Emoluments: Foreign and Domestic Payments to Trump Properties Throughout Presidency
Trump retained ownership of his business empire throughout his presidency, rejecting the divestment that every modern president had undertaken. The Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. — in the old Post Office Pavilion leased from the General Services Administration — was particularly notable: foreign governments and diplomatic delegations booked the hotel, and the GSA was both the landlord and a federal agency under presidential authority. Three lawsuits were filed against Trump under the Emoluments Clauses; all were ultimately dismissed without reaching the merits after Trump left office. Congressional oversight requests for information about foreign payments were resisted throughout.
Record summary
Grade
Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions
- Status
- Concluded
- Incident date
- Record updated
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Category
- Corruption & Self-Dealing
- Legal posture
- Reported
- War-crime classification
- Enabling conduct
- Verification
- Independently verified
- ICC relevance
- No
- Sources
- 4 cited
- Stable ID
trump-emoluments-mar-a-lago-payments- Victims
- U.S. constitutional norms against presidential self-enrichment; government contracting integrity; foreign policy actors able to seek favor through financial transactions with the president's private businesses
- Alleged responsible parties
- Donald Trump, President; retained ownership of business empire receiving payments from foreign governments and domestic public agencies throughout presidency— Trump Organization / White House
Key points
- Trump refused to divest from his business empire, instead placing it in a trust managed by his sons — a structure that ethics officials across administrations noted did not eliminate conflicts of interest because Trump remained the beneficial owner and could withdraw funds at any time
- The Washington Post investigation documented that at least 20 foreign governments — including China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Turkey — had patronized Trump properties or made payments to Trump-related entities during his presidency
- Saudi Arabia paid at least $270,000 to Trump International Hotel in Washington during a lobbying effort; the Saudi lobbying firm's payments to the Trump hotel were later used as evidence in emoluments litigation
- The Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. was in a building leased from the General Services Administration — a federal agency that reports to the president. The GSA lease explicitly prohibited elected officials from benefiting from the lease; the GSA found this did not disqualify Trump, a determination ethics lawyers called legally dubious
- The Secret Service paid for rooms, golf cart rentals, and other services at Mar-a-Lago and Trump golf courses when protecting the president during visits there; Congressional Democrats documented over $1 million in payments from federal agencies to Trump properties during the presidency
- All three major emoluments lawsuits (CREW v. Trump, Maryland and D.C. v. Trump, and Blumenthal v. Trump) were ultimately dismissed without reaching the merits — courts ruled challengers lacked standing or that the cases became moot when Trump left office
Overview
The Foreign Emoluments Clause — one of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions written specifically to prevent foreign governments from gaining influence over U.S. officials through financial payments — prohibits the president from receiving payments from foreign governments without congressional consent.
Trump did not divest from his businesses. Foreign governments paid his hotels. The courts dismissed the lawsuits without reaching the merits.
The Hotels
Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., a block from the White House, occupied a federal building leased from the General Services Administration. During the Trump presidency, it became a known gathering point for lobbyists, diplomatic delegations, and foreign government officials seeking proximity to the administration. The Washington Post documented more than $750,000 in payments from foreign governments to Trump properties in total — a figure widely understood to represent a floor rather than a ceiling, given limited disclosure.
The specific case of Saudi Arabia's lobbying payments — at least $270,000 to the Trump hotel while the kingdom was lobbying against JASTA (the law allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia) — became a central exhibit in emoluments litigation.
The GSA Lease
The Trump International Hotel lease from the General Services Administration contained a provision explicitly prohibiting elected officials from benefiting. When Trump won the election while his company held the lease, the GSA — a federal agency under presidential authority — reviewed the conflict and found it was not disqualifying.
Ethics lawyers across the political spectrum described this determination as legally incoherent: the agency reporting to the president was deciding whether the president could benefit from his lease with that agency.
The Cases
Three major emoluments lawsuits were filed. None reached a decision on the merits. Courts dismissed them on standing or mootness grounds. The constitutional question of whether Trump's conduct violated the Emoluments Clauses was never adjudicated.
Update log
-
Updated with lawsuit dismissals after Trump left office.
Sequence of events
-
Trump takes office without divesting from businesses
Trump is inaugurated while retaining ownership of his business empire. He places it in a trust managed by his sons but remains the beneficial owner. Ethics officials note this does not eliminate conflicts of interest.
-
First emoluments lawsuit filed
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) files the first emoluments lawsuit challenging Trump's receipt of payments from foreign governments through his businesses.
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Maryland and D.C. file emoluments suit
The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia file an emoluments lawsuit, arguing that Trump International Hotel is harming competing businesses and that foreign payments violate the constitutional prohibition.
-
Washington Post documents $750,000+ in foreign government payments
The Washington Post investigation documents at least $750,000 in payments from at least 20 foreign governments to Trump properties since his inauguration — including Saudi Arabia's $270,000 lobbying payments.
-
Emoluments lawsuits dismissed after Trump leaves office
Federal appeals courts dismiss the remaining emoluments lawsuits as moot after Trump leaves office. None of the cases reached a ruling on the merits of the constitutional claims.
Sources
- The Emoluments Lawsuits Against Trump Are Dropped After He Leaves Office — The New York Times
- Foreign governments paid Trump hotel at least $750,000 since he took office — The Washington Post
- Foreign payments to Trump properties during presidency — The Associated Press
- Trump International Hotel — Federal Leasing Oversight — U.S. Government Accountability Office