Bienvenidos a Miami: Trump proposes his own resort for next G7
Location, location, location: US president extols benefits – and ethics – of hosting 2020 summit at Doral golf club.
Published On 26 Aug 2019
United States President Donald Trump has said he would like to host next year’s Group of Seven (G7) Summit of the major industrialised countries at one of his own properties.
On Monday Trump suggested inviting world leaders to the Trump National Doral Golf Club near Miami, but insisted he would not personally profit from the resort’s selection.
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The G7 countries take turns staging the summit, often choosing locations that show off areas of exceptional natural beauty.
Trump said the Florida resort would be a perfect choice because of its ample size and 50-plus-unit buildings that can house entire national delegations.
‘Look at the location’
But most emphatically, he touted the facility’s location – just a five-minute drive from the Miami International Airport.
“They love the location of the hotel. They also like the fact [that] it is right next to the airport for convenience. And it is Miami, Doral, Miami, so it is a great area,” he said during this year’s summit in the French beach town of Biarritz.
He said a final decision had yet to be made, but added: “We haven’t had anything that could even come close to competing with it, especially when you look at the location.”
In a news conference later on Monday, Trump addressed the possible conflict of interest by saying he would not directly benefit from hosting the G7 at his property.
“From my standpoint, I’m not going to make any money,” said Trump. “In my opinion, I’m not going to make any money.”
Trump has attended three G7 summits thus far: in Italy, Canada and France. For each, the meeting has been held far from any airport that can take his Air Force One plane, meaning that he has had to be shuttled by helicopter or a smaller plane.
“So many places are so far away, the drive is so long, they need helicopters. This is somewhere you can be at within minutes of landing,” he said.
Although he did not like the fact he had to swap planes in France, Trump praised the setup in Biarritz, at a conference centre overlooking the Atlantic.
“We can learn from what they did here, even architecturally, the way the rooms were set up and designed,” he said.
Source: Reuters