From the White House to Mar-a-Lago: here is Trump's palace
The former president moves to his $ 160 million Florida residence
From 132 rooms in the White House to 128 in Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort where Donald Trump has decided to establish his residence. For a palace that he has abandoned, therefore, the doors of another are opened, ready to offer the former president and his wife Melania all the luxury they are used to.
While it will not have the same symbolic value, Mar-a-Lago has little to envy to the White House. Indeed, in terms of pomp it is certainly closer to Trump's taste. The mansion that during the years of his presidency was renamed the 'Winter White House' was bought by the magnate in 1985. At the time, he paid only ten million dollars. But the 20-acre property was soon transformed into a golf club and is currently worth around $ 160 million. In addition to 128 rooms, the club has a two thousand square meter ballroom, five tennis courts and a swimming pool overlooking the sea. It is also equipped with three bomb shelters.
Built in 1927 by grain heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, the Mar-a-Lago resort occupies almost the entire surface of the island of Palm Beach, also known as 'billionaire row' because it is a strip of sand inhabited only by billionaires. Mar-a-Lago has always been like a playland for the Trumps, designed to impress with decorations reminiscent of sumptuous European palaces. Over the years it has hosted luxurious parties and events, as well as heads of state and dignitaries from around the world.
Before Trump became president, membership in the club cost $ 50,000, after his election the fee jumped to $ 200,000, to which is added another annual fee of $ 14,000. The Trump area however will not occupy the entire surface of Mar-a-Lago, but will be limited to less than 300 square meters, therefore smaller than the three-story penthouse in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue where Donald and Melania they lived with their son Barron.
It was Melania herself who supervised the renovation of the new residence. However, the changes were not appreciated by her husband who, according to rumors, would have gone into a rage to the point of asking to do it all over again. It is also not entirely sure that the Trumps will be able to live permanently in Mar-a-Lago. In fact, the neighbors do not want them and are unwilling to abandon their tranquility for the hustle and bustle that a former president would bring into their life.
