Is President Trump already planning a re-election party at his DC hotel on election night? Maybe so, as rooms at Trump International Hotel are entirely unavailable on November 2nd and 3rd. Those dates just happen to be the day before and the night of the 2020 presidential election. And not only that: The night after the election a basic room costs $1,600, a major spike of nearly 5 times the average cost, which is around $331. 

The high rate on November 4th suggests that the hotel’s unavailability on the two days before has to do with high demand: Perhaps the hotel sold out because Trumpworld insiders already booked their rooms, or a political group booked up blocks of rooms for a party. No matter what, President Trump will be making even more money than usual from his DC hotel on the nights around the 2020 presidential election.

Given that election night is still 10 months away, the fact that the hotel appears to be fully booked is extremely unusual. It is especially unusual for Trump’s DC hotel, which tends to run a high vacancy rate, which may have contributed to the decision to sell the property. 

This is not the first time Trump hotel rates have seemed to respond to something the president was involved in. On the Fourth of July, when President Trump held a military parade on the National Mall, the hotel was likewise sold out, then rates the next day were an unusually high $1,166. On November 7, during a “Save the Senate” fundraiser where President Trump and at least eight Senators made an appearance, rates were $1,345. Just last month, Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee including the Trump campaign and the RNC, hosted a fundraiser with Trump, Vice President Pence and other officials at the Trump Hotel, apparently causing most of the hotel to sell out. 

The fact that the Trump International Hotel is a hotspot for the President’s allies and those wishing to influence the Trump Administration is no secret—there’s even a newsletter devoted to cataloging the near daily visits to the hotel by Trumpworld characters. The fact that President Trump and his political allies often make appearances at these events certainly doesn’t hurt interest in the events, and helps drive profits for President Trump. According to CREW’s tracking, 119 members of Congress have visited Trump properties. Some members have visited many times—Senator Lindsey Graham more than anyone else, visiting 21 times.

There’s only one way to interpret these numbers: Trump is cashing in on his political position and his supporters are helping. With a potential sale of the hotel on the horizon, it is possible that President Trump sees election night 2020 as a last hurrah of influence peddling in his DC hotel. We know that it’s a good bet that the President may make an appearance at his business on election night—he’s already appeared at his businesses 436 times during his presidency, including 27 at the DC hotel. Many of his supporters and those with business before the federal government have shown they are willing to pay for access.

It looks like a lot of people have bought their tickets nearly a year in advance.

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