Trump gripes about hotel hot air, says he might not pay bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is complaining about hot air at a Virginia hotel, and the hotel is pushing back.

The Republican presidential nominee said he felt like he was “in a sauna” speaking to supporters at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on Monday and warned he might not pay the bill.

Onstage, Trump, owner of luxury hotels, interrupted his remarks about free trade to berate the hotel about its air conditioning system.

“I don’t know what hotel this is, but you ought to try turning on the air conditioning or we’re not going to get you paid,” Trump said.

Hotel officials told WDBJ in Roanoke that the air conditioning system “was on and working properly throughout the event.” The hotel said temperatures in the 90s did pose “a challenge” while doors were open for two hours to let hundreds of people enter the ballroom. It says staff did everything possible to keep guests comfortable.

In his extended rant, Trump said he is “really good” at the hotel business and knows owners can save money by turning off the air conditioning.

“But this is ridiculous,” Trump said. “So then there’ll be an article, ‘Donald Trump refuses to pay the bill.’ Of course. And you know what, the smart people say, ‘Trump is smart.’ The other people would say, ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible.’ Ok. I think the ballroom and the people that own this hotel should be ashamed of themselves.”