Trump's presidential library deal was an illegal gift: lawsuit

The state of Florida's deal for a Trump presidential library in Miami was effectively an illegal gift in violation of the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.

Trump unveiled plans for his library at the end of March. The structure, which is envisioned as a high-rise skyscraper with a luxury hotel built into it, will sit on land taken from Miami Dade College, one of the most heavily Hispanic higher education institutions in the United States. The land is valued at $67 million, but was sold off for the Trump library for just $10.

Per the Miami Herald, the lawsuit, filed by a nonprofit, two residents near the site, and a Miami Dade College student, "accuses Trump, his nonprofit presidential library foundation, Miami Dade College and its trustees, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the other statewide officials of violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars sitting presidents from accepting financial benefits from individual states."

“As a result of Defendants’ conduct, other states have been forced into an arms race in which they must either compete with Florida to lavish gifts on the President or fear being unfairly disadvantaged — the precise scenario that the Domestic Emoluments Clause was adopted to prevent,” said the lawsuit.

Trump was subject to a number of Emoluments Clause lawsuits in his first term, but the cases never got fully litigated, leaving the issue of just how much presidents are allowed to accept in gifts a relatively untested legal area.

Florida officials have sought to expedite any future construction of the Trump presidential library through any means possible, even passing a law that prohibits local cities from regulating presidential library development.