In October 2019, the White House announced that the next G7 summit would be hosted at Trump National Doral Miami — a golf resort owned by the president of the United States. The backlash was immediate and bipartisan. Republicans and Democrats alike called it what it was: self-dealing corruption. Trump backed down within days, acting outraged that anyone would question his intentions.
It's 2026. The G20 summit is scheduled for December 14–15. The location? Trump National Doral Miami. The same resort. The same president. The same corruption. Except this time, nobody stopped him.
And now he's inviting Vladimir Putin.
Russia Confirms: Invited "at the Highest Level"
On April 23, the Washington Post reported that Trump intends to invite Putin to the December summit. Hours later, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told journalists at the U.N. that Russia had been invited to the G20 "at the highest level." A senior Trump administration official confirmed: "All G20 members will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders' summit."
Trump, when asked by reporters, seemed characteristically unaware of his own administration's actions: "I don't know that he's coming. I doubt he'd come, to be honest with you." But then he added the quiet part: "If he came, it would be probably very helpful."
Layer 1: Trump is hosting a major global summit at a property he personally owns and profits from.
Layer 2: He tried this in 2019 with the G7 and was forced to back down over ethics concerns.
Layer 3: He's inviting Vladimir Putin — a man wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine — to attend as a guest.
Layer 4: Putin would be attending a summit at Trump's property, effectively paying Trump to show up on the world stage.
He Tried This Before. It Was Corruption Then Too.
Let's refresh the memory. In 2019, when Trump's Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney announced the G7 would be at Doral, the stated justification was that it was the "best" venue after the administration supposedly evaluated a dozen locations. Democrats called for investigations. Even Republicans objected. The Government Accountability Office weighed in on the emoluments concerns. Trump reversed course and called it "irrational hostility" from the media.
Now he's done it anyway. The 2026 G20 summit was announced for Doral months ago by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez from the Oval Office. There was no competitive bidding process. There was no pretense of evaluating alternatives. The president simply declared that the world's most powerful leaders would convene at his golf resort, and that was that.
Every hotel room booked by a delegation. Every meal served. Every round of golf. Every security arrangement on the property. It all flows revenue to a business owned by the man who decided the summit would be there. This is the emoluments problem distilled to its purest form: a president using the power of his office to drive business to himself.
The Putin Problem
Putin hasn't left Russia since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023 for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. ICC member states are theoretically obligated to arrest him if he enters their territory. The United States is not an ICC member, which means Putin could attend the Miami summit without facing arrest.
But the symbolism is staggering. Trump is rolling out the welcome mat for a man wanted for war crimes — at his own property, where he profits from the visit. The invitation comes while Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on, with cities still being bombarded and civilian casualties mounting daily.
“The invitation would mark a major easing of international pressure on Putin, who has been shunned by most of the West but not Trump since ordering the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.” — NBC News
The Kremlin is playing coy. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no such decisions have been made yet" about whether Putin will attend. But they confirmed receiving the invitation. If Putin shows up in Miami in December, he'll be the guest of a president who has consistently refused to hold him accountable for invading a sovereign nation, at a resort that puts money directly in that president's pocket.
2019 Was the Dress Rehearsal
The 2019 G7 debacle was supposed to be a lesson. The bipartisan backlash was supposed to establish that a president can't use international summits as revenue generators for his personal businesses. Congress objected. Ethics watchdogs objected. Even Republicans said it looked bad.
It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Because there were no consequences. Trump backed down in 2019 not because anyone stopped him but because the optics were bad enough to make it politically inconvenient. In 2026, with a compliant Congress and a base that cheers for this kind of thing, the inconvenience evaporated.
December 14–15. Trump National Doral Miami. The G20. Vladimir Putin invited as a guest of honor. Revenue flowing directly to the president's business. He told you he was going to do this. He tried it in 2019. You let him get away with it. So he did it again.
Sources
- Reuters (via Global Banking & Finance): Trump intends to invite Putin to G20 in December in Miami, per Washington Post. White House and State Department did not immediately respond. April 23, 2026.
- Kyiv Independent: Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Pankin said Russia invited "at the highest level." State Department spokesperson: "Russia is welcome to attend all G20 meetings." Summit at Trump National Doral. April 23, 2026.
- NBC News: "The invitation would mark a major easing of international pressure on Putin." Trump: "I doubt he'd come" but "if he came, it would be probably very helpful." Kremlin: "No such decisions have been made yet." April 23, 2026.
- Wikipedia — 2026 G20 Miami Summit: Summit scheduled Dec 14-15 at Trump National Doral Miami. Announced by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez from the Oval Office. Background on Doral property and summit planning.
- EOH — G7 Doral Self-Dealing (2019): Previous coverage of Trump's 2019 attempt to host the G7 at Doral. Bipartisan backlash forced reversal. Same corruption, now executed successfully.