FRANCE/G7/GOLF/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Presidents usually use international summits to advance their policy agenda on the world stage. But President Trump turned a public appearance in southern France on Monday [8-26-19] into what sounded like an infomercial for his sagging golf and resort business in southern Florida. In suggesting that the next Group of 7 summit of world leaders should be at his own luxury golf resort in Doral, Fla., west of Miami, Mr. Trump put the most glaring spotlight to date on his willingness to flout the ethical boundaries that have historically constrained activities that mix for-profit business and the presidency. And not just for any personal business: The Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club is the Trump family’s biggest moneymaking asset, which has shown signs of financial struggle since Mr. Trump began running for president in 2015. Mr. Trump said his property, a ‘great place,’ was uniquely equipped to handle the Group of 7 meeting in 2020.”
–Patricia Mazzei, Michael D. Shear and Eric Lipton, “Trump Has Just the Place for the Next G7 Meeting: His Own Golf Resort,” The New York Times online, August 26, 2019