Report: Embassy of Kuwait moves major event to Trump’s DC hotel

The Embassy of Kuwait reportedly switched the location of an event from a Four Seasons hotel to President-elect Donald Trump’s new hotel in Washington, D.C., citing pressure from members of the Trump Organization. 

The report from ThinkProgress, a blog connected to the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, says the ambassador of Kuwait abruptly canceled a reservation with the Four Seasons, where it has held its National Day event in the past, shortly after the election.

The embassy has now signed a contract with Trump International Hotel.

ThinkProgress said members of the Trump Organization pressured the ambassador to hold the event at the hotel owned by the president-elect, citing a source with direct knowledge of the arrangements between the hotels and the embassy. ThinkProgress said it also reviewed documentary evidence confirming the source’s report.

The switch was made just days after an event at Trump’s D.C. hotel where 100 foreign diplomats gathered to discuss “how are we going to build ties with the new administration,” according to a report by The Washington Post.

Foreign diplomats have openly admitted that some see staying at the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel owned by the president-elect as a chance to curry favor with Trump. 

“Why wouldn’t I stay at his hotel blocks from the White House, so I can tell the new president, ‘I love your new hotel!’ Isn’t it rude to come to his city and say, ‘I am staying at your competitor?’” one Asian diplomat told the Post last month.

Trump has been under scrutiny to explain how he will separate himself from his business interests when he takes office. He has said his adult children will run the Trump empire without his input, but no formal plans have been announced.