that he was using the power of the presidency to direct taxpayer money into his own pockets.
When pressed about his G7 location comments during a press conference with French President Emanuel Macron Monday, Trump denied potentially profiting off of the opportunity. He added that his “people looked at 12 sites” but “they were so far away.”
“In my opinion, I’m not going to make any money. I don’t want to make money. I don’t care about making money,” Trump said, while denying that the idea is an attempt to boost his own brand. “I think having it in Miami is fantastic, really fantastic. Having it at that particular place, because of the way it’s set up. Each country can have their own villa or their own bungalow.”
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
Trump denies potentially profiting off of holding G7 at his Doral resort. pic.twitter.com/tmU6zgou3r
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) August 26, 2019
