After revealing a video showing the design of his planned presidential library, President Donald Trump surprised no one when he told reporters that the skyscraper in which the library will be housed will also serve as a hotel.
Eric Trump, the president’s son, released a video Monday showcasing renderings of the proposed Donald J. Trump Presidential Library in Miami, Florida.
According to the renderings, Trump’s presidential library would be housed in a skyscraper with the name TRUMP displayed in large capital letters at the top. In the images, the proposed tower looms over the surrounding Miami skyline.
When asked by a reporter to explain "what else" would be in a structure that size, Trump attacked former President Barack Obama's presidential library and admitted the real purpose for the "library":
"I don't believe in building libraries or museums. It's really like the Barack Hussein Obama one in Chicago, in not a good location and a very unattractive building that's seriously late and seriously overbudget."
"I think you're going to see a great one here and it's gonna go up on time, on budget, best location in Miami, best block in Miami. They say it's gonna be most likely a hotel. Could be office, but it’s most likely gonna be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
A hotel and a presidential library in one spot is an unusual arrangement given the library is a nonprofit foundation.
The New York Times reported that the agreement transferring the land from a community college to the state of Florida, and ultimately to the library foundation, only requires a library or museum to occupy certain portions of the site. That arrangement could allow a for-profit business to operate on other parts of the property.
The Times also reported that the land was valued at $67 million, though it is believed to be worth significantly more.
The grift continues—and people are not surprised.
Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Trump's library plans by comparing a proposed gold statue of the president to the grandiose monuments erected for authoritarian leaders throughout history.
Newsom responded to the revelation that Trump intends to unveil a gold statue of himself at his upcoming presidential library with a post on X comparing Trump to other authoritarian leaders who had gold statues of their own, including former Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, North Korea’s Kim Il-Sung and Turkmenistan’s Saparmurat Niyazov.
He said these plans look "awfully familiar" to those of the aforementioned dictators, highlighting how the library—and the proposed skyscraper itself—will serve as another example of Trump's narcissism and cult of personality.
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