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| The G7 Summit, Brought to You by the Trump Organization | The G7 Summit, Brought to You by the Trump Organization |
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| The Doral golf resort near Miami has been struggling ever since its owner, Donald Trump, kicked off his bid for the presidency. In the span of two years, its net operating income fell by almost 70 percent. Maybe that’s why what passes for presidential diplomacy these days includes this pitch, made by Mr. Trump just after the Group of 7 summit in Biarritz, France, on Monday: | The Doral golf resort near Miami has been struggling ever since its owner, Donald Trump, kicked off his bid for the presidency. In the span of two years, its net operating income fell by almost 70 percent. Maybe that’s why what passes for presidential diplomacy these days includes this pitch, made by Mr. Trump just after the Group of 7 summit in Biarritz, France, on Monday: |
| “With Doral, we have a series of magnificent buildings, we call them bungalows, they each hold from 50 to 70 — very luxurious rooms with magnificent views. We have incredible conference rooms, incredible restaurants,” Mr. Trump boasted at a news conference, explaining why Doral should host the next Group of 7 meeting. “And what we have also is Miami and we have many hundreds of acres so that in terms of parking, in terms of all of the things that you need, the ballrooms are among the biggest in Florida and the best.” | “With Doral, we have a series of magnificent buildings, we call them bungalows, they each hold from 50 to 70 — very luxurious rooms with magnificent views. We have incredible conference rooms, incredible restaurants,” Mr. Trump boasted at a news conference, explaining why Doral should host the next Group of 7 meeting. “And what we have also is Miami and we have many hundreds of acres so that in terms of parking, in terms of all of the things that you need, the ballrooms are among the biggest in Florida and the best.” |
| A follow-up tweet by the official White House account seemed to present the site selection as a done deal. | A follow-up tweet by the official White House account seemed to present the site selection as a done deal. |
| Few people would doubt that a Trump resort had adequate space — and parking — to accommodate such a gathering. Mr. Trump has built his brand on the core principle that bigger is better. | Few people would doubt that a Trump resort had adequate space — and parking — to accommodate such a gathering. Mr. Trump has built his brand on the core principle that bigger is better. |
| The more relevant question is whether it is ethical, or even legal, for a United States president to use a summit meeting to plug his resort and then host an official event at it, all to his personal profit. | |
| “Trump would basically be compelling foreign governments to spend money at his personal resort, while promoting the resort on the world stage,” Deepak Gupta, an ethics lawyer, told The Times. | “Trump would basically be compelling foreign governments to spend money at his personal resort, while promoting the resort on the world stage,” Deepak Gupta, an ethics lawyer, told The Times. |
| It’s not hard to imagine why the president would be tempted to throw his Miami property a little extra business. A high-profile global gathering could give the resort’s bottom line a much-needed boost. | It’s not hard to imagine why the president would be tempted to throw his Miami property a little extra business. A high-profile global gathering could give the resort’s bottom line a much-needed boost. |
| Thus far, lawsuits accusing Mr. Trump of violating the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses of the Constitution have proved less than successful; according to some constitutional scholars, those clauses prohibit presidents from profiting from public office beyond their basic compensation. | Thus far, lawsuits accusing Mr. Trump of violating the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses of the Constitution have proved less than successful; according to some constitutional scholars, those clauses prohibit presidents from profiting from public office beyond their basic compensation. |
| In December 2017, a federal judge dismissed a case filed in New York by an ethics watchdog group alleging that Mr. Trump’s failure to divorce himself from his New York and Washington properties was causing financial harm to other area businesses as groups and individuals opted to patronize Trump properties to curry favor with the administration. | In December 2017, a federal judge dismissed a case filed in New York by an ethics watchdog group alleging that Mr. Trump’s failure to divorce himself from his New York and Washington properties was causing financial harm to other area businesses as groups and individuals opted to patronize Trump properties to curry favor with the administration. |
| This July, a federal appeals court panel dismissed another case, brought by the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland, making similar claims that businesses in their jurisdictions were being harmed by the unfair competitive advantage enjoyed by the Trump International Hotel in Washington. The three-judge panel ruled that the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland lacked the legal standing to bring such a case. In both cases, the plaintiffs vowed to fight on. A third emoluments case, this one brought by congressional Democrats, is still wending its way through the system. | |
| Asked about the perception that he was profiting from his office, Mr. Trump insisted the presidency is a money loser for him, estimating that it will cost him “anywhere from $3 to $5 billion.” | Asked about the perception that he was profiting from his office, Mr. Trump insisted the presidency is a money loser for him, estimating that it will cost him “anywhere from $3 to $5 billion.” |
| As for ethical qualms, Mr. Trump has never been one to let niceties stand in his way. He is unlikely to be moved by objections from Democratic lawmakers, such as Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who declared, “Under no circumstances should the G7 be held at Trump’s Doral resort, which would be one of the most egregious examples of corruption and self-dealing in a presidency replete with them.” | |
| Indeed, while most presidents strive to avoid the perception of corruption and self-dealing, Mr. Trump takes obvious delight in flouting the usual constraints on his position. (Two words: tax returns.) As he sees it, such concerns are for suckers, and he has no intention of being bound by them — no matter how much his behavior erodes public faith in government. | Indeed, while most presidents strive to avoid the perception of corruption and self-dealing, Mr. Trump takes obvious delight in flouting the usual constraints on his position. (Two words: tax returns.) As he sees it, such concerns are for suckers, and he has no intention of being bound by them — no matter how much his behavior erodes public faith in government. |
| But at least the collapse of democratic norms will come with ample parking. | But at least the collapse of democratic norms will come with ample parking. |