Trump cancels plan to host G7 at his golf resort

UNITED STATES: President backtracks over 2020 summit after facing accusations

Responding to stinging criticism, President Donald Trump abruptly reversed his plan to hold the next Group of Seven world leaders’ meeting at his Florida golf resort next year.

Mr Trump announced a rare backtrack on Saturday night after facing accusations that he was using the presidency to enrich himself by hosting the international summit at the private Doral resort, owned by his family.

“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,” Trump tweeted.

He said his administration “will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately”.

The striking reversal raises further doubts about the position of the president’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who held a press conference on Thursday announcing the choice of Doral for the summit.

He insisted his staff had concluded it was “far and away the best physical facility”.

Mr Mulvaney said the White House reached that determination after visiting 10 sites across the country.

In the same press conference, Mr Mulvaney acknowledged a quid pro quo was at work when Trump held up US aid to Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine’s investigation of Democrats and the 2016 elections.

He later claimed his comments had been misconstrued, but not before drawing the ire of the president.