U.S. President Donald Trump ended speculation surrounding the location of next year’s G7 summit on Monday, saying that it would likely be held in Miami, Florida, and possibly at one of his golf resorts in the city.
Trump has repeatedly come under fire from domestic critics for holding official visits at his own properties amid concerns he is benefitting financially from his tenure in the White House.
“It will be probably be in Miami,” Trump said, sitting next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France.
Asked specifically by reporters if his Doral hotel will be chosen as the location, Trump said it could well be.
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“We haven’t made a final decision, but it is right next to the airport … meaning a few minutes away. It’s a great place. It’s got tremendous acreage and many hundreds of acres.
“So, we can handle whatever happens,” he said, adding that the hotel “is set up the best”.
In 2020, it will be the U.S.’ turn to host the gathering of leaders of the world’s major economies. This year, France is hosting.
G7 countries make up nearly half of the world’s economy, even as their share is declining with the rise of China, India and other powers.
The president repeatedly stressed that he wants to host the summit close to the international airport in Miami.
He said that the city’s infrastructure would make hosting the summit easier and praised the virtues of his own hotel.
“Each delegation can have its own building,” he said, adding that the hotel offered “great comforts”
“We are thinking about it. Love the location of the hotel and like the fact that it is close to the airport,” he added.
Trump, a native New Yorker, has made Florida his second home and often spends time at his Mar-a-Lago resort, his signature location in Palm, north of Miami. (NAN)
