One of the steadiest attacks made against Trump by Democrats over the last few years has been that Trump profited from the presidency.
Among other areas of concern, Democrats have regularly looked at Trump’s properties as a source of income from foreign governments.
He just announced a G20 meeting at this Doral property in Miami, so cue the outrage and objections from the left.
Trump was barely in office six months when he stirred the pot at his first G20 Summit.
The president had issued a Muslim ban in this country, but then he made exceptions, which the media and Democrats attacked him for, saying that this was being done to make exceptions for countries in the Middle East where Trump had significant business concerns.
There was also a report that Trump had discussed permitting problems for one of his properties when he met with the president of Argentina, which, if true, would be a blatant conflict of interest to discuss personal business issues while serving as president. There were a handful of other complaints on this basis as well.
Trump’s DC property became a huge focus of interest for Democrats, with foreign dignitaries staying and dining at the location during his presidency. There were also concerns about the rate being charged for Secret Service agents whenever Trump stayed at one of his properties.
In January 2024, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) released a report from the House Oversight Committee on how Trump had profited from this presidency.
This was a clear shot at Trump in an election year, but it once again revived the notion that Trump was only running for office to profit from it and protect himself from going to jail due to the many charges and lawsuits he was facing at the time.
According to Raskin’s report, Trump had received nearly $8 million from 20 foreign governments, which included China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Malaysia.
The issue, however, is that Trump’s businesses had government contracts in place well before he became president, so was this profiting or normal business for Trump? In the end, nothing ever became of this other than a talking point for Democrats
Trump just poked this bear again, announcing that he was choosing his Doral property for an upcoming G20 Summit meeting, but Trump insisted that his property would not profit from the meeting.
Trump claimed that the attendees wanted this location for its convenience, stating, “They actually requested that it be there because the location is the best, and we will not make any money on it. You know, we’re doing a deal where it’s not going to be money — there’s no money in it.”
Trump later added, “It’ll be incredible for them, and being like 10 minutes, less than 10 minutes, from the airport, and it’s a big airport. All of the planes will be able to land and go right into their quarters. So I think it’ll work out.”
Trump is right regarding hotel rooms at that time of the year, and if his resort is charging normal rack rates, I don’t see the issue. Having said that, he could also choose a different location that would have accessibility and available rooms at that time of the year that is not in an area where he owns a property. Making money off this conference is not necessarily the issue, however, as Trump’s property will receive considerable attention, likely resulting in future business, which I am sure will be the attack the Democrats make. It's just a self-inflicted wound that I think Trump could have avoided.
