Donald Trump Claims He Gets 'More Promotion Than Anyone Who's Ever Lived' In Defense of G7 Doral Suggestion

President Donald Trump has claimed he gets "more promotion than any human being that's ever lived" in defense of the suggestion that his Doral property in Florida host a G7 Summit.

The president withdrew his suggestion to host world leaders at one of his own properties on Saturday after a backlash that he described as "crazed and irrational hostility."

Speaking about his now-retracted hosting offer, Trump said in a cabinet meeting on Monday: "Doral was a very simple situation. I own a property in Florida. I was going to do it at no cost or give it for free if I got a ruling — because there's a question about whether or not you're allowed to give it because it's like a contribution to a country. I'd have to get a ruling, but I would have given it for nothing. It's a lot of money.

"This Miami, this facility, everybody would have had their own building, everyone in the G7 would have had their own building. It is so good. Florida loved it," Trump continued.

"But the Democrats went crazy, even though I would have done it free, save the country a lot of money. Then they say, "Oh, but you'll get promotion." You don't think I get enough promotion? I get more promotion than any human being that's ever lived, I think. I think I get—I think I can say that's fairly researched. I think I get more promotion than any human being that's ever lived. Some good, some bad. People that like me, give me only good. People that don't like me, give me only bad, but that's the way life is. I don't need promotion. I don't need promotion," he added.

As well as pushing back on the idea that he would need promotion for the property, the president also reiterated that he was not in need of the extra financial help—reiterating once again his decision to give away his presidential salary.

"I give away from salary. It's, I guess, was $450,000. I give it away. No one ever said: 'You give away your salary.' Now it comes up because of this. I give away my presidential salary. They say that no other president has done that, and I'm surprised, to be honest with you," Trump said. "They actually say that George Washington may have been the only other president that did, but see whether or not Obama gave up his salary. See whether all of the other of your favorites give up their salary. The answer is no."

After blowback over the Doral suggestion, including by ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Trump did a U-turn on the offer, with a new suggested venue for the summit, set to be held in June 2020, Camp David.

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said at the weekend that he had been surprised by the level of criticism the president had received for suggesting one of his own properties as the venue for the G7, despite concerns from ethics watchdogs.

"At the end of the day, he still sees considers himself to be in the hospitality business and he saw an opportunity to take the top leaders from around the world and he wanted to put on the absolute show, the best visit he possibly could," Mulvaney said. "I think we were all surprised at the level of pushback."