Grifter President Decides Hosting G-7 at His Own Resort is Too Blatant a Grift, Even for Him
On Saturday night, just two days after Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney announced the Trump administration’s intent to host the upcoming G-7 summit at Trump’s resort in Miami, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that the government would find another location to host the summit, possibly Camp David.
Trump, naturally, blamed his abrupt about-face on the media and Democrats. “I thought I was doing something very good for our Country by using Trump National Doral, in Miami, for hosting the G-7 Leaders,” Trump wrote, adding, “I announced that I would be willing to do it at NO PROFIT or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA. But, as usual, the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!”
…..its own 50 to 70 unit building. Would set up better than other alternatives. I announced that I would be willing to do it at NO PROFIT or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA. But, as usual, the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019
….Therefore, based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020. We will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019
In announcing the plans to host the summit at Doral, Mulvaney said that the event would be held “at cost,” meaning that the Trump property would not profit but only be reimbursed. But as Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold pointed out on Twitter, Trump has charged rather exorbitant prices for other government events held at his properties.
In one example Fahrenthold cited from ProPublica, when White House staffers racked up an $838 bar tab for 54 drinks by pouring themselves premium liquor at a Mar-a-Lago bar, the Trump-owned property charged a 20 percent service fee, bringing the bill to just north of $1000, even though the Secret Service stopped the bartender from entering the room. Meaning, they charged a service fee when there was no server. Also at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s property charged the government the maximum allowable rate for a room, $546 per night.
In yet another egregious example, Trump’s property in Doonbeg, Ireland, charged the Irish government €14,000 (approximately $15,600) for snacks provided to the Irish police force who were required to be at the resort to protect the president during one of his visits. By contrast, another retailer who provided snack bags to the Irish police charged only €5 per bag.
And, as Fahrenthold told Chuck Todd on MSNBC, Trump’s Doral property is in “steep decline,” losing 70 percent of its profitability in the past two years. So hosting an event like the G-7 would bolster both its bottom line and give it some much-needed publicity, especially after the World Golf Championship PGA event, which was held annually at Doral, moved locations because of the controversial president.
But, at least in this one grift, Trump seems to have been thwarted.