US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States will host the 2026 G20 summit at his Trump National Doral resort in Miami. Trump described the resort as the perfect choice, citing its facilities, location, and Florida’s December weather.
“It’s going to be at Doral,” Trump said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. Emphasising its proximity to Miami airport, he added, “Everybody wants it there because it’s right next to the airport, it’s the best location, it’s beautiful, a beautiful everything,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Trump, however, pushed back against concerns that he could financially benefit from hosting the summit at his property, insisting that he would not make any profit from the event.
“We will not make any money on it. We’re doing a deal where it’s not going to be money, there’s no money in it. I just want it to go well,” he said, while noting that most hotels in the Miami area are booked in December.
The US President further highlighted plans for each participating country to have its “own building” during the summit.
Trump Made Similar Announcement During 2020 G7 Summit
The former New Yorker, who has made Florida his primary home in recent years, owns both the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and the Doral resort near Miami. His decision to return to Doral for the G20 echoes a similar move during his first presidency, when he proposed hosting the 2020 G7 summit at the same location.
However, that plan sparked a fierce backlash, with Democrats calling it “among the most brazen examples yet of the president’s corruption.” This led Trump to ultimately scrap the idea, blaming “media and Democrat crazed and irrational hostility.” The G7 summit itself never happened after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the time, Trump also retreated from plans to invite Russia to rejoin the G7, amid international pushback against Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. However, he has now said that he would welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the G20 in Miami, AFP reported.
“I would love them to, if they want to,” Trump said, adding that their role might be limited to observors. Both Russia and China are members of the G20.
Trump further confirmed that he will not attend this year’s G20 summit in South Africa, choosing instead to send Vice President JD Vance.
The US president had previously indicated he would skip the meeting, citing debunked claims of violence against white citizens in the country. “I won’t be going, JD will be going. Great vice president, and he looks forward to it,” Trump said.
