Donald Trump retreated to Mar-a-Lago. Take a look inside his exclusive resort that the public never sees.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
- Mar-a-Lago is Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach, Florida. The property made a number of headlines and served as the First Family's gilded getaway throughout Trump's presidency.
- It's where the family went on Wednesday following the end of Trump's presidential term, even though neighbors weren't thrilled at the prospect.
- Here's a look inside the exclusive resort that the public doesn't get to see.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Over the last four years, Donald Trump's exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida was often referred to as "the winter White House."
Now, it's just his house.
Following the end of his presidential term on Wednesday, Trump decamped to the ornate resort. Recent reports of construction work at the family's on-property living quarters and Melania Trump touring a local school (presumably for son Barron) stoked rumors of the move long before it was official. Neighbors even publicly spoke about wanting Trump to stay away, though it clearly didn't deter him.
Mar-a-Lago has hosted a number of high-powered visitors over the years, as it has seemingly always served as the Trump family's gilded weekend getaway. Mar-a-Lago has served as a lavish backdrop to host important dignitaries with its elaborately decorated halls. It was built to impress.
Case in point: the property was closed for 57 days amid the coronavirus pandemic after visitors like the press secretary to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Brazil's Chargé d'Affaires Ambassador Nestor Forster tested positive for the coronavirus in March.
Here's a look inside the sprawling complex, which was built in the early 20th century, where the Trumps have hosted opulent holiday parties and watched Super Bowls alongside members of the exclusive private club.
Source: Town and Country Magazine
It spans the entire width of the island Palm Beach is located on, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway.Source: Google Maps
Trump bought the estate and all of its antique furniture in 1985 for a total of $8 million.Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Source: Town and Country Magazine
Today, it serves as the Trump family's opulent playground, but is also open to people who purchase a membership at the club.Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
Source: Palm Beach Daily News
Back in the 1990s, memberships cost $50,000, but they soared to $200,000 after Trump's election.Source: Palm Beach Daily News
Members also have to pay a $14,000 annual fee, with a $2,000 dining minimum.Source: Palm Beach Daily News
Members can access the club's pools, beaches, dining halls, and private rooms. They can also rent out the resort for events like weddings, bar mitzvahs, and charity galas.Source: Mar-a-Lago
Trump has also used it to host numerous campaign events and publicity events, like the one pictured below, which was held in Mar-a-Lago's giant ballroom.Getty/Win McNamee
Source: Time
For most people, access to the club stops at its gated entrance.Source: Mar-a-Lago
Those who do make it inside are treated to a detailed portico that leads into the main building, which features neo-Gothic and Andalusian accents.Source: Mar-a-Lago
Once inside, ornate decor reminiscent of European palaces accompanies pricey antique furniture. The club's main living room features high ceilings and gold-plated designs over every wall.Source: Mar-a-Lago
Here, the president and first lady Melania Trump used the cavernous library to make calls to children on Christmas Eve in 2017.Source: The White House
Not all of the rooms are so lavish. This interior room is where Trump gathered with his advisers to order 2017's missile strikes in Syria in response to what the US said were President Bashar al-Assad's chemical attacks on his own people.Source: Business Insider
Trump has also hosted world leaders at the resort, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
In February 2017, Trump got into a bit of hot water when he discussed national security details with Abe in full view of the resort's other guests.Screenshot/Facebook
Source: Business Insider
Trump used Mar-a-Lago's luxurious interior to full effect when Xi visited the complex. As usual at Mar-a-Lago, bouquets were everywhere. Reports later found that such flowers cost the US government $6,000 - with the entire visit totaling more than $35,000.Source: Business Insider, Business Insider
In 2018, Trump also welcomed the Chinese president's delegation in a royal neo-Baroque hall at Mar-a-Lago.Source: Sun-Sentinel
Not a detail was amiss for the visit, including the elaborate place settingsSource: Palm Beach Daily News
The food at events like these is prepared by a team of expert chefs.Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Source: Palm Beach Daily News
But not all of it is up to fine dining standard: In January 2018, a customer was disappointed when she was served caviar with plastic spoons, with allegedly "low-budget" crackers to accompany it.Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Trump's taste is evident throughout his palatial second home.MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Source: Town and Country Magazine
Because of its flat terrain and open air access, Trump can fly in on his own helicopter.Source: Palm Beach Daily News
If the club's multiple beaches aren't enough for guests, they can relax by the various pools on the property. It seems Trump and his security team have taken advantage of brief windows of downtime to do so.Source: Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago has become synonymous with Trump's lavish lifestyle.Source: Town and Country Magazine
The parties he holds there, like those on New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday, last late into the night.AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Source: Business Insider
In addition to being a social setting for the elite, the resort itself has become a backdrop for a number of recent national news stories.Felix Mizioznikov/Shutterstock
Source: Business Insider
In September 2019, Mar-a-Lago made headlines as one Jeffrey Epstein victim said she had been recruited directly from the resort in 1999 when she was 15.Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider, The New York Times
In September 2019, a Chinese businesswoman was convicted of trespassing on Mar-a-Lago with multiple cell phones and electronic devices. She was suggested to be a spy for the Chinese government and was ordered to be deported after her eight-month sentence.Daniel Pontet via AP, File
Source: Business Insider, Business Insider
In February 2020, a 30-year-old opera singer from Connecticut named Hannah Roemhild was arrested after leading police on a high-speed chase through Palm Beach. Roemhild barreled through two security checkpoints at Mar-a-Lago in a black SUV that was shot at by police.Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Source: Business Insider
Most recently, Mar-a-Lago hosted events with attendees who later tested positive for COVID-19, including a Brazilian press secretary who came into contact with Trump. On March 15, the club was shut down for a deep cleaning. It did not reopen until May.Source: CNN, Business Insider
Following the Trumps' exit from the White House in January, the family seemingly moved back to Mar-a-Lago to live full time. Recent reports have surfaced about construction work being performed on the family's living quarters during Trump's final months in office. Sources close to the president told People in December that his 2,000-square-foot private residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach "will be expanded and spruced up." Melania Trump also just toured the $35,000-a-year Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, ostensibly for their 14-year-old son Barron. It's a 40-minute drive south from Mar-a-Lago, but also has a campus in Boca Raton, which is 10 minutes closer to West Palm Beach. Neighbors, however, aren't thrilled at the prospect and are even trying to keep him from taking up residence at Mar-a-Lago. The DeMoss family sent a letter pleading their case via an attorney. They claim that Trump cannot live at Mar-a-Lago because he signed an agreement to that effect around 30 years ago, around the time he transformed the estate into the members-only club it is today, according to the Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the letter. The signatories asked the town to step in and enforce the agreement.AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
Source: New York Times, Business Insider, Washington Post, Miami Herald
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