Trump resort in Ireland promotes presidential visit, despite pledge

The Trump Organization appeared to be breaking a 2017 promise not to mention President Trump in social media posts as his Ireland golf resort promoted the president’s visit.

The Trump Doonbeg resort posted two now-deleted tweets Friday morning publicizing the president’s visit. One tweet shows Marine One landing at the resort, with a caption that read, “It was an honour” to have the president and first lady visit. In another tweet, Trump is seen golfing.

In 2017, the Trump Organization pledged that “no communications of the Organization, including social media accounts, will reference or otherwise be tied to President-Elect Trump’s role as President of the United States or the Office of the Presidency.”

Zach Everson, a journalist reporting on conflicts at Trump’s Washington hotel, first noted the connection on Friday. Everson took screenshots of Trump Doonbeg’s tweets before they were deleted.

Eric Trump told the Washington Post in 2017, “There are lines that we would never cross, and that’s mixing business with anything government.”

Trump stayed at the money-losing Doonbeg resort for two nights after his official state visit to Britain. The president’s unusual itinerary required him to fly to Ireland on Wednesday to meet with Ireland’s prime minister before flying to Doonbeg, a small oceanside village on Ireland’s west coast. Trump flew to France on Thursday for a D-Day commemoration and returned to Doonbeg on Thursday night.

Before leaving Washington, Trump said staying at Doonbeg was “convenient and it’s a great place.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and her deputy, Hogan Gidley, have both shared posts on Instagram showing the Doonbeg resort during their stay. Gidley’s recent posts show off other Trump properties, including Trump Tower in New York and Trump National Golf Club in Washington.

Trump has visited 12 properties branded with his name during his time in office, according to the Post. Those include Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., and golf clubs in California, Florida, New Jersey and Scotland.

After winning the 2016 election, Trump decided not to divest from his properties. Instead, he placed control of the Trump Organization in the hands of his oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr. Both sons accompanied Trump and Melania on their state visit in Britain despite not holding positions in the Trump administration.

Trump’s visit to Doonbeg — and the resort’s promotion of his stay — come at a time when Democrats in the House have launched numerous investigations into the president’s business dealings. A fight over Trump’s tax returns and banking records continues in the courts, as Democrats hope to determine whether the president has inflated his net worth or made foreign policy decisions to benefit his businesses.

A federal judge ruled on May 22 that Democrats’ subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One for the president’s financial records have “a legitimate legislative purpose.” Lawyers for the president had argued that the subpoenas didn’t have a lawful purpose and were therefore unconstitutional.

Democrats in the House maintain that they need records from the two banks, former lenders to Trump, to investigate possible money laundering in Russia and Eastern Europe. Trump’s lawyers have appealed the decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.

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