Trump does U-turn over plan to host G7 at his golf resort

DONALD Trump has abruptly ditched his plan to hold the next G7 meeting at his Florida golf resort.

The US President made the rare U-turn on Saturday night, saying his administration will ‘immediately’ begin searching for another site.

He had faced a barrage of criticism that he was using the presidency to enrich himself by holding an international summit at Trump National Doral in Miami, a family-owned resort.

Even his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, admitted to reporters: ‘I think he knows people think it looks lousy.’

On Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted: ‘Based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G7 in 2020.’

He said he would have been willing to hold the gathering of world leaders at the resort next June ‘at no profit or, if legally permissible, at zero cost to the USA’, adding: ‘I thought I was doing something very good for our country.’

Mr Mulvaney had insisted on Thursday that the resort was ‘far and away the best physical facility’ for the summit.

He also claimed officials had surveyed ten sites across the US before making their decision.

But he changed his tune on Saturday, saying: ‘At the end of the day he still considers himself to be in the hospitality business.

‘He wanted to put on the absolute best show, the best visit that he possibly could and he was very confident in doing that at Doral. (But) I think it’s the right decision to change.’

‘He wanted to put on a show’