Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
RNC to host winter meeting at Trump resort in Florida
Summit to draw activists, politicians for party strategy
The Republican National Committee will hold its winter gathering in January at President Donald Trump’s Doral resort, the latest example of the intertwining of the Republican Party and the president’s personal business.
A party spokeswoman confirmed to the Miami Herald Thursday that the annual event, to be held over several days, will take place at Trump National Doral Miami, located near Miami International Airport.
The event will be Jan. 22 to 24, according to Politico. The RNC’s announcement was initially made by email Thursday to its members, according to CNN.
The notification came about one month after the
White House unveiled plans to hold the global G-7 summit at Trump’s Doral resort only to have Trump suddenly reverse course two days later amid bipartisan criticism. A new location for the G-7 summit has not been announced.
Trump has been blasted by Democrats for hosting foreign dignitaries at his hotels and attempting to steer U.S. government functions to his own company. But the RNC pushed back on those criticisms Thursday, saying that more often than not the organization holds its gatherings somewhere other than Trump properties.
“The media is obsessed with our spending at Trump properties and has covered it ad nauseam,” RNC spokesman Michael Ahrens said in a statement. “As we have stated multiple times, we continue to hold events at them because they have fantastic service and secure spaces that fit our needs.”
The RNC’s winter gathering — a summit for party strategy and fundraising — should draw hundreds of party activists and politicians to Trump’s resort and likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in party spending at his resort.
Federal campaign records show the national party paid $84,822 to the hotel back in March, which is when the RNC says the event was booked. Over the first half of 2018, when the RNC held its spring meeting at Trump’s Doral resort, the national party reported $600,000 in expenses at Trump National Doral Miami.
The hotel, like Trump’s other properties, is owned by the Trump Organization, which is managed by his sons. Trump reported $75 million in revenues from Trump National Doral Miami on his 2018 financial disclosure, his largest single source of income.