Donald Trump has let slip his true ambitions for his “presidential library.”
The president launched the first look at his library on Monday, complete with gold statues, an Air Force One jet–yet notably, few books.
When quizzed on the Miami tower on Tuesday, Trump painted a different picture, admitting the Miami tower will “most likely” include a hotel built on free public land.
“It’s going to be most likely a hotel, with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office.
“This concept could be [an] office, but it’s most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath.”
Trump has insisted that construction won’t begin until after he has left office, but plans seem to be underway already.
Land in downtown Miami has been handed over to the Trump-controlled foundation at no cost through a state-backed deal involving the State of Florida and Miami Dade College.
“They say it’s the best block in Miami and the state worked with us,” Trump said.
The proposed skyscraper is expected to include hotel rooms on its upper floors, creating a built-in revenue stream tied directly to a project carrying the trappings of a public institution.
The “library” itself is already linked to millions of dollars in funding from legal settlements with major media and tech companies, payments unlikely to have been made if Trump were not in office.
Those funds are now flowing into the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, established as a nonprofit foundation with relatively few constraints on how the money is ultimately used.
The lines between public office and private business have become increasingly blurred throughout Trump’s second term.
A detailed accounting by The New Yorker in August found the Trump family had tapped into a sprawling web of deals, from crypto ventures to foreign licensing agreements, that likely wouldn’t have materialized without his political status.
Since then, the money-making machine has only accelerated.
Trump-linked projects have pulled in hundreds of millions through digital tokens tied directly to his name, with investors effectively buying into his political clout.
Trump Media has followed suit, raising billions while leaning on his continued influence to prop up its value.
The Trump Organization has also signed lucrative agreements across the Persian Gulf, while a major resort project in Vietnam has been fast-tracked by officials citing Trump’s involvement.
A Washington club tied to Trump allies is charging steep fees for access. Trump-branded merchandise continues to generate millions, and a proposed luxury jet from Qatar—destined for the “library”—has only added to the pile of questions.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
