President Donald Trump may not have conceded to President Elect Joe Biden yet, but it appears
that he's already started looking into upgrading his private residence at the so-called "Winter
White House," Mar-a-Lago. Sources have told People:
"[The Trumps] are definitely renovating his apartment within the Mar-a-Lago Club to make
it larger, more modern and comfortable for his use."
Trump changed his main residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach in September 2019. He explained
the move on Twitter, saying:
"I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately,
despite the fact that I pay millionscc of dollars in city, state and local taxes each
year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state.
[...] Few have been treated worse. I hated having to make this decision, but in the end
it will be best for all concerned."
"They haven't treated me properly. I pay millions of taxes."
When the announcement was made, The Washington Post reported he listed his permanent address
to 1100 South Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach -- the address of Mar-a-Lago.
The change of address wouldn't normally raise any eyebrows — Trump owns the property,
after all. But thanks to a 1993 agreement Trump reached with Palm Beach officials, the
then-real estate mogul categorically denied, through his lawyer Paul Rampell, that he would
live at the club. Rampell did offer this exception, though:
"He will be a member of the Club and would be entitled to use its guest rooms."
Mar-a-Lago was built by the cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. It was completed
in 1927 and is located on 20 acres of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Florida's Intracoastal
Waterway. In a twist of historical fate, Post donated the mansion to the U.S. government
for use as a vacation home for presidents and visiting dignitaries. Trump loves to point
out that very fact.
"It was originally built as the Southern White House. It was called the Southern White House."
In its history of Mar-a-Lago, Town and Country reported that the federal government, which
had only just declared it a National Historic Landmark in 1980, opted to part with Mar-a-Lago
the following year. The property was returned to the Post Foundation because it cost $1
million a year to maintain. Trump eventually acquired the property in 1985 for $5 million.
He also paid an additional $3 million for the antiques and furniture.
By the early 1990s, Trump's casinos had begun to struggle, The Washington Post reported,
and four of his hotels, Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, the Trump Castle Hotel
and Casino, and New York's Plaza Hotel, filed for bankruptcy protection. The president-to-be
began complaining about Mar-a-Lago's upkeep, which he said cost him about $3 million a
year. He planned to carve the property up into luxury homes, but that idea was rejected
by the town council. He and his attorneys then came up with a plan to turn Mar-a-Lago
into a private club.
Today, Mar-a-Lago is owned by a corporation called the Mar-a-Lago Club, Incorporated.
Under the terms of the agreement, Trump is not allowed to put up condominiums or co-op
units, and if the club fails, it would be required to become a single-family residence
again. Other terms and conditions included that Mar-a-Lago's suites could only be used
by members for three times a year, and for no longer than seven days at a time. Those
seven-day stays cannot be consecutive.
So if Trump is eyeing a move into Mar-a-Lago as his residence, it's certain to generate
conflict. He already sued the town of Palm Beach in 1996 to try and lift some of the
conditions, but it was a losing effort.
And while he voted in person in Palm Beach for the November 3 election, but The Washington
Post notes he was the subject of an election fraud complaint, stating he cannot list Mar-a-Lago
as a legal residence because it's a private club. According to the state's voting guidelines,
"A business address is not typically a satisfactory legal residential address but if the person
resides there despite the zoning ordinance, the address could become the person's legal
residential address."
If Trump tries to move into Mar-a-Lago permanently, he could once again sue the town for that
right. Yahoo News points out that the town's leadership could opt to revoke Mar-a-Lago's
license so it can no longer operate as a business and earn an income.
We may be in for more Trump legal drama well after Joe Biden's inauguration on January
20.
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