President Trump will foot the bill for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s upcoming stay at Mar-a-Lago, an administration official told reporters on Thursday.
“The visit to Mar-a-Lago is a personal gift. I don’t know how exactly we’re phrasing it – it’s something the president is doing for the prime minister,” the official said during a conference call about Abe’s second visit to the U.S. to meet with Trump.
Abe was the first foreign leader to have a sit-down with Trump after his stunning election victory last November. He and the president first met at Trump Tower and will now spend the weekend dining at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., residence and playing golf.
To avoid possible ethics violations, the prime minister’s staff will not stay with him at Mar-a-Lago, a White House spokesperson told ABC News.
“The [government] is covering the costs of the delegation to stay off property, as is customary,” a the spokesperson said.
The visit comes as Democrats continue to raise questions about possible business conflicts of interest and whether ties between Trump and his real estate empire still exist. The president came under fire on Wednesday for publicly criticizing Nordstrom’s decision to drop his daughter Ivanka’s clothing and accessories line from its stores.
