This is so wrong on so many levels.
Mulvaney claims that Trump will not make any money off the event, said the golf club will provide the location and services at cost.
Then why have the G7 there? Let’s be honest, Trump does nothing, nothing out of the goodness of his heart. So why?
Even if and “if†is the operative word, Doral provides everything at cost and he and Donny Jr. et all, don’t make dime, June is a slow month for resorts in southern Florida and Doral has been struggling financially so even at cost, the resort is still doing better than having empty rooms and banquet facilities, breaking even at the minimum is still better than operating at loss.
https://fortune.com/2019/10/18/trump-doral-g7-summit-deutsche-bank/Yet it’s not apparent how the Trump Organization would ensure that it is the case. For instance, Mulvaney didn’t specify whether the company would refuse compensation and opt to pay for the event out of its own pocket. (The most recent G7 summit, held this year in Biarritz, France, reportedly cost French taxpayers north of $40 million—with previous summits in Canada and Italy said to have cost considerably more.)
It’s also unclear why it would choose to go to such lengths, given the extent to which Doral has struggled financially in recent years. In May, the Washington Post reported that the 643-room resort had been hit by declining revenues and profits between 2015 and 2017, with both occupancy and room rates well below competing resorts in its area. The New York Times, meanwhile, reported that Doral actually lost money to the tune of $2.4 million in 2014, the most recent year for which the Times was able to obtain documents specifying the Trump Organization’s profits.
Of course there is the value of the “free†(tax payer funded) advertising and promotion of the resort.
There is also the matter of screwing non-Trump owned facilities out of business.
Mulvaney said the Trump administration started with 12 potential sites to host the G7 summit, and advance teams that scouted locations came back with the suggestion to hold it at Doral.
“We used the same set of criteria that other administrations used,†Mulvaney said. “It became apparent at the end of that process that Doral was far and away, far and away, the best facility to host this conference.â€
OK. So what was the selection process? And what other 12 potential sites were considered? Were the 11 others also Trump properties? Will we ever see that or see proof of the no profit claim? Or will they go to the same place as his tax returns?
Considering that Trump said back in August that Doral should be the site of the next G7, I’m guessing the selection process went something like:
Mr. President, here are 12 sites suitable for the G7.
Trump: “Doralâ€.
But Mr. President, don’t you want to review each one and see the recommendations before making a decision?
Trump: “Doralâ€.
But Mr. President, aren’t you concerned about the ethics, or the appearance of impropriety, self-dealing, the emoluments clause?
Trump: “Doral! Doral! Doral!!! Besides I’m too busy right now what with looking into corruption with the Biden’s in the Ukraine. And get Jr. on the phone, I need to make sure that he’s on top of the two sets of books and making sure he doesn’t mix them up and give the wrong ones to the IRS and the bank.â€