Key points
- Ethics concerns resurface over summit venue
- Republican criticism absent
- Pardons, gifts raise ethical alarms
ISLAMABAD: President Trump said he would host next year’s Group of 20 summit at the Trump National Doral golf club near Miami, reviving ethics concerns that forced him to drop a similar plan during his first term.
“Everybody wants it there,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday. “It’s right next to the airport. It’s the best location. It’s beautiful.”
The move would typically breach criminal statutes and ethics regulations forbidding conflicts of interest by government officials. However, as president, Trump is exempt. The Supreme Court last year ruled that presidents have broad, though not unlimited, criminal immunity for official acts carried out while in office, according to The New York Times.
Back in 2019, Trump had proposed hosting a Group of 7 summit at the same venue, but abandoned the plan after bipartisan backlash. Critics said he was merging foreign diplomacy with his personal business interests.
Reshaping Republican Party
This time, however, Republican criticism was notably absent — reflecting how much Trump has reshaped the Republican Party since losing the 2020 election.
Trump, who previously dismissed the backlash as “irrational” hostility, reiterated on Friday that he would make “no money” from the event. He suggested there was no conflict of interest in hosting global leaders and their teams at his own resort.
The White House said the summit would be held “at cost”, repeating the same justification used in 2019.
Trump acknowledged a logistical issue, saying December — when the summit is set to take place — is the busiest season for the resort. “That’s the biggest month in Florida,” Mr. Trump said. “You can’t get a room in Florida in December, January, etc., that area. And that’s the time we’re talking about. So from that standpoint, it’s not good. But we want to make sure it’s good.”
Political fundraising
From the outset of his political career, Trump has used his campaigns and presidency to promote and profit from his brand. During his first term, he often held donor dinners at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, which became a top venue for political fundraising.
He also frequently visited his own properties, generating revenue from officials and aides who travelled with him.
During the 2024 campaign and since returning to office, Trump has expanded efforts to monetise the presidency, backing ventures that raise ethical red flags, according to The New York Times.
His family and business partners have earned $320 million in fees from a new cryptocurrency, secured real estate deals overseas worth billions, and launched an exclusive Washington club, the Executive Branch, charging $500,000 for membership, the Times said.
Using pardon powers
Experts have also valued a private jet gifted to Trump by Qatar at $200 million — more than the total value of all foreign gifts received by past US presidents combined.
In April, Trump used his pardon powers to benefit a Florida healthcare executive whose mother had raised millions for his campaigns and helped expose the diary of Ashley Biden, the daughter of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Even his fiercest critics now rarely raise concerns over his frequent visits to Mar-a-Lago and other Trump-owned properties — a sign of shifting standards in political ethics.
