Saudi Visit Boosts Trump Hotel Earnings After 2-Year Loss: Report

COLUMBUS CIRCLE, NY — When Saudi American Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited New York City for five days in March, President Donald Trump's Columbus Circle hotel saw a boom in business, according to reports.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower saw a 13 percent bump in revenue from hotel rentals in the opening months of 2018 after two years of decline, the hotel's general manager Prince Sanders revealed in a letter obtained by the Washington Post.

Sanders attributed the increase to a last-minute visit by bin Salman and his entourage, writing "due to our close industry relationships, we were able to accommodate many of the accompanying travelers," the Post reported. The Saudi prince did not stay at the hotel himself because the suites weren't big enough, the Post reported.

The use of Trump-owned properties by foreign government officials and their associates has become a source of controversy, with many claiming that the president is using the nation's highest office to enrich himself and his family. Critics of the president have accused Trump of violating the Constitution's emoluments clause by hosting events such as a 2017 conference on U.S.-Turkey Relations at Trump Organization properties.

The president's refusal to fully divest from his businesses is a common point of contention between his administration and former director of the independent Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub, who resigned from his post in 2017. Upon his exit, Shaub implied that the Trump's may be using the U.S. government to benefit the family business.

"There's an appearance that the businesses are profiting from his occupying the presidency," he said during a CBS News interview. "And appearance matters as much as reality."

Read the full Washington Post article here.

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