Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club: A Haven for Members and a Mystery to Reporters
Inside the Exclusive World of the President's Private Retreat
A Story Years in the Making
Trump beat reporters have been trying for years to get inside the members-only Mar-a-Lago club. On a recent evening at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's sprawling private club in Palm Beach, Fla., a crowd of well-dressed guests gathered for a fundraiser. The event was closed to the press, but a few reporters managed to sneak in. What they saw was a world of privilege and secrecy, a place where the president could relax and escape the scrutiny of the media.
Mar-a-Lago is a 126-room mansion built in the early 1900s by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Trump bought the property in 1985 and turned it into a private club. The club is open only to members who pay a $200,000 initiation fee and annual dues of $14,000. The membership list is a who's who of the rich and famous, including celebrities, politicians, and business leaders.
Trump has spent millions of dollars renovating Mar-a-Lago, adding a ballroom, a spa, and a tennis center. The club also has a private beach, a golf course, and a croquet lawn. Trump often spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago, and he has hosted several high-profile events there, including a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017.
Reporters have been trying to get inside Mar-a-Lago for years, but Trump has refused to allow them access. The club is heavily guarded, and reporters who have tried to sneak in have been escorted out by security. In 2017, a group of reporters from the New York Times was detained by police after they tried to enter the club without permission.
The secrecy surrounding Mar-a-Lago has only fueled speculation about what goes on inside. Some reporters believe that Trump uses the club to conduct business with foreign leaders and wealthy donors. Others believe that Trump uses the club to relax and party with his friends. Whatever the truth may be, Mar-a-Lago has become a symbol of Trump's wealth and power, and it is a place where he can escape the scrutiny of the media.
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