Trump DC hotel did not request rent relief from GSA

President Trump’s real estate company did not formally request rent relief from the federal government for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter obtained by The Hill, the General Services Administration (GSA), which leases the building to the Trump Organization, told lawmakers that it did not receive a formal request for rent relief.

The letter comes after The New York Times reported last month that Eric Trump, who runs the president’s real estate business, had said the company is up to date on its rent to the GSA but asked what delays it is granting other tenants.

“Just treat us the same,” Eric Trump said in a statement to the Times in April. “Whatever that may be is fine.”

In a GSA memorandum this month, the agency said it would consider rent deferrals for non-federal entities that lease from it.  

The coronavirus stimulus CARES Act barred the company from receiving relief funds due to the pandemic, and the Trump Organization has argued it is only seeking a temporary reprieve amid the drop in business that has affected most of the hotel industry.

The pandemic has led the company to shut down its Las Vegas hotel and the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, while the Pennsylvania Avenue hotel continues to accept reservations but has closed its bar, restaurant and spa.