Eric Trump, the president's son and executive vice president of The Trump Organization has set the ball rolling for selling off the Trump International hotel. It opened its doors in 2016 before Donald Trump took over the White House the next year. However, there has been a raging controversy about his links with the profit-making establishment. The hotel is on federally-owned land and the president has admitted to huge earnings from this property. He is a businessman at heart and is aware of options available to invest in profitable ventures even away from America.
His son Eric has hired a real estate firm to explore the market and assist in the possible sale.
CNN mentions about lawsuits that have accused Donald Trump of violating the Constitution's emolument clause. He had resigned from his companies before occupying the White House and had transferred his assets into a trust. However, such an arrangement does not prevent him from enjoying financial benefits from those businesses. The Trump International Hotel is one of those assets. Eric trump explains - "People are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel and therefore we may be willing to sell."
Just In: President Trump's company is exploring the sale of the Trump International Hotel. The Trump Organization said it will consider offers to buy it out of a 100-year lease partly because "people are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel" https://t.co/vNXRNLp7y4
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) October 25, 2019
It is a complicated issue
There are lawsuits regarding the Trump International Hotel that mention about the harm it has brought to other hotels and businesses in the neighborhood.
These lawsuits are from the District of Columbia and Maryland and with a federal court. It is a complicated issue and the authorities want to check out relevant documents pertaining to the lease.
Pres. Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel -- a stone’s throw away from the White House -- may be going on the market for $500 million; according to Eric Trump, talk of a sale has been prompted by critics “objecting to us making so much money."
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 25, 2019
Here’s @weijia https://t.co/zml3Aa7ivB pic.twitter.com/CjWTLuG7DU
CNN says the complication is about the involvement of the President of the United States in the property.
The question is whether he is violating certain clauses of the US Constitution to enrich himself. It was in 2012 that the Trump Organization won the contract for the hotel and it opened in 2016.
Donald Trump dissociating himself from some ventures
According to CBS News, the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. on the government-owned property is for sale for an asking price of as much as $500 million.
The Trump Organization has hired a real estate firm and an official has confirmed that there are possibilities of getting $500 million for its 100-year leasing rights. This will work out to about $2 million per room. One reason for the sale is to avoid criticism over conflicts of interest.
Observers feel the Trump Organization is trying to distance its business from the organization's namesake. One point is the decision of saying ‘no’ to host the 2020 G-7 meeting in the Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort. It seems the Trump name was also removed from two popular ice skating rinks in New York City. The president’s company was operating these.