Donald Trump has been hit with a new lawsuit alleging that he was illegally given a piece of prime Miami real estate to build his presidential “library,” a skyscraper hotel that will feature two golden statues and a ballroom, but no books or collections.
The state of Florida last year “sold” a 2.6-acre waterfront property worth between $67 million and $300 million to Trump’s presidential library foundation in exchange for just $10.
Although the project is slated to be managed by the nonprofit foundation, Trump told reporters in April that he “doesn’t believe in building libraries or museums.” Instead, he plans to build a “hotel with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby.”
Now, a group of Miami residents have brought a suit seeking to void the transaction on the grounds that the land was illegally given to Trump in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents presidents from receiving financial benefits while in office.
The suit accuses Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his handpicked board of trustees at the state-operated Miami Dade College (MDC) of handing over the land, which was owned by the college, in a bid to curry favor with the administration, in violation of the emoluments clause.
The land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and Downtown Miami,” the suit alleges. “Instead, the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the president.”
The county’s property appraiser had said the land was worth more than $67 million, while local real estate experts put the value closer to $300 million—values that would have been “transformative” for the college, according to the plaintiffs.
One of the plaintiffs, Marvin Dunn, told The Washington Post that he was “horrified” when he saw how Trump planned to use the site.
“Clearly it’s not a library … this is about a wrong land grab, at the expense of students in this community,” the professor emeritus and nonprofit owner said.
The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation has yet to comment on the lawsuit. In a statement to the Post, the White House defended the project.
“The Trump Presidential Library will be one of the most magnificent buildings in the world and a living testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on America and its people,” spokesman Davis Ingle said.
The Daily Beast has also reached out for comment.
According to the lawsuit, the land—which is currently a parking lot—was scouted by a lawyer who works for the president’s for-profit Trump Organization.
It was transferred without any restrictions, except that the building must contain unspecified “components” of a presidential “library, museum, and/or center.”
In late March, Trump shared a video rendering of his plans for the building, a massive tower with a red, white, and blue spire and the word “TRUMP” emblazoned in gold lights across the top.
The video shows a massive golden entryway with a Trump statue and the presidential seal, while inside, a golden elevator runs alongside the $400 million 747 that Qatar gifted to Trump last year.
There’s also an exhibition hall featuring U.S. military aircraft, a gaudy ballroom bearing a striking resemblance to the $400 million vanity project Trump is building at the White House, an Oval Office knock-off, and an auditorium lorded over by a second golden Trump statue.
The upper floors are designed to look like corporate offices, not reading rooms or library collections.
For the building itself, Trump was paid about $63 million in legal settlements paid by ABC News, Meta, X, and Paramount, bringing the project’s total value to at least $130 million and counting when combined with the $67 million land grant.
The settlement money went to a library fund that was later inexplicably dissolved. It’s unclear where the funds were transferred, prompting an ongoing congressional investigation.
A second nonprofit created by Trump’s son Eric, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., reported in December that it had received $50 million, though it failed to specify whether that amount included any of the settlement money.
