Trump nixes plan to host G-7 meeting at his own Florida resort
President Trump has taken his Doral, Florida, resort out of consideration to host next year's G-7 summit of world leaders, the president said Saturday on Twitter. "We will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020," Mr. Trump tweeted. "We will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately."
The Trump administration faced immediate push back when acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Thursday that Doral had been selected.
"It's not the only place. It's the best place," Mulvaney said in a press conference. The White House briefing was Mulvaney's first since taking on the acting chief of staff role at the turn of the year.
On Sunday, Mulvaney said the president was "honestly surprised" at the pushback against hosting the summit at his club.
"At the end of the day, he still considers himself to be in the hospitality business, and he wanted to put on the best show to the leaders of the world," Mulvaney said on "Fox News Sunday."
The U.S. is responsible for hosting next year's G-7 summit and Mr. Trump indicated at the most recent G-7 summit in France that he wanted to hold it at his Florida club.
The president insisted he doesn't care about profiting from it, even as he advertised the features of Trump National Doral Miami. He reiterated those features Saturday while also attacking the media.
.....its own 50 to 70 unit building. Would set up better than other alternatives. I announced that I would be willing to do it at NO PROFIT or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA. But, as usual, the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019
Mr. Trump only listed Camp David as an alternative location for the 2020 G-7. It's unclear if there are other venues under consideration.
Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.