‘Who built this beautiful place?’ Despite Trump’s visits to his properties, some of his businesses show new signs of financial decline.

“What a beautiful ballroom,” President Trump said as he walked into a campaign fundraiser recently at a hotel in downtown Chicago.

Donors laughed. The hotel was Trump’s. They were paying the president to cater his own fundraiser.

The Chicago event exemplifies a pattern of the Trump presidency: It was another presidential trip that brought Trump private benefits. The hotel was paid about $100,000 for the lunch, according to a Republican official who helped coordinate it.