Trump is attending a lot of Republican fundraisers at Trump hotels these days


President Trump made his first visit to Chicago as president on Monday to address a meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, but he also found time to raise a reported $4 million for his re-election campaign at a fundraiser at Trump International Hotel & Tower. Trump is attending another fundraiser Tuesday evening at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., this one expected to bring in $13 million for House Republicans. Trump does not run his hotel and real estate business while he is president but he retained financial ownership.
So far, according to a tally by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), political organizations, special interest groups, foreign governments, and groups linked to foreign governments, have held 182 events at Trump properties since his inauguration, "possibly to buy access to and curry favor with the Trump administration."
CREW also reported Monday that "the cost of a basic room at Trump's D.C. hotel is nearly three times its average rate on Nov. 7," which happens to be "the night between Senate Republicans' two-day retreat at Trump's Hotel. ... Though the rates are exorbitant, surely many will be willing to pay the high cost for the chance to bump into [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell, or even President Trump himself. It's practically the Trump Hotel's business model." Trump's decision to hold the G7 summit at his Miami golf resort proved too much for Republicans, though, and he reversed course.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Eric Trump, who is running the family business while Trump is president, recently suggested the Trump Organization might sell its D.C. hotel. Earlier in October, the full U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit by Maryland and the District of Columbia arguing that Trump's ownership of the hotel violates the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. A three-judge panel of Republican appointees to the 4th Circuit appellate bench had thrown out the lawsuit in July.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year