Trump thinks of Mar-a-Lago for later. But the neighbors don't want it
The First Family seeks a new home but some of those who may be their new neighbors, the residents of the exclusive Palm Beach community in Florida, put their feet up and have waged a battle to keep the Trumps at bay
With the presidency now winding down (less than three weeks before Inauguration Day), Donald Trump thinks about the 'after', in particular where to move: the First Family is looking for a new home but some of those who could be their new neighbors , residents of Florida's upscale Palm Beach community, put their foot down and have waged a battle to keep the Trumps at bay.
A group of people living near the Mar-a-Lago club, the property of Trump, has asked the authorities to prevent the tycoon from moving to the locality permanently; and called into question an agreement made nearly 30 years ago that prohibits the tycoon from establishing his residence on the property. In reality, the president has not yet recognized his electoral defeat and continues to talk about a defrauded vote.
For January 5, when Congress must formally count the votes cast by the Electoral College, there will be a rally in Washington under its motto 'Stop the Steal'. Meanwhile, on December 31, surprisingly, the billionaire and Melania returned to the White House, even ahead of schedule: they interrupted their vacation in Florida and mocked the guests who had booked the luxurious party organized in the Mar-a-Lago resort .
An unexpected change of plans that was not explained by the White House. In the unknown about the next steps, it is likely that Trump is still thinking about the 'after', not only his legal woes, but also where to move to live once he leaves the White House on January 20: discarded New York, where the family does not feel liked, the most likely hypothesis seems to be Florida.
But neighbors at his Mar-a-Lago resort have threatened to sue him if he tries to settle in the area full-time. The presence of the president in the last 4 years has been cumbersome: closed roads, secret services everywhere when he was present, even the construction of a heliport, the only one allowed in Palm Beach.
Trump, who bought the vast oceanfront property in 1986, got permission to convert it into a private club in 1993, but only if he didn't use it as a private residence. The 126-room mansion was built in 1927 as the residence of Marjorie Meriweather Post, the daughter of grain magnate CW Post.
Under the agreement signed with the Palm Beach authorities in 1993, Trump was able to transform the 1920s estate into a 118-room resort, but no one can live there for more than seven consecutive days, three times a year. During his presidency, he has repeatedly ignored the agreement (according to the Washington Post, which first raised the issue, spent more than 130 days at the Club in the past 4 years) effectively transforming it into his Winter White House. .
And this probably allows him to think that he can settle permanently in the area. But his neighbors threaten to sue him if he does. According to the New York Times, Nancy S DeMoss, who lives next door to the property, sent a letter to the municipality, Town of Palm Beach, via her attorney, Reginald Stanbaugh, arguing that she does not have the right to live full time. in the club.
Then there is an accommodation problem: the accommodations in Mar-a-Lago are small and unsuitable for those who, like the Trump spouses, have lived for years in the two-story penthouse at Trump Tower in the heart of Manhattan and then moved at the White House.
Melania has already started a renovation of an area of the resort, 3 thousand square meters, redone "with white marble and a flood of dark wood" "; but Trump, a source told CNN, did not like it and in recent days first he made a rant to his wife, then ordered that the decorations be removed.
Following her footsteps, the First Lady would have already examined other properties in the area and even the school of her son, Barron (notably the $ 35,000-a-year Pine Crest). The family owns two villas in the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago and one in particular, worth 18.5 million dollars (currently rented but which has eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and overlooks the Atlantic) could be for them.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are also thinking of moving to Florida once the presidential term is over. According to insiders, the president's daughter and son-in-law spent thirty million dollars to purchase a vast area of greenery and palm trees on Indian Creek Island, on the outskirts of Miami: an estate that once belonged to singer Julio Iglesias and which, properly renovated, it will allow them to settle in front of the ocean.
