This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 78: Illegal Emoluments at D.C. Hotel.*
The presidency is supposed to serve the people, not the president’s wallet. But from the moment Donald Trump entered the White House, he saw dollar signs.
The U.S. Constitution’s Emoluments Clause forbids any president from taking money or gifts from foreign governments. The founders knew it would corrupt American democracy. Trump ignored it. He refused to divest from his businesses, and at the heart of it all sat the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.—just a few blocks from the Oval Office.
Almost overnight, the hotel became a hub for pay-to-play politics. Foreign governments and lobbyists rushed to book suites, host galas, and throw parties, knowing that every dollar spent went directly into Trump’s pockets.
Saudi lobbyists spent hundreds of thousands at the hotel while pressing Trump on arms sales. Kuwait moved its National Day celebration there. Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia, and Qatar all followed suit. It wasn’t about luxury—it was about influence. The message was unmistakable: stay at Trump’s hotel, and you’ll get Trump’s ear.
Watchdogs sounded the alarm. Lawsuits accused Trump of violating the Constitution. Oversight investigations later uncovered at least $3.7 million in foreign payments to Trump’s hotel while he was president. That money didn’t go to America—it went straight into the business he refused to give up.
And it wasn’t just foreign powers. Conservative groups, Republican politicians, and wealthy special interests turned the D.C. hotel into their clubhouse, pouring millions into Trump’s brand to curry favor. Trump even tried to host the G7 summit at his Doral resort in Florida, only backing down when public outrage boiled over.
The presidency became a business venture. The White House turned into an extension of the Trump Organization. And the American people were left with a president more interested in room bookings than the rule of law.
The Trump International Hotel in D.C. has since been sold. But its four years as the ultimate symbol of corruption remain a warning. The Emoluments Clause was meant to stop this exact kind of abuse. Trump bulldozed it—and cashed in.
This is *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 78: Illegal Emoluments at D.C. Hotel.*
And next, we turn to *Trump’s True Crimes – Episode 79: Census Manipulation Attempt*—how Trump tried to rig the 2020 Census to silence immigrants, reshape political power, and lock in Republican dominance for a generation.