Trump’s Decision to Host G-7 at His Own Doral Resort Met With Mockery, Outrage on Twitter
President Donald Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney made a stunning announcement in a press briefing on Thursday: that the next G-7 will be hosted at the president’s own Doral resort in Miami.
Mulvaney revealed that when the administration was putting together potential sites for next year’s summit, Trump proposed his resort.
Doral is “by far and away the best physical facility for this meeting,” Mulvaney told reporters, quoting an official who told him: “It’s almost like they built this facility to host this type of event.”
Reporters interrogated Mulvaney about the decision, pointing out it’s a massive conflict of interest and questioning why a resort in Miami is the best choice for a meeting with worth leaders in JUNE.
Twitter was equally unsparing, and the reactions ranged from mockery to outrage at the audaciousness of the corruption:
Holding the G-7 at a Trump property is one of the most foolish, unseemly things the WH could do. The President enjoys waiving red flags in front of bulls, but this fight isn’t worth it.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) October 17, 2019
Q in briefing room: How does the president continue to attack the Bidens for a conflict of interest when he is hosting the G7 at his private club?
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 17, 2019
Reporters in briefing room not easily accepting Mulvaney answers on this, in first time any administration official has answered extensive q’s on Trump conflicts in some time. https://t.co/eeljsrm6x5
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 17, 2019
A great question. Its hard to even think of a more blatant example of the President using his office to make money for himself and his family. https://t.co/73F3SBX5A4
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) October 17, 2019
What a crew running the ol’ swamp these days. https://t.co/iMRC5wUto3
— Craig Newman (@craignewman) October 17, 2019
Trump put out the fire of his impeachment inquiry by setting a fire in Syria. Now he’s putting out Syria by awarding himself a massive, taxpayer-funded event on one of his properties. Does he know how to put out fires?
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 17, 2019
Coinicidentally, the single best facility in the United States for G7 is owned by the president https://t.co/4IPnV3xQ9Z
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) October 17, 2019
This is what this guy, one of the most prominent tea partiers in Congress for years, is now reduced to. If he had a shred of dignity he’d resign. https://t.co/6YNdP6OTzl
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) October 17, 2019
Doral is “the best place” for the G7, just like Trump’s appointees — a collection of criminals and incompetents — are all “the best people” https://t.co/GQgcnhKL0R
— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) October 17, 2019
BREAKING: President @realDonaldTrump has awarded the massive G-7 Summit of world leaders to himself.
A bedrock promise of Trump’s presidency — that he would not use his public power to benefit his private company — explodes.https://t.co/c2LNkzJIOZ
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) October 17, 2019
The new site of the G-7 Summit — @realdonaldtrump‘s own Doral golf club — has a history of health-code violations, including “live, small flying insects” in the kitchen a few years ago.https://t.co/5pcb08SvqU
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) October 17, 2019
The summit will be held in June, when Miami is hot and Doral is usually empty.
In 2017, only 38% of Doral’s rooms were occupied in June. Only August (31%) was slower.Now — b/c @realdonaldtrump has awarded the summit to himself — it will be full. https://t.co/p2JPBcpRbl
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) October 17, 2019
What gets me isn’t so much the audaciousness of the corruption as its sheer pettiness https://t.co/o61TsYv3JD
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) October 17, 2019
Clearly they conducted a careful review and found that the Doral was the best Trump property at which to hold this event. https://t.co/MUNczfxCTk
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) October 17, 2019
Trump Doral in Miami in June sounds like a great place to hold G-7…during Hurricane Season. Average temp, 90 degrees.
Total coincidence a hotel losing money, owned by Trump, is deemed the “perfect” venue.
What conflict? What Emoluments clause violation? Nothing to see here.
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) October 17, 2019
Trump’s Doral golf course has been having trouble filling its rooms since he became president.
Now United States taxpayers will put tens of millions of dollars into Trump’s cash registers.
Mick Mulvaney said this just now of Trump: “He’s not making money off of this.”
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) October 17, 2019
In the middle of an impeachment inquiry that includes an emoluments investigation, President Trump’s acting chief of staff announces President Trump has chosen President Trump’s personal resort to ingest huge sums of public money by hosting the G-7 summit https://t.co/RGC4lwU7Wb
— Sudeep Reddy (@Reddy) October 17, 2019
Mulvaney concedes that Trump was the person who suggested Doral as a site. “That’s not the craziest idea,” Mulvaney says he responded.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 17, 2019
Having been caught red-handed secretly abusing his office, the president has pivoted back to corruptly abusing his office out in the open.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) October 17, 2019
Lolol ok show us the books then https://t.co/h51Oa2VUns
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 17, 2019
It’s striking that, as he faces intensifying legal and political jeopardy, and with more of the public favoring impeachment, President Trump is doing more — not fewer — things likely to invite criticism, disapproval, and investigation. https://t.co/Q95r6Mz4OY
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) October 17, 2019
