If President Trump wants to hold the G-7 summit at the Doral resort in Miami, there’s only one step he needs to take beforehand: Sell it.
And if Trump wants to end the negative stories about his profits from foreign officials and his own party spending money at Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., there’s one action for him to take: Sell it.
We are encouraged to hear that the Trump Organization is considering exactly that: Unloading the towering corruption trap that is Trump’s hotel in downtown D.C.
It is corrupting for the president to own a hotel in D.C. from which he profits. It provides a means for those seeking the government’s favor to funnel money into the president’s personal bank account. And since Trump has come into office, we’ve seen a parade of entities try to do exactly that.
Foreign government officials have spent piles of cash at the D.C. hotel, often while in town to petition our government for favorable treatment in one way or another. This is exactly the sort of corruption for which the Clintons and the Clinton Foundation rightly received so much criticism.
It’s not just the foreign governments and companies. Domestic organizations that either answer to Trump or are seeking his favor. When the Republican National Committee spends more than $1.5 million at Trump properties, it’s basically funneling donor money into Trump’s private bank account.
It looks like Republican donors are being ripped off by party officials wanting to butter up Trump. The alternative is worse: Donors are deliberately making personal cash payments to the president under the guise of a political contribution.
Many conservative organizations have hosted events at Trump International Hotel, rather than at any of the dozen other major downtown D.C. hotels. It’s an embarrassing spectacle. The conservative movement does not exist to enrich this one wealthy politician.
The opportunities for corruption and the appearances of impropriety are simply too great. Trump should sell Trump International, Doral, Mar a Lago, and his other properties, especially those overseas.
Any sales would, of course, present their own ethical difficulties. Nobody wants the Saudis paying Trump above-market rates. But those ethical risks could be mitigated through proper steps, and they would be a one-time problem instead of the current ongoing opportunity for undue influence.
So yes, Trump should unload Trump International Hotel, and he should also unload his other properties.
Mick Mulvaney explained Trump’s desire to host the G-7 Summit at Doral by saying Trump “still considers himself to be in the hospitality business.”
It’s time for Trump to get out of that business, and into the business of running a government.
