The Trump administration reversed course on its decision to host next year's G7 summit at President Donald Trump's Miami hotel over the weekend, following a wave of criticism over the seemingly blatant attempt by Trump to profit off his own presidency. Unsurprisingly, the president doesn't seem to be taking the change well. Trump—who was reportedly genuinely surprised that people weren't thrilled with the G7 decision—railed against the move to reporters Monday, claiming that had the summit gone forward at his foundering Doral resort, “It would've been the greatest G7 ever.” And rather than admit any potential wrongdoing on his part, the president instead managed to blame his political rivals for the U.S. Constitution and its pesky checks on his power. “You people with this phony Emoluments Clause,” Trump told reporters.

The Emoluments Clause, of course, is not a “phony” invention made up by the president's opponents, but rather an actual provision in Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which stipulates that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” A separate domestic emoluments clause in the Constitution also prohibits the president receiving any emolument other than his salary “from the United States, or any of them.” While the outrage over the Doral decision has renewed scrutiny of the president's business dealings, the two clauses have plagued Trump throughout his presidency, sparking concerns and lawsuits since far before the initial G7 location was announced. NBC News reported in June that representatives from 22 foreign governments have spent money at Trump properties, and as of April Republicans had spent nearly $5 million at Trump properties since Trump took office. (The Republican National Committee and pro-Trump campaign committees alone have spent over $1 million combined at just the president's D.C. hotel.) While Trump has yet to have these business favors formally checked, a federal appeals court recently revived one emoluments lawsuit against Trump, which was brought by attorneys general of Maryland and Washington D.C.

Trump has waved off emoluments concerns, claiming Monday that the emoluments criticisms weren't valid because George Washington “had a presidential desk and a business desk” and Barack Obama “has a deal with Netflix” and a book deal. (Obama, as CNN fact-checked onscreen alongside the president's comments, made both deals after leaving office.) Legal experts, though, believe otherwise, with even conservative scholars saying that Trump's G7 decision went too far. “It is really just about him ordering the country to pay him money,” Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official under George W. Bush and current senior fellow at the conservative R Street Institute, told the New York Times. “It is just indefensible.”

While the G7 decision and Trump's casual dismissal of the Emoluments Clause are in line with a president who's frequently flouted the rule of law with few consequences, the uproar that prompted the reversal on Doral suggests that the tides could be turning. Though Trump blamed Democrats and the media for the move, saying Monday that “the Democrats went crazy” over the initial G7 location, the reversal was reportedly actually spurred by the president's own allies. The Times reported that Republicans, fatigued from already defending the president against Ukraine, impeachment, and Syria, complained to the White House that they couldn't defend another decision that's seemingly beyond the pale, forcing the president to reverse course. “I think there was a lot of concern,” Republican Representative Tom Cole told the Times. “I’m not sure people questioned the legality of it, but it clearly was an unforced political error.”

More Great Stories from Vanity Fair

— How one industry is bleeding Wall Street dry of talent

— Ronan Farrow’s producer reveals how NBC killed its Weinstein story

— Ivanka’s $360 million deal is raising eyebrows at the FBI

— The big turn for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign

— Why a leading neurocriminologist left Joker completely stunned

— The Fox News movie’s uncanny depictions of the network’s drama

— From the Archive: The real-life story of the security guard turned bombing suspect at the heart of Clint Eastwood’s latest movie

Looking for more? Sign up for our daily Hive newsletter and never miss a story.