Trump Says His Businesses Hurting From Virus’s Economic Fallout
Trump Says His Businesses Hurting From Virus’s Economic Fallout
(Bloomberg) --
President Donald Trump didn’t make a direct commitment to forgo taxpayer stimulus funds for his network of hotels and golf courses as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the travel industry.
Instead, at a briefing on Sunday, the president said he didn’t get enough credit for not keeping his $400,000 annual salary for serving as commander in chief.
“I did it, nobody cared,” Trump said of donating his salary. “Nobody said ‘thank you.’ Nobody said ‘thank you very much.’ Now, I didn’t commit legally. I just said, ‘I don’t want it. I don’t want my salary. I work for zero. I don’t want my salary.’”
Since taking office Trump has donated his salary to various arms of the government. This month he donated his fourth-quarter 2019 salary to the Department of Health and Human Services for coronavirus containment efforts, according to the White House.
On Saturday, Trump said the economic dislocations caused by the pandemic are harming his family business as hotels around the world reel from a drop in travel.
It would be good practice for his hotels and clubs to close to slow the spread of the virus, in line with the current social distancing imperative, he said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s thriving, when you decide to close down your hotels and your businesses,” the president said. “It’s hurting me, it’s hurting Hilton and it’s hurting all of the great hotel chains all over the world.”
In the face of the pandemic, “we have to same some of these great companies,” Trump said on Sunday. “We have to save them.”
“I’ve learned let’s just see what happens,” he said.
Trump’s family business, which includes hotels, golf clubs and resorts, has cut staff at hotels in New York and Washington and closed courses in Los Angeles and in the Miami area, the New York Times reported on Friday.
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