Nearly six years ago, Donald Trump came up with a very unfortunate plan. As the White House made plans to host a G7 summit, the president decided that the ideal location for the international gathering would be at the Doral resort he owns in the Miami area.
Two days later, amid bipartisan pushback, the Republican abandoned the plan and presented himself as a victim.
That was in October 2019. In July 2025, a similar plan has resurfaced. CNN reported:
President Donald Trump is quietly discussing plans to host the 2026 G20 summit, a forum of the world’s largest economies, at his Doral golf club in the Miami area, a White House official told CNN. The idea has been discussed for weeks, the official said. CNN previously spotted an aide carrying a ‘G20 Miami 2026’ sign into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in June.
Though the CNN report has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, Bloomberg News published a related report, citing multiple sources. What’s more, the White House isn’t exactly making much of an effort to deny the story.
Q: "The president wants to host a G-20 meeting at Trump Doral…Would that be seen as his businesses profiting from this meeting?"Leavitt: "I would reject that premise."
— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2025-07-31T17:49:26.860Z
Time will tell what, if anything, comes of such a proposal, but the pushback has already begun. Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told CNN’s Erin Burnett, “Trump’s inability to steer away from self-dealing, for himself, his family, and his business interests, as president, creates all kinds of risks of corruption.
“And those risks are worsened when you’re dealing with international relations, with opportunities for foreign governments and foreign officials to curry favor — or even flat-out buy favor — in the way they do business with Trump’s personal and business interests. So yeah, it’s a real concern. It’s a continuing concern.”
It’s certainly possible that this week’s coverage will force the White House to reconsider any possible plans, but while officials weigh their options, it’s worth considering the differences between passive and active corruption.
The U.S. Constitution includes a provision known as the “Emoluments Clause,” which prohibits U.S. officials from receiving payments from foreign governments. Traditionally, this hasn’t been much of a problem for sitting American presidents. In the Trump era, things are a little different.
For years, the president and his allies have claimed that he simply promotes Trump-branded products and benefits from Trump-branded properties, but that it’s entirely passive. The Republican, to the best of our knowledge, has never told officials from a foreign government that they had to buy his merchandise, golf on one of his courses or stay at one of his resorts.
And while that defense has never been altogether persuasive, the argument helps to underscore why the G20 issue is qualitatively different: If the reporting is accurate, Trump’s plan is rooted in active corruption, not passive corruption. Trump, in no uncertain terms, would effectively tell some of the world’s most powerful leaders that if they wish to participate in an international gathering, they have to spend quite a bit of money at a business owned by the Trump Organization. It’s conscious. It’s deliberate. It’s direct. Trump should know the Constitution prevents him from receiving payments from foreign governments, but if the reports are correct, he’s prepared to pursue the gambit anyway — not just welcoming foreign money, but insisting upon it. If this is a trial balloon, it’s tough to blame Democrats for reaching for their slingshots. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
