© 2026 ABC News

White House spokesman Judd Deere later told ABC News that Trump signed off on his team's recommendation of Trump Doral.

Trump had already been facing multiple lawsuits based on the foreign emoluments clause, and ethics groups said this latest move fit a pattern.

\"President Trump's behavior in office is a continuing affront to the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause,\" the president of the ethics watchdog group Constitutional Accountability Center, Elizabeth Wydra, said in a statement. \"By treating the G7 summit like a commercial for his businesses, inviting foreign governments to line his pockets and hold their next meeting at his Doral, FL golf course next year, he mocks the Constitution he swore to uphold.\"

The nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) dismissed Mulvaney's argument the summit would have no impact on Trump's brand, saying Trump used the federal government \"as a public relations and marketing subsidiary of the Trump Organization.\"

A spokesperson for CREW told ABC News that its \"legal team has been looking into possibilities\" of bringing litigation against the president over his G-7 decision, saying the group was \"gathering more information.\"

In August, when Trump was asked at the site of the most recent G-7 summit, in Biarritz, France, about where the next one in the U.S. might be held, the president told reporters that holding the summit in Miami would be \"really fantastic\" and that his club would be ideal because it was near Miami's international airport and because each country could have its own \"bungalow.\"

\"PHOTO:
The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: The clubhouse at the Trump National Doral Miami Golf Shop, in Doral, Fla., June 24, 2017.
>

\"With Doral, we have a series of magnificent buildings -- we call them bungalows,\" Trump said then. \"They each hold from 50 to 70 very luxurious rooms with magnificent views. We have incredible conference rooms, incredible restaurants. It's like -- it's like such a natural -- we wouldn't even have to do the work that they did here.\"

Trump said he was \"not at all\" concerned about the ethical implications of using a diplomatic gathering to promote a club run by his own company. He said the U.S. Secret Service and the military were involved in the selection process, and that 12 sites had been under consideration.

G-7 summits are massive undertakings that attract hundreds of participants and thousands of law enforcement, support staff, journalists, and more – and sometimes thousands of protesters – and costs to the host country can amount to tens, or hundreds, of millions of dollars. Hosting the summit rotates among the group's members, with the United States taking the helm next year.

As of Thursday, rooms at the Doral resort ranged from $337 to $637 per night for the days of the summit, according to the resort's website.

The Miami area has been dealing with effects of climate change such as rising sea levels, but when asked by a reporter Thursday whether climate change would be on the agenda -- particularly considering it would take place during a summer month -- Mulvaney said it would not.

It would not be the first time the president has used a Trump property to host world leaders. China's President Xi Jinping and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have both joined him at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, also in South Florida. Trump's visits to that resort -- which he frequents in the winters -- have also come under scrutiny from Democrats on Capitol Hill.

\"PHOTO:
Carlos Barria/Reuters
PHOTO: President Donald Trump looks on during a news conference at the end of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, Aug. 26, 2019.
>

There was an initial list of about a dozen sites, and advance staff visited just under 10, including sites in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, Mulvaney said. That list was further narrowed to four sites, including one in Hawaii, two in Utah, and Trump Doral, he said. \"It's almost like they built this facility to host this type of event,\" Mulvaney said an advance staff team member told him.

\"We use the same set of criteria that previous administrations have used,\" Mulvaney said. Asked if the White House would reveal the documentation of how the decision was reached, Mulvaney said \"absolutely not\" but did say comparative cost numbers might be made available.

When Trump discussed Doral in August, focus turned to a previous case of bedbugs at the resort. The president at the time criticized Democrats for spreading what he called a \"false and nasty rumor,\" tweeting, \"No bedbugs at Doral.\"

But in fact, a possible bedbug infestation was the subject of a 2016 lawsuit, in which a New Jersey man who sued for $15,000 in damages alleging that he woke up covered in bites and sores after a night in one of the resort's villas. In a court filing responding to the lawsuit, lawyers for the resort denied all of the allegations. The resort settled the suit out of court.

ABC News' Benjamin Siegel, Trish Turner, Lucien Bruggeman and Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/us-hold-years-summit-trump-national-doral-resort/story?id=66284360","legacySlug":"/news/story/us-hold-years-summit-trump-national-doral-resort-66284360","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"23:31","publishDate":"10-17-2019","updatedTime":"10:52","updatedDate":"10-18-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"The front entrance at the Trump National Doral golf resort owned by President Donald Trump's company, Aug. 27, 2019 in Doral, Fla.","credit":"Joe Raedle/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/doral-trump-gty-ps-191017_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"10/17/2019 23:31:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":66284360,"headline":"US to hold next year's G-7 summit at Trump resort","mediaAssetTitle":"G7 SUMMIT LOCATION","description":"An earlier proposal had already drawn criticism from Democrats.","duration":"1:45","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191017_wn_moran_643_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"US to hold next year's G-7 summit at Trump resort","description":"An earlier proposal had already drawn criticism from Democrats.","duration":"1:45","uploadDate":"10-17-2019","publication":"10-17-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191017_wn_moran_643_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191017_wn_moran_643_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/us-hold-years-summit-trump-national-doral-resort-66284360"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"US to hold next year's G-7 summit at Trump resort","pubTime":"19:31","pubDate":"10-17-2019","modTime":"06:52","modDate":"10-18-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":66284360,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"US to hold next year's G-7 summit at Trump resort","mediaAssetTitle":"G7 SUMMIT LOCATION","videoId":66284360,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/us-hold-years-summit-trump-national-doral-resort-66284360"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/66284360","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/66284360","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};