Trump says he trusts China is sincere on making a trade deal
President Trump answers a question from Fox News' John Roberts on trade talks with China at a G7 summit press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Next year’s G-7 meeting is set to be held in Doral, Florida, a senior administration official told Fox News, after President Trump made a strong pitch over the weekend to world leaders to have the summit at his resort outside of Miami.
Trump himself also strongly suggested Monday that next year’s meeting will be held at his Trump National Doral Golf Club, as he hyped the property’s close proximity to Miami’s airport and the facilities available for the staff of world leaders and the press.
“With Doral, we have a series of magnificent buildings, we call them bungalows,” Trump said during a press conference in France. “We have incredible conference rooms, incredible restaurants, it’s, like, such a natural.”
He added: “Each country can have their own villa.”
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Trump has apparently been pushing for months to have his Doral resort host the 2020 G-7 meeting, but his advisers have cautioned against it amid concerns about the ethics of the president personally profiting off an official government event.
“My people looked at 12 sites,” Trump said. “They went to places all over the country and came back and said ‘this is the place.'"
Since assuming office, the president has faced repeated pushback from a number of his aides regarding his official visits to properties he owns in New Jersey and Florida. They are worried about the appearance that Trump is using taxpayer dollars to turn a profit at his own resorts.
Trump, who has not divested from his properties, spends many weekends at his resorts in either Florida or New Jersey and has regularly dined at his organization’s restaurant in Washington D.C. A Washington Post analysis found that the president’s trips to his properties have brought his businesses at least $1.6 million in revenue since he took office – mostly from federal officials and GOP campaigns who follow Trump.
While the Constitution prohibits presidents from taking “emoluments,” or payments, from foreign states, Trump says that clause refers to a ban on outright bribes, not business transactions, and that he will continue to do business with foreign governments at his hotels.
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Trump said on Monday that he would not be making any money off the next G-7 meeting, adding that he has lost “billions” of dollars since becoming president from lost financial opportunities.
“I used to make money off giving speeches. Now, I make speeches all the time and you know how much I make? Zero,” Trump said.
The president added: “From my standpoint, I’m not going to make any money…I don’t want to make any money.”
