President Donald Trump, who swore to “protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” called the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution “phony” on Monday, just two days after he backed off holding the 2020 G-7 at Trump National Doral due to “Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility.”

"You people with this phony Emoluments Clause," Trump tells assembled media questioning him about attempt to put G-7 at his own resort. — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 21, 2019

The Emoluments Clause is in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution. Trump would know that if he read the Constitution himself. https://t.co/lIARSiAn4U — Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) October 21, 2019

The Emoluments Clause at Article I, Section 9:

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And 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.

And at Article II, Section 1:

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Earlier on Monday, the president repeated attacks on the “fake news media” and Democrats while lamenting that the G-7 at his property was no longer going to be a thing.

“Doral in Miami would have been the best place to hold the G-7, and free, but too much heat from the Do Nothing Radical Left Democrats & their Partner, the Fake News Media! I’m surprised that they allow me to give up my $400,000 Plus Presidential Salary! We’ll find someplace else!” he said.

In recent days and months, two federal appellate courts revived lawsuits claiming that the president has been unlawfully profiting off of his office.

Before Trump reversed course on holding the G-7 at Doral, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney last week defended the decision by saying the president would not be “making any profit.”

“[The president] is not making any money off of this,” Mulvaney said. “He doesn’t need much help promoting his brand.” Trump repeated this thinking on Monday, and then some:

“I don’t need promotion. I don’t need promotion.” “You people with this phony Emoluments Clause.” “If you’re rich, it doesn’t matter.”

It’s been reported that Trump changed his mind on Doral not because of the Democrats and the media but because of criticism from Republicans.

[Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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