Corrupt? For Trump, it hasn't paid to be president
by Jason Orestes
| October 21, 2019 02:12 PM
It turns out the G-7 summit next year won’t be happening at the Trump Doral resort after all. Consternation erupted last week when it was announced that President Trump essentially awarded himself a government contract to host the event.
A great deal of the commentary that followed (that’s been a nagging theme throughout much of his presidency) is that Trump is attempting to monetize the presidency by enhancing his brand and business, and decisions like this serve as an emblem for it all. But an objective assessment of the actual dollars and cents behind it shows that either Trump is really lousy at this, or he is attempting to do no such thing.
There is a soft power element to the G-7 Doral decision that wouldn’t have shown up in the bottom line: You can’t measure influence on an income statement. However, the claims of fiscal enrichment and a grandiose marketing ploy are things we can quantify much more objectively.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/corrupt-for-trump-it-hasnt-paid-to-be-president
