Warren, Castro dismiss reversal on holding G-7 at Doral, saying it doesn’t change Trump’s ‘corruption’

Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro on Saturday dismissed the significance of President Trump reversing his decision to hold next year’s Group of Seven (G-7) summit at one of his properties in Florida, saying the president will likely continue to use the White House for personal gain. 

“The G-7 may no longer be at Trump National Doral, but that won’t stop foreign nations from dumping money into Donald Trump’s pockets by spending at his hotels,” Warren, a Massachusetts senator, said on Twitter. “And it won’t stop Trump from rewarding Mar-a-Lago members with ambassadorships.”

Castro, a former Housing and Urban Development secretary, added, “Trying to be a complete crook of a politician didn’t quite work out for him this time, but I’m sure he’s not done trying. We need integrity back in the Oval Office.”

Donald Trump is corruption in the flesh—we must call it out, and I have a plan to fight back: https://t.co/k32fZwonHP

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 20, 2019

Trying to be a complete crook of a politician didn’t quite work out for him this time, but I’m sure he’s not done trying.

We need integrity back in the Oval Office. https://t.co/u7EUX84iQr

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 20, 2019

Following a wave of backlash from Democrats, Republicans and ethics watchdogs, Trump said on Saturday that he would no longer host the 2020 G-7 Summit at Trump National Doral in Florida. The decision came just two days after acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announced that the annual event would be held at the Miami-area resort in June. 

Despite arguing that Trump would not profit from the gathering, Mulvaney’s announcement sparked widespread concerns about the appearance of a conflict of interest for the president. Many asserted that the move represented a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officeholders from accepting payments from foreign countries, U.S. states or the federal government. 

Trump dismissed those concerns in a series of tweets late Saturday night, saying he was willing to hold the G-7 at “no profit, or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA.” But he acknowledged that he would no longer consider holding the event at Trump National Doral because of the concerns. 

“The Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY!” Trump tweeted. “Therefore, based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020.” 

Warren was among several Democratic lawmakers to call the Trump administration’s initial move an example of “corruption.” She and other members of Congress have continually raised issues with the president’s frequent use of his properties throughout his presidency. 

Last month, Warren released a policy plan addressing conflicts of interest in government, calling the Trump White House the “most corrupt administration of our lifetimes.”