President Trump certainly knows how to send the liberal media into a tizzy. He did exactly that when he announced last week his plans to host the next annual G-7 meeting of leaders from the leading economies around the world at his own property, the Trump National Doral Miami resort.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow practically had an on-air meltdown, decrying the plan as a “direct deposit” into the president’s bank account. Meanwhile, Democratic politicians such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were up in arms.
Half of the media freak-outs in the Trump era are unwarranted. Trump responds to most media freak-outs by doubling down and digging in, refusing to give an inch.
On Doral, though, Trump was wrong. And he was right to give in to his critics for a change.
On Twitter, the president cited “Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility,” but there were plenty of perfectly sane and rational reasons for Trump to make this switch.
As long as the new destination Trump picks is not a Trump property, it will represent a massive improvement in terms of ethics and good governance. Yes, the president made it clear that he planned to host the Doral event “at cost” and even suggested doing it for free. Nevertheless, the club would have benefited from hosting it.
Doral would gain in terms of prestige, reputation, and publicity from hosting the leaders of the world’s largest economies. Why do clubs and brands give complimentary stays or products to “influencers”? Because the publicity is more valuable than the cost. It’s profitable for them, even if it’s “at cost” or free.
And as we argued last week — after acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announced the location of the summit and before Trump reversed course — Trump should be avoiding even the appearance of corruption and self-dealing. The bargaining advantage of hosting the event on “home turf” simply isn’t worth taking an action that raises doubts about government integrity in the eyes of millions of voters.
Impeachment threats make this concern even more pressing. If there was ever a time to exercise prudence and err on the side of caution, it’s now. The president is right to walk back his decision, if only to avoid giving Pelosi more ammunition.
Of course, Trump brands himself a fighter willing to take on the “swamp” and never back down. But any leader must be willing to admit when he is wrong and reconsider. To do otherwise would be sheer hubris.
No president is going to avoid all ethical missteps. But it takes a wise president to leave them behind and get back on the right path.
