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The general manager of the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan had a rare bit of good news to report to investors this spring: After two years of decline, revenue from room rentals went up 13 percent in the first three months of 2018.
What caused the uptick at President Donald Trump’s flagship hotel in New York? One major factor: “a lastminute visit to New York by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” wrote general manager Prince A. Sanders in a May 15 letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
Neither Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman nor members of the royal family stayed at Trump’s hotel, Sanders said: He said the hotel didn’t have suites big enough to accommodate them. But “due to our close industry relationships,” he wrote, “we were able to accommodate many of the accompanying travelers.”
The previously unreported letter — describing a fiveday stay in March that was enough to boost the hotel’s revenue for the entire quarter — shows how little is known about the business that the president’s company does with foreign officials.
Such transactions have fueled criticism that Trump is reaping revenue from foreign governments, even as he controls U.S. foreign policy toward those countries. Trump’s company has disclosed few details about the business it does with foreign customers, saying it already reveals more than is Lineups and broadcast times may change.
“State of the Union”
7 a.m. Reps. Ed Royce, R-calif., and Nanette Barragan, D-calif.; former Gov. Deval Patrick, D-mass.
“This Week”
8 a.m. Jay Sekulow, member of President Donald Trump’s legal team; Govs. John Kasich, R-ohio, and Jay Inslee, D-wash.
“Fox News Sunday”
8 a.m. National security adviser John Bolton; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-fla.; Cody Wilson, director of Defense Distributed.
“Meet the Press”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-minn.
“Face the Nation”
9:30 a.m. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-calif.; Arne Duncan, former education secretary. required.
Neither Trump Organization and the Saudi Embassy answered questions about whether the Saudi government paid for anyone’s stay at the hotel. Sanders did not respond to requests for comment.
For now, just a handful of foreign government clients at Trump properties have been identified through media reports and statements from foreign officials. But a broader list eventually could come out.
Last week, a federal judge in Maryland gave the goahead to a lawsuit alleging that by accepting government business at his properties, Trump is violating the Constitution’s “emoluments clauses” — dusty 18th-century measures meant to prevent presidents from putting their private bank accounts ahead of the public interest.
If it stands, the ruling could force the company to provide new details about its relationships with foreign governments, states and even federal agencies.
“This was how the Framers protected against corruption,” said Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, who filed the landmark lawsuit along with D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, also a Democrat, saying they intended for these answers to be public. “They wanted to make sure the president would put the country above himself.”
The Justice Department, which is representing Trump in his official capacity, has argued that the Founding Fathers meant to stop presidents only from accepting gifts from foreign governments — not to stop presidents from conducting private business.
Frosh has said he believes the case could end up eventually before the Supreme Court. So far, neither the Justice Department nor Trump’s private attorney has said if they will appeal the decision.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump said he has given up day-to-day control over his businesses. But he still owns them and can withdraw money from them.