The White House on Thursday (local time) announced that President Donald Trump will host the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June next year at his golf resort in Florida.
The Doral club is a major part of Trump's portfolio. It provides him more revenue than any other hotel or golf club. But the resort -- set among office parks near the Miami airport -- has been witnessing a sharp decline in recent years, according to the Trump Organisation's own records cited by The Washington Post.
Citing apparent criticism from Democrats once again, the move was decried as additional evidence to the president misusing his office for personal gain.
"Doral was far and away the best physical facility for this meeting," White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was quoted as saying.
The administration examined 10 sites before choosing this one, according to Mulvaney, who then quoted an anonymous site selection official who he said told him, "It's almost like they built this facility to host this type of event."
Meanwhile, Trump has touted his resort, saying it is close to the airport, has plenty of hotel rooms and offers separate buildings for every delegation.
The G7 summit rotates among sites chosen by the seven-member countries, as well as by the European Union. The last time it took place in the United States, in 2012, former President Barack Obama held it at the government-owned retreat at Camp David in Maryland. Before that, former President George W. Bush held it at the exclusive, isolated resort of Sea Island, Georgia, in 2004.
At this year's G-7 summit, in August in Biarritz, France, Trump said that his aides had examined other sites and come back to tell him that Doral was the best.
"What about Doral?" Trump asked aides earlier this year, according to Mulvaney, who announced that the next G7 summit will be held at the Miami resort from June 10 to 12.
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