President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were accused in a May 13 lawsuit of violating the Constitution through a gift to a Trump-affiliated presidential library foundation of high-value Miami real estate where Trump says he wants to build a hotel.
DeSantis and other Florida officials voted to donate the land so the foundation can build a presidential library there in Trump's name. But the terms of the donation only require the land to contain "components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center," according to the lawsuit, and Trump has said "it's most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath."
The U.S. Constitution says that, outside of the president's salary, the president can't receive during his presidential term "any other Emolument" from Congress or state governments. An "emolument" is a benefit that arises from employment or from being in office, according to Merriam-Webster.
"Flouting this prohibition, Florida officials have given the President a piece of state-owned property worth hundreds of millions of dollars," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit cites a New York Times story in which a real estate consultant who tracks local trends in the Miami condo market, Peter Zalewski, estimated the property could sell for at least $360 million. The Miami-Dade County property appraiser valued the land at more than $67 million, according to that story.
