SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Critics say Trump's profits at his hotel while in office are a clear violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. (Ghoto: Getty)
Trump's Profits at D.C. Hotel Show Clear Violation of Constitution, Lawmakers Say
After raising prices, Trump International Hotel has earned $18 million and made a profit of $2 million so far this year
Aug 11, 2017
Critics of President Donald Trump raised alarm on Friday regarding the profits he's made off the presidency, particularly at his hotel in Washington, D.C.--with lawmakers saying such profits bolster their case that Trump has violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
Government documents detailing the profits of the Trump International Hotel disappeared from the General Services Administration's (GSA) website Friday, after reports showing that the hotel has made nearly $2 million in profits since Trump's inauguration.
The Trump International Hotel has earned about $18 million in revenue since January, making "a profit of nearly $2 million despite budgeting for a $2.1 million loss," according to Think Progress.
The profit appears even more unexpected because of the hotel's low occupancy rate; the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump International has a "44.4 percent occupancy rate compared with 69.5 percent for comparative hotels."
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted that a select group of influential guests are likely paying top dollar to stay in a hotel owned by the president.
Rooms at the hotel are priced from $625 to nearly $900 per night, with suites costing thousands of dollars per night--significantly higher than its projection last year that it would price rooms at an average of $416.
"The Trump hotel seems to be able to profit off a much smaller group" that wants to "buy influence with the president and his staff," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for CREW. Earlier this year, Trump International made $270,000 when Saudi lobbyists stayed in the hotel while Saudi Arabia was trying to overturn an anti-terrorism bill.
Rep. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. John Conyers (D-Mich.) announced their support of a lawsuit mounted by CREW, alleging that Trump's involvement in his businesses while in office is a clear violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
"The payments from foreign governments that President Trump's hotel is raking in are just one example of how President Trump is thumbing his nose at the Constitution and the American people," said Blumenthal. "The immense magnitude of President Trump's vast business empire is no excuse for his disregard for the Constitution and disrespect for the American people. No one--not even the President--is above the law."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Critics of President Donald Trump raised alarm on Friday regarding the profits he's made off the presidency, particularly at his hotel in Washington, D.C.--with lawmakers saying such profits bolster their case that Trump has violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
Government documents detailing the profits of the Trump International Hotel disappeared from the General Services Administration's (GSA) website Friday, after reports showing that the hotel has made nearly $2 million in profits since Trump's inauguration.
The Trump International Hotel has earned about $18 million in revenue since January, making "a profit of nearly $2 million despite budgeting for a $2.1 million loss," according to Think Progress.
The profit appears even more unexpected because of the hotel's low occupancy rate; the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump International has a "44.4 percent occupancy rate compared with 69.5 percent for comparative hotels."
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted that a select group of influential guests are likely paying top dollar to stay in a hotel owned by the president.
Rooms at the hotel are priced from $625 to nearly $900 per night, with suites costing thousands of dollars per night--significantly higher than its projection last year that it would price rooms at an average of $416.
"The Trump hotel seems to be able to profit off a much smaller group" that wants to "buy influence with the president and his staff," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for CREW. Earlier this year, Trump International made $270,000 when Saudi lobbyists stayed in the hotel while Saudi Arabia was trying to overturn an anti-terrorism bill.
Rep. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. John Conyers (D-Mich.) announced their support of a lawsuit mounted by CREW, alleging that Trump's involvement in his businesses while in office is a clear violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
"The payments from foreign governments that President Trump's hotel is raking in are just one example of how President Trump is thumbing his nose at the Constitution and the American people," said Blumenthal. "The immense magnitude of President Trump's vast business empire is no excuse for his disregard for the Constitution and disrespect for the American people. No one--not even the President--is above the law."
Critics of President Donald Trump raised alarm on Friday regarding the profits he's made off the presidency, particularly at his hotel in Washington, D.C.--with lawmakers saying such profits bolster their case that Trump has violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
Government documents detailing the profits of the Trump International Hotel disappeared from the General Services Administration's (GSA) website Friday, after reports showing that the hotel has made nearly $2 million in profits since Trump's inauguration.
The Trump International Hotel has earned about $18 million in revenue since January, making "a profit of nearly $2 million despite budgeting for a $2.1 million loss," according to Think Progress.
The profit appears even more unexpected because of the hotel's low occupancy rate; the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump International has a "44.4 percent occupancy rate compared with 69.5 percent for comparative hotels."
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted that a select group of influential guests are likely paying top dollar to stay in a hotel owned by the president.
Rooms at the hotel are priced from $625 to nearly $900 per night, with suites costing thousands of dollars per night--significantly higher than its projection last year that it would price rooms at an average of $416.
"The Trump hotel seems to be able to profit off a much smaller group" that wants to "buy influence with the president and his staff," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for CREW. Earlier this year, Trump International made $270,000 when Saudi lobbyists stayed in the hotel while Saudi Arabia was trying to overturn an anti-terrorism bill.
Rep. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. John Conyers (D-Mich.) announced their support of a lawsuit mounted by CREW, alleging that Trump's involvement in his businesses while in office is a clear violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
"The payments from foreign governments that President Trump's hotel is raking in are just one example of how President Trump is thumbing his nose at the Constitution and the American people," said Blumenthal. "The immense magnitude of President Trump's vast business empire is no excuse for his disregard for the Constitution and disrespect for the American people. No one--not even the President--is above the law."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.