On September 5, 2025, President Donald Trump made headlines by announcing that the United States will host the 2026 Group of 20 (G20) summit at his Trump National Doral golf club near Miami, Florida. The announcement, made in the Oval Office with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at his side, immediately reignited debate about the intersection of presidential power, personal business interests, and America’s role on the world stage.
"It’s the best location, it’s beautiful, beautiful everything," Trump declared, extolling the virtues of his family-owned resort. He emphasized Doral’s proximity to Miami’s airport and its ample space, promising that each international delegation would have its own building. The timing of the event—December 2026, when South Florida’s hotels are typically packed—adds another layer of logistical complexity, but Trump insisted the venue was ideal. "We’re doing a deal where it’s not going to be money, there’s no money in it. I just want it to go well," he said, reiterating, "We will not make any money on it."
The G20, an annual gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies, last convened in the U.S. in 2009, when Pittsburgh played host. The summit serves as a forum for coordinating responses to economic crises, trade disputes, and global challenges such as climate change. This time, the U.S. will welcome leaders, diplomats, and their entourages to a property owned by the sitting president—a move that, as The New York Times and AP both note, would be unthinkable for any other federal employee due to strict conflict-of-interest statutes. But the president is exempt, and a recent Supreme Court ruling granted broad immunity for official acts taken while in office.
This is not the first time Trump has floated the idea of hosting a major international summit at Doral. During his first term, he proposed holding a global summit at the same resort but abandoned the plan after facing bipartisan criticism—including from members of his own party—over potential conflicts of interest. This time around, however, pushback has been muted, reflecting the degree to which Trump has reshaped the Republican Party and its tolerance for such entanglements. As The New York Times observed, “That criticism from Republicans did not immediately resurface on Friday, a sign of just how much Mr. Trump has worked to quash internal dissent and remake the G.O.P. in his image since his defeat in the 2020 election.”
Trump’s penchant for blurring the lines between his official duties and his business interests is well documented. He has promoted his brand—through everything from meme coins to real estate ventures—while in office. In May, he even hosted the top 220 investors in his $TRUMP cryptocurrency at a lavish dinner at his Virginia golf property. Since returning to power, he’s continued to greenlight ventures that critics say would have been considered ethically unthinkable in previous administrations.
Nevertheless, Trump and his allies have sought to downplay concerns about profiting from the G20 event. The White House released a statement saying the resort would charge only “at cost” and not profit, echoing assurances given in 2019. Trump himself insisted, "Everybody wants it there," without specifying who exactly had requested the venue. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, present at the announcement, called the summit “a tremendous boom for your economy” and said it would “put us on the global map.”
The decision comes at a time when Trump’s approach to foreign policy and international relations remains as unconventional as ever. He confirmed he will not attend this year’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing tensions with South African leaders over issues such as land reform and allegations of racial persecution. Instead, Vice President JD Vance will represent the United States at the November 2025 gathering. Trump’s relationship with South Africa has been fraught, marked by the suspension of U.S. aid and the creation of a refugee program specifically for white Afrikaners—moves that have drawn international scrutiny and condemnation from Pretoria. According to Newsweek, Trump’s confrontational Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year, in which he presented a video montage supporting false claims of “white genocide,” only deepened the rift.
The president’s critics argue that hosting the G20 at Doral is not just a matter of optics but of substance. Ethics experts, as well as Democratic lawmakers, warn that the event could further erode long-standing norms separating public office from private gain. They point out that, while the president is technically exempt from conflict-of-interest statutes, the move sets a troubling precedent for future administrations. "The plan would violate a criminal statute and ethics regulations that prohibit conflicts of interest for government employees—were it not for the fact that Mr. Trump is president," wrote The New York Times. The paper also noted that, in his first term, Trump regularly held political fundraisers and official dinners at his family’s hotels, generating revenue from government officials and campaign donors alike.
Trump’s defenders, however, argue that the president has the authority to make such decisions and that the economic benefits for Miami and the U.S. outweigh any perceived impropriety. Mayor Suarez, a Republican, emphasized the positive impact on the local economy, while the White House maintains that the arrangement is above board. As Trump put it, "It’s the best location, it’s beautiful, beautiful everything."
For many observers, the episode encapsulates the Trump era’s seismic shift in political norms and expectations. The lines between public service and private interest, once sharply drawn, have become increasingly blurred. Whether the 2026 G20 summit at Doral will be remembered as a diplomatic triumph or an ethical nadir remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the world will be watching Miami come December 2026.
