Trump Expects Controversy Over Choice of G7 Locale

President Trump has been dropping strong hints for months that he thinks his own resort in Miami should host the next G7 summit. On Thursday, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney made it official: The summit of world leaders will indeed take place at Trump National Doral in June 2020, reports NPR. "We used a lot of the same criteria used by past administrations," said Mulvaney, adding that Doral was by far the best option. And, yes, he said Trump was anticipating criticism over the decision. "We know the environment we live in," Mulvaney said. A taste of that criticism comes up high in the Washington Post coverage of the decision, which it describes as "without precedent in modern American history: The president used his public office to direct a massive contract to himself."

Mulvaney, though, insisted that Doral will actually be "millions of dollars cheaper" than other locales. “Consider the possibility that Donald Trump’s brand is strong enough as it is,” he added. “It is the most recognizable name in the English language and probably in the world.” The Wall Street Journal notes that critics will surely bring up the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which forbids the president from receiving any personal benefits from foreign governments without the consent of Congress. (More President Trump stories.)