Forget Nixon. The real Florida White House is former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The massive estate is now a national historical landmark and features an array of guest rooms, spas, dining halls, and guests that have included Martha Stewart, Vanessa Williams, Rod Stewart, and Fabio Lanzoni, among others who still remain hidden since the secret service confirmed there is no comprehensive process for tracking visitors to the private club.
The residence features elaborate designs that mimic the grandeur of French chateaus and pools that look out over the Atlantic ocean. But the resort also features pinnacles of Trump-esque class like gold-plated sinks and self-portraits of the former president wearing tennis whites. The residence is massive, with over 126 rooms, making it the second-largest mansion in the state of Florida. But beyond the guests and grandeur, Mar-A-Lago is a reflection of the country as a whole: a residence with perceived class and perfection, that, when looked at from the inside, becomes little more than a Disneyland-type of attraction, where our perceptions of class and wealth are more important than the tasteful nature of the elites themselves.
Post-Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post was the original resident of Mar-a-Lago. She had commissioned the mansion back in the 1920s as the heiress to the Post Cereals business. She hired Marion Sims Wyeth to design the building and hired Joseph Urban to design the exterior. She spent a reported $5 million creating the mansion, which would equal roughly $160 million adjusted for 2020 inflation.
The house originally featured 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces, and three separate bomb shelters. When Post died in 1973, she left the estate to the United States government as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting dignitaries. But by then, Richard Nixon had solidified his own residency in Key Biscayne, and Carter was comfortable in Georgia. The government returned the estate to the Post family in 1981, and as it gained notoriety, a real estate tycoon stumbled upon the residence while trying to join two Palm Beach apartments.
True Trump Fashion
The estate went on the market for a reported $20 million. But when Trump offered $15 million for the property, the Post family rejected it. In true Trump fashion, he decided to purchase the area between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean from Jack C. Massey, promising to build a home that would block the ocean views of the property. Through his deceptive tactics, he was able to acquire the estate for a reported $7 million in 1985.
His first renovations for the mansion included adding a 20,000-square-foot ballroom as well as five clay tennis courts and a waterfront pool. In the midst of financial difficulties during the 1990s, Trump turned the estate into a resort in 1944. The venue started hosting concerts, charity events, and a variety of events, galas, and balls throughout the decade.
The Freak Flag Flies
Several events have shaped the history and culture of the Mar-a-Lago estate, but one of the most illustrative decisions of Trump's political tactics occurred on the estate in 2006. Trump chose to raise a 20 x 30-foot American flag on top of an 80-foot flagpole on the roof of the property. The decision caught the attention of the town of West Palm Beach, and quickly, the City Council asked Trump to abide by the building codes set in place, which limits flagpoles to the height of 42 feet. The council chose to charge Trump $1,250 for every day he refused to remove the flag. Instead of abiding, he opted to sue the city itself, willing to foot the bill of the lawsuit for however long and however expensive it became. The truth was finally reached when Trump agreed to dismiss the lawsuit in exchange for the dismissal of fines from the city. Trump agreed to shorten the pole by ten feet, still extending past the code of 40 feet, and agreed to move the flag to a less noticeable location on the mansion's front lawn. The agreement also required Trump to donate $100,000 to veterans' charities.
Estate Sale
The 20-acre property is also home to art, design, and dining features that make the property seem straight out of a historically royal palace. The entrance to the main building features neo-gothic and Andalusian accents featuring an old-world meets new-world marble and gold collaboration. Inside the main building are more European-inspired designs with high ceilings and gold-plated designed adorned to every wall within sight. The building also contains a neo-Baroque dining hall that hosted the Chinese president's delegation back in 2020.
The structure also contains a helicopter pad with open-air access that allows easy comings-and-goings for Trump and his elite list of guests. The membership price for the club is what keeps the list of guests selective. The initiation fees are approximately $200,000, with an additional $14,000 in annual dues and a $2,000 minimum for annual food costs. Even despite the prices, the guests keep coming. In 2014, Trump reportedly made $15.6 million off of owning the club. While the club might be one of the most elite hangouts outside of the secretive locations of Bohemian Grove or some of the smaller U.S. Virgin Islands, the resort is still known for its controversy and contradictory decisions. This can include building pools just inches away from the ocean to providing certain guests plastic spoons to eat $10,000 worth of caviar.
Sources: TownAndCountry, BusinessInsider, HouseandGarden, PalmBeachReport, OpenDemocracy, Jacksonville, AJC, Forbes