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Donald Trump's plan for a $130 million 'presidential library' tower in downtown Miami has come under fresh pressure after a group of local residents filed a lawsuit in Florida, alleging the waterfront site was effectively handed to him for $10 while he was in office. The claim raises new questions over how the land was transferred and whether the arrangement breached the US Constitution.

The lawsuit follows months of scrutiny over the origins of the project and the way it was financed. In 2024, a 2.6 acre parcel of prime Miami land, previously owned by Miami Dade College, was transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation. According to the complaint, the site had been valued at between $67 million and $300 million, yet changed hands for a nominal $10. The plaintiffs argue that the deal amounted to an improper financial benefit for a sitting president.

Trump Library Plan Sparks Miami Land Fight

The proposed Miami project is not, at least on its public face, a conventional presidential library. Trump told reporters in April that he did not believe in building libraries or museums and instead wanted 'a hotel with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby.' Plans for the site include a ballroom, luxury accommodation and two golden statues of Trump, but no clear indication of a traditional archive or book collection.

According to the lawsuit, the land transfer was routed through Miami Dade College, a state run institution overseen by a board of trustees appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The plaintiffs accuse DeSantis and the board of using college land to benefit Trump, in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause, which restricts certain financial benefits to a president while in office.

The complaint says the site, now used as a car park in downtown Miami, will no longer be available to serve Miami Dade College students or the wider city centre. Instead, it alleges, the land will be used for a Trump branded development that enriches the president. The residents bringing the case argue that, had the parcel been sold at market value, the proceeds could have been transformative for the public college.

One of the plaintiffs, Marvin Dunn, a professor emeritus and non profit owner, told The Washington Post he was 'horrified' when he saw the plans. 'Clearly it's not a library ... this is about a wrong land grab, at the expense of students in this community,' he said.

A 'Library' With Few Signs Of One

As publicly presented, the project sits awkwardly beside the usual idea of a presidential archive. In late March, Trump shared a glossy video rendering showing a soaring tower topped with a red, white and blue spire and the word 'TRUMP' lit up in gold at the summit.

The promotional video shows a grand golden entrance featuring a Trump statue and the presidential seal. Inside, a golden lift appears beside a Boeing 747 that the lawsuit says was valued at $400 million and gifted to Trump by Qatar in 2025. The same renderings show an exhibition hall of US military aircraft and a lavish ballroom that, according to the complaint, resembles a separate $400 million project Trump is building at the White House.

An Oval Office replica and an auditorium dominated by a second golden Trump statue also appear in the plans. By contrast, the upper floors look more like sleek corporate offices than reading rooms or archival storage. The legal paperwork for the project requires only unspecified 'components' of a presidential 'library, museum, and/or center,' leaving broad room for interpretation.

Funding Questions Remain

The financial structure behind the tower is also under scrutiny. The lawsuit says Trump received about $63 million for the building itself from legal settlements with ABC News, Meta, X and Paramount. Combined with the lower end $67 million valuation of the land transfer, that would put the value of the overall scheme at at least $130 million.

According to the complaint, those settlement funds were first placed into a dedicated 'library fund' that was later dissolved without public explanation. The money is now part of an ongoing congressional investigation. A separate nonprofit, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., created by Trump's son Eric, reported in December that it had received $50 million, though the filing did not make clear whether that included any of the earlier settlement money.

The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. In a statement to The Washington Post, White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the project, saying: 'The Trump Presidential Library will be one of the most magnificent buildings in the world and a living testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on America and its people.'

For now, many of the core claims in the lawsuit remain allegations rather than established fact. No court has ruled on the case, and no full independent documentation has yet been released to confirm the project's final cost, valuation or structure.

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