View source for Mar-a-Lago

{{Short description|Historic resort in Palm Beach, Florida, United States}}
{{About|the house and resort|the Swiss village|Miralago}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Mar-a-Lago
| nrhp_type            = nhl
| image                = Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach. FL, US.jpg
| caption              = Mar-a-Lago in 2023
| location             = 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., [[Palm Beach, Florida]], [[United States]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|26|40|37|N|80|2|13|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin             = USA Florida
| locmap_relief        = yes
| area                 = {{Convert|62500|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<ref name="Spencer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-hurricane-irma-mar-a-lago-20170908-story.html|title=For Irma vs. Mar-a-Lago, the smart money is on Trump's house|first=Terry|last=Spencer|website=chicagotribune.com|date=September 8, 2017}}</ref> on 17 acres of land<ref name="Land">{{cite web |title=Trump and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach: How big is it? Is it open to the public and security breaches? |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2022/08/09/trump-mar-lago-florida-beach-club-worth-what-its-like-inside-photos/6639497002/ |publisher=The Palm Beach Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107055043/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2022/08/09/trump-mar-lago-florida-beach-club-worth-what-its-like-inside-photos/6639497002/ |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |date=August 9, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<!-- | Owner = {{Plainlist|[[Donald J. Trump]]}} -->
| architect            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Marion Sims Wyeth]] (exterior)
* [[Joseph Urban]] (interior)
}}
| architecture         =
| built                = 1924–1927
| designated_nrhp_type = December 23, 1980<ref name="nhl">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1823&ResourceType=Building |title=Mar-A-Lago |work=National Historic Landmarks Program |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402032009/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1823&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=April 2, 2009 }}</ref>
| added                = December 23, 1980<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a|dateform=mdy}}</ref>
| refnum               = 80000961
| visitation_num       =
| visitation_year      =
| module               = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=15 |height=250 |stroke-width=2 | {{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}

'''Mar-a-Lago''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɑr|_|ə|_|ˈ|l|ɑː|g|oʊ}} {{respell|MAR|_|ə|_|LAH|goh}}, {{IPA|es|ˈmaɾ a ˈlaɣo|lang}}) is a resort and [[National Historic Landmark]] on a [[barrier island]] in [[Palm Beach, Florida]], United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mar-a-Lago Draws Rich and Powerful in Weeks Before the Inauguration |url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/12/02/mar-a-lago-draws-rich-and-powerful-in-weeks-before-the-inauguration/ |website=[[BNN Bloomberg]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225021942/https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/12/02/mar-a-lago-draws-rich-and-powerful-in-weeks-before-the-inauguration/ |archive-date=December 25, 2024 |date=December 2, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>  It spans 126 rooms and {{Convert|62500|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<ref name="Spencer"/> built on {{convert|17|acre|ha|0|abbr=off}} of land.<ref name="Land"/> Since 1985, it has been owned by [[Donald Trump]], the 45th and 47th [[president of the United States]].

Mar-a-Lago was built for the businesswoman and socialite [[Marjorie Merriweather Post]] between 1924 and 1927, during the [[Florida land boom of the 1920s|Florida land boom]]. At the time of her death in 1973, Post bequeathed the property to the [[National Park Service]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Nixon Secretly Tours Estate Willed to U.S. |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=July 8, 1974 |page=I-20 }}</ref> hoping it could be used for state visits or as a [[Winter White House]]. However, because the costs of maintaining the property exceeded the funds provided by Post, and because it was difficult to secure the facility,{{efn|Mar-a-Lago is located under the flight path of [[Palm Beach Airport]].{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}}} the property was returned to the Post Foundation by [[act of Congress]] 96-586 on December 23, 1980.<ref name="nytimes19810716">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/16/garden/post-home-for-sale-for-20.html|title=Post Home For Sale For $20|last = Gruson|first = Kerry |date = July 16, 1981 |newspaper = The New York Times | access-date= April 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PUBLIC LAW 96-586—DEC. 23, 1980 |url=https://uscode.house.gov/statutes/pl/96/586.pdf |website=uscode.house.gov |publisher=United States Government |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>

In 1985, Donald Trump, primarily a businessman and real estate investor at the time, acquired Mar-a-Lago and used it as a residence. In 1994, he converted it into the Mar-a-Lago Club, a members-only club with guest rooms, a spa, and other hotel-style amenities. The Trump family maintains private quarters in a closed-off area on the grounds.<ref name="Sherman_Fortune">{{cite web |last1 = Sherman |first1 = Erik |title = A Look Inside Donald Trump's Lavish, $200 Million 'Palace' |url = http://fortune.com/2016/03/16/donald-trump-mar-a-lago/ |website = Fortune |access-date = November 18, 2016 }}</ref> During [[first presidency of Donald Trump|his first presidency]], Trump frequently visited Mar-a-Lago<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4669323/mar-a-ago-winter-white-house-pictures-photos/|title=See Inside the 'Winter White House' at Mar-a-Lago|magazine=Time|access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> and held meetings there with international leaders, including [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese prime minister]] [[Shinzo Abe]] and [[President of the People's Republic of China|Chinese president]] [[Xi Jinping]].

==Etymology==
The name ''Mar-a-Lago'' means "sea to lake" in Spanish,<ref name="smithsonianmag">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-mar-a-lago-180965214/ |title=The Ironic History of Mar-a-Lago |last=Luongo |first=Michael |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |date=November 2017 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=October 12, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> reflecting the fact that the estate extends from one end of Palm Beach Island to the other, touching the [[Atlantic Ocean]] on the east and the [[Lake Worth Lagoon]] on the west.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-28 |title=Mar-a-Lago {{!}} Owner, Raid, Interior, Photos, & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mar-a-Lago |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
{{multiple image
 | perrow    = 1/1
 | total_width = 240px
 | image1    = MaralagoLoC.jpg
 | caption1  = Exterior of Mar-a-Lago, 1967
 | image2    = Mar-a-Lago, Living Room looking southwest (1967).jpg
 | caption2  = Living room of Mar-a-Lago, 1967
}}

===Design===
During the 1920s [[Florida land boom of the 1920s|Florida land boom]], [[Marjorie Merriweather Post]], heiress to the [[Post Cereals]] business and later the wealthiest woman in the United States,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=William P. |title=Lawsuits Nibble Away At Famous Fortune |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1019/forbes-400-rich-list-09-marjorie-post-estates-old-money.html |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Byrne |first=Hannah |date=2021-01-14 |title=Toasting to the Museum that Never Was |url=https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/toasting-museum-never-was |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Smithsonian Institution Archives |language=en}}</ref> paid for the house to be built with her husband [[Edward Francis Hutton|Edward F. Hutton]]. She hired [[Marion Sims Wyeth]] as designer and [[Joseph Urban]] for interior design and exterior decorations.<ref name="habs">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/fl/fl0100/fl0181/data/fl0181data.pdf|title=Mar-a-Lago HABS No. FLA-195|publisher=Library of Congress}}{{PD-notice|inline=y}}</ref><ref name="histmem">{{cite news |url = http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/accent/epaper/2005/12/17/a11d_maralago_intro_1217.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=2 |title = The History and Memories Behind Mar-a-Lago |work = The Palm Beach Post |date = December 17, 2005 |access-date = December 26, 2006 |archive-date = September 29, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120847/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/accent/epaper/2005/12/17/a11d_maralago_intro_1217.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=2 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Post spent US $7 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|7|1927}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}). It was finished in 1927.<ref name="smithsonianmag"/> At the time it was the most expensive non-royal residence built in history.{{citation needed |date=August 2024}}

=== Winter residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post ===
Hutton and Post regularly used Mar-a-Lago as their winter residence, typically staying from mid January to late March. Post hosted dinner parties, charity events, concerts, [[Costume party|costume balls]], and a circus.

In 1935, Hutton and Post divorced. Post married the Washington lawyer [[Joseph E. Davies]], who was appointed ambassador to the Soviet Union. Mar-a-Lago was closed for five seasons. Post made only brief visits to Mar-a-Lago in the early 1940s and did not stay at the estate from 1941 to 1948. In April 1944 the house was turned into a training center for returning servicemen.<ref name="mayhew">{{Cite web |last=Mayhew |first=Augustus |title=Building Mar-a-Lago: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Palm Beach showplace |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/lifestyle/2021/01/19/building-mar-lago-marjorie-merriweather-posts-palm-beach-showplace/4215478001/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=[[The Palm Beach Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Post returned to Mar-a-Lago in 1948 and began to host social events again. Since 1957 it has traditionally hosted the International Red Cross gala.<ref name="smithsonianmag"/> In 1961 a pavilion with a 30-foot-by-50-foot dance floor was built where square dance evenings were held.<ref name="mayhew"/>

===Federal government and foundation===
By the 1950s and 1960s, social tastes had changed, and many mansions constructed in the 1920s were demolished.<ref name="smithsonianmag"/> However, in 1969 Mar-a-Lago was designated a national historic site.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Erika |date=2022-09-08 |title=This is the wild and opulent history of Mar-a-Lago, long before Trump and the FBI |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/08/1121578102/mar-a-lago-trump-fbi-investigation-history-merriweather-post |access-date=2023-09-17}}</ref> A contemporary report prepared by the Department of the Interior attributed its significance to providing "an excellent picture of winter resort life in Palm Beach prior to the Depression".<ref name="habs" />

Post, who died in 1973, willed the {{convert|17|acre|ha|adj=on}} estate to the United States government as a [[Winter White House]] for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries.<ref name="Time_Lily">{{cite magazine |last1=Rothman |first1=Lily |title=The Mar-a-Lago Club Was a 'Winter White House' Even Before President Trump Got There |url=https://time.com/4661763/mar-a-lago-donald-trump-marjorie-post/ |magazine=Time |date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> [[Richard Nixon]] preferred the [[Florida White House]] in [[Key Biscayne]], however, and [[Jimmy Carter]] was not interested. The federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance and the difficulty of providing security<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kessler|first1=Ronald|title=The Season: Inside Palm Beach and America's Richest Society|date=1999|publisher=HarperCollinsPublishers|location=New York, NY|isbn=0060193913|page=[https://archive.org/details/seasoninsidepalm00kess/page/181 181]|edition=1.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/seasoninsidepalm00kess/page/181}}</ref> and returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981. It was listed for sale for $20 million. Post's daughters, including [[Dina Merrill]], did not maintain the property anticipating a sale,<ref name="seal201702">{{Cite magazine |last=Seal |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Seal |date=February 2017 |title=How Donald Trump Beat Palm Beach Society and Won the Fight for Mar-a-Lago |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/12/how-donald-trump-beat-palm-beach-society-and-won-the-fight-for-mar-a-lago |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref> but there was so little interest that its demolition was approved.<ref name="brown20161231">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/us-politics/donald-trump-in-palm-beach/article33453459/ |title=A look inside Palm Beach, where wealthy Canadians are one degree of separation from Donald Trump |last=Brown |first=Ian |date=December 31, 2016 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |author-link=Ian Brown (journalist)}}</ref>

Mar-a-Lago was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1980 for exemplifying "the baronial way of life of the wealthy who built mansions in Florida during the Florida land boom of the 1920s".<ref name="nhl" /><ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite web |last=McKithan |first=Cecil N. |date=August 31, 1981 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Mar-a-Lago |url={{NHLS url|id=80000961}} |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url|id=80000961|title=Accompanying 4 photos, exterior, from 1967.|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(942&nbsp;KB)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AssetDetail |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/80000961 |access-date=August 8, 2022 |website=npgallery.nps.gov}}</ref>

===Trump ownership===
[[File:Mar-a-Lago estate gate in Palm Beach, Forida (14606506904).jpg|thumb|Entrance gate in 2014]]
Donald Trump initially offered the Post family $15 million, which was rejected. Trump then purchased land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean from [[Jack C. Massey]], the former owner of [[KFC]], for $2 million,<ref name="palmbeachdailynewsmasseyobit1">{{cite news|title=Business Legend Jack Massey Dies|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/298888555/?terms=%22Jack%2BC.%2BMassey%22|access-date=December 17, 2017|work=The Palm Beach Daily News|date=February 16, 1990|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=registration }}</ref> stating he intended to build a [[spite house|home]] that would block Mar-a-Lago's beach view. This threat caused competing interest in Mar-a-Lago to decline. Trump purchased the property for $7 million in 1985.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://apnews.com/7e30551e15715cb19a0a0906f407a91d | title=Trump Fights Property Taxes | date=March 29, 1988 | work=Associated Press News}}</ref>{{r|seal201702}} Different sources have put the combined total cost of the purchase at around $10 million.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news |last1=Alexander |first1=Dan |title=How Much Has Trump Made From Mar-A-Lago, His Palm Beach Estate Under Siege? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2022/08/09/how-much-has-trump-made-from-mar-a-lago-his-palm-beach-estate-under-siege/?sh=cfe159a5bed5 |work=Forbes |date=Aug 9, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Special">{{cite news |last1=Liberman |first1=Si |title=Mar-a-Lago: An insider's view of Trump's Florida estate |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/07/mar-lago-insiders-view-trumps-florida-estate/405689002/ |work=USA Today |date=March 7, 2018|via=Special for Asbury Park (N.J.) Press}}</ref><ref name="App">{{cite news |title=Go inside the other Trump home, Mar-a-Lago |url=https://www.app.com/story/life/home-garden/luxury/2018/03/07/mar-lago-donald-trump/396179002/ |work=App |publisher=USA Today Network |date=March 7, 2018}}</ref> The minimum acceptable bid had been $20 million, and the interior furnishings were appraised at $8 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kilian |first=Michael |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-11-22-8703280152-story.html |title=Ace of Trump |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 22, 1987 |access-date=August 10, 2021}}</ref>

The Mar-a-Lago, which was renovated by Trump, remained largely true to its original style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/b7f29a6e-4db8-4e08-a1a5-092ffb2fec37|title=Trump and the power of Mar-a-Lago|first=Jemima|last=Kelly|date=December 22, 2024}}</ref> Extensive renovations were done, including the addition of a {{convert|20000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} ballroom.{{r|brown20161231}} The club has five [[clay court|clay tennis courts]] and a waterfront pool. Trump's wife at the time, [[Ivana Trump]], managed the property.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shnayerson|first=Michael|date=July 16, 1988|title=Inside Ivana's Role in Donald Trump's Empire|newspaper=Vanity Fair|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/01/ivana-trump-business-empire|access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref>

In 1992, Trump was filmed with [[Jeffrey Epstein]] at a party in Mar-a-Lago. The footage received attention following Epstein's arrest for sex trafficking in 2019, and video footage of Trump talking to Epstein in Mar-a-Lago appears in the 2020 [[mockumentary]] black comedy film ''[[Borat Subsequent Moviefilm]]''.<ref>{{cite web |first=Colby |last=Hall |work=Mediaite |url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/morning-joe-airs-footage-of-trump-and-jeffrey-epstein-at-mar-a-lago-party-in-1992/ |title=Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Footage Mar a Lago in 1992 |date=July 17, 2019 |access-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718023359/https://www.mediaite.com/tv/morning-joe-airs-footage-of-trump-and-jeffrey-epstein-at-mar-a-lago-party-in-1992/ |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Reilly|first=Dan|date=October 22, 2020|title=Who's Who in Borat 2: A Guide to Every Notable Cameo|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/whos-who-in-borat-2-a-guide-to-every-notable-cameo.html|access-date=October 25, 2020|website=Vulture}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=October 23, 2020|title=Borat 2: Amazon Drop Sequel Early, Opposite Final Presidential Debate|url=https://www.cbr.com/borat-2-amazon-early-presidential-debate/|access-date=October 25, 2020|website=CBR}}</ref> It was also alleged that Mar-a-Lago hosted an event for 28 women in 1992 where Trump and Epstein were the only male attendees.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vinett |first1=Kelly |title=Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Once Hosted a Party for "28 Girls" at Mar-a-Lago |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/trump-and-jeffrey-epstein-once-partied-with-28-women-at-mar-a-lago/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=VICE |date=10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hannon |first1=Elliot |title=28 Women Reportedly Sent to Mar-a-Lago in 1992 for VIP Party of Two—Trump and Jeffrey Epstein |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/women-sent-mar-a-lago-vip-calendar-girl-party-trump-epstein.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Slate |date=10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lambe |first1=Jerry |title=Details on Trump-Epstein Relationship |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/top-5-takeaways-from-latest-look-at-the-donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-connection/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Law & Crime |date=10 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Further photographs of the pair taken at Mar-a-Lago include a photograph of Trump and Epstein from 1997, and a photograph taken on February 12, 2000 with Trump, Epstein, [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], and Trump's future wife [[Melania Knauss|Melania]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Romano |first1=Aja |title=The new Jeffrey Epstein tapes and his friendship with Trump, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/382550/jeffrey-epstein-tapes-donald-trump-friendship |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Vox |date=5 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hartmann |first1=Margaret |title=Trump's Friendship With Jeffrey Epstein: Everything We Know |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/epstein-documents-trump.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Intelligencer |date=4 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

In the early 1990s, Trump faced financial difficulties. While negotiating with bankers he attempted to divide Mar-a-Lago into smaller properties, alarming Palm Beach residents. City council rejected this plan. Trump instead turned the estate into a private club in 1994,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/home-decor/a7144/mar-a-lago-history/|magazine=Town & Country|title=A History of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's American Castle|author1=Sam Dangremond|author2=Leena Kim|date=December 22, 2017}}</ref> fighting what he considered to be excessive restrictions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kessler |first=Ronald |date=April 3, 2017 |title=A Roadmap to Trump's Washington |work=[[The Washington Times]] |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/3/donald-trump-proves-his-strategic-mastery-in-washi/ |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406105300/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/26/trump-decisions-show-there-is-more-than-chaos-in-w/ |archive-date=2023-04-06 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kessler |first=Ronald |date=April 26, 2017 |title=The Anatomy of a Trump Decision |work=The Washington Times |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/26/trump-decisions-show-there-is-more-than-chaos-in-w/ |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405174525/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/3/donald-trump-proves-his-strategic-mastery-in-washi/ |archive-date=2023-04-05 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The new club hosted concerts by celebrities such as [[Celine Dion|Céline Dion]] and [[Billy Joel]], and had beauty pageant contestants as guests.{{r|brown20161231}}{{r|seal201702}}<ref name="mazzei20170117">{{Cite news |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/donald-trump/article127106464.html |title=Haughty Palm Beach learns to love Trump, once a scorned outsider |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=January 17, 2017 |newspaper=Miami Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914224147/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/donald-trump/article127106464.html |archive-date=2021-09-14 |url-status=live}}</ref> The club also had numerous celebrity guests; notably, [[Michael Jackson]] and [[Lisa Marie Presley]] had their honeymoon at Mar-a-Lago in 1994, and according to his biography ''[[Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness]]'' Jackson and Presley kissed for the first time at Mar-a-Lago early in their relationship.<ref>{{cite book |first=J. Randy |last=Taraborrelli|author-link=J. Randy Taraborrelli |year=2009 |title=Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing, 2009 |isbn=978-0-446-56474-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonma0000tara}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sunderland |first1=Mitchell |title=The A-List Celebrities Who Used to Flock to Trump's Mar-a-Lago Estate in the 90s |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-a-list-celebrities-who-used-to-flock-to-trumps-mar-a-lago-estate-in-the-90s/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=VICE |date=25 April 2017}}</ref> It still frequently hosted the [[International Committee of the Red Cross|International Red Cross]] Ball, an annual "white tie, tails, and tiara" event founded by Post.<ref name="Tiaras">{{cite news |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2005/01/29/the-jewel-of-palm-beach/ |title=The Jewel of Palm Beach |last=Tanasychuk |first=John |work=[[Sun Sentinel]] |date=January 29, 2005 |access-date=March 7, 2024 |quote=It is the only Palm Beach event where men wear white tie and decorations (medals), and women wear tiaras along with their ball gowns. |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307212056/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2005/01/29/the-jewel-of-palm-beach/ |archive-date=2024-03-07 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2000, [[Virginia Giuffre]] was a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was first approached by [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] and introduced to [[Jeffrey Epstein]]. Giuffre would later go on to make accusations against Maxwell and Epstein for sex trafficking her to clients including [[Prince Andrew]] and [[Alan Dershowitz]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Virginia Giuffre: What we know about Prince Andrew's accuser |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59974220 |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=BBC News |date=12 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerstein |first1=Josh |title=Unsealed documents detail alleged Epstein victim's recruitment at Mar-a-Lago |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/09/epstein-mar-a-lago-trump-1456221 |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Politico |date=8 September 2019}}</ref>

In 2005, Trump married [[Melania Knauss]] at Mar-a-Lago. The ceremony was attended by [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]], as well as many other celebrities and figures in media and broadcasting.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Krakauer |first1=Steve |title=Opinion {{!}} What Trump's wedding guest list shows about his transactional rise |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-wedding-melania-was-15-years-ago-it-explains-ncna1120236 |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=NBC News |date=22 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Liddell |first1=James |title=Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump was like a 'little kid' in awkward meeting last year |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/melania-trump-hillary-clinton-little-kid-memoir-b2614775.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=The Independent |date=18 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |title=When Hillary and Donald were friends |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/magazine/when-hillary-and-donald-were-friends.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=New York Times Magazine |date=2 November 2016}}</ref>

According to financial disclosure forms filed by Trump, the Mar-a-Lago Club had $29.7 million in gross revenues in the period of June 2015 through May 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Donald Trump Personal Financial Disclosure Form 2015|url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2838696/Trump-2016-Financial-Disclosure.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902113525/https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2838696/Trump-2016-Financial-Disclosure.pdf|archive-date=September 2, 2019|access-date=May 20, 2016}}</ref> The club had revenues of $25.1 million for calendar year 2017, $22 million in 2018, and $21.4 million in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/16/trump-mar-a-lago-resort-finances-1328890 |title=Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort took a financial hit last year; 'The Art of the Deal' continues to make money, but the president's dozen-plus other books brought in next to nothing—$201 or less. |author1=Galioto, Katie |author2=Meyer, Theodoric |author3=Restuccia, Andrew |author4=Cook, Nancy |date=May 16, 2019 |website=Politico |publisher= |access-date=May 16, 2019 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Stapleton|first=Christine|date=August 27, 2020|title=Revenues continue downward slide at Trump's Mar-a-Lago|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2020/08/27/trumps-mar-lago-sees-revenue-drop-third-year/5634350002/|access-date=December 16, 2020|website=The Palm Beach Post|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2022, ''[[Forbes]]'' estimated the value of the estate at around $350 million.<ref name="Forbes" /> In 1995 Trump "gave up the right to use Mar-a-Lago for any purpose other than as a social club" by agreeing to a "Deed of Conservation and Preservation". In 2002 he agreed to a conservation easement preventing further development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why New York judge concluded that Trump's valuation of Mar-a-Lago was 'fraudulent' |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/trump/2024/02/16/why-new-york-judge-concluded-trumps-mar-a-lago-valuation-fraudulent/72632374007/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=The Palm Beach Post |language=en-US}}</ref> According to ''[[Forbes]]'', "Real estate experts outside of Palm Beach guessed that the place was worth more than $200 million. Brokers on the island thought it could be worth far more, with the most aggressive estimate coming in at $725 million. When Forbes last valued the property in March, we went with a conservative $350 million." A 2022 lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General [[Letitia James]] alleged that Trump inflated the value of Mar-a-Lago to $739 million, when the property should actually be valued at $75 million.<ref name="WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm 2022">{{cite web | title=Mar-a-Lago overvalued by $664 million, business fraud lawsuit against former President Donald Trump claims | website=WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm | date=September 21, 2022 | url=https://www.wptv.com/news/political/mar-a-lago-overvalued-by-664-million-business-fraud-lawsuit-against-former-president-donald-trump-claims | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref>

===First Trump presidency===
{{See also|Mar-a-Lago Crowd}}
President Trump referred to Mar-a-Lago as his "Winter White House",<ref name="caputo20170118">{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2017/01/trump-dubs-mar-a-lago-the-new-winter-white-house-108841 |title=Trump dubs Mar-a-Lago the new 'Winter White House' |last=Caputo |first=Marc |website=Politico|date=January 18, 2017 }}</ref> and on occasion his "Southern White House".<ref name=boyer>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/18/trump-calls-mar-lago-resort-southern-white-house/ |first=Dave |last=Boyer |title=Trump dubs his Mar-a-Lago resort 'The Southern White House' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 18, 2017| access-date=February 17, 2017 |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406055725/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/18/trump-calls-mar-lago-resort-southern-white-house/ |archive-date=2023-04-06 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During Trump's presidency, a [[Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility]] (SCIF) was operational at Mar-a-Lago. It was removed after he left office.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Borger |first1=Julian |title=Nuclear or not, classified or not, Mar-a-Lago files spell out jeopardy for Trump |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/13/nuclear-or-not-classified-or-not-mar-a-lago-files-spell-out-jeopardy-for-trump |access-date=13 August 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=13 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The SCIF was used for communications with the White House [[Situation Room]] and Pentagon.<ref name="nunez20170407">{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/white-house-photo-syria-briefing/ |title=What this photo of Trump's war room tells us |last=Nunez |first=Elissa |date=April 7, 2017 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> The [[Mar-a-Lago Crowd]], an informal group organized by President Trump which oversaw many of the activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Trump administration, frequently met at the club.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Philipps |first1=Dave |title=Outside Influence: The Veterans Agency's Shadowy Leadership |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/us/veterans-affairs-leadership.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 25, 2019|date=August 11, 2018 }}</ref>

====Notable presidential visits====
{{multiple image
 | perrow    = 2/2
 | total_width = 350px
 | footer    = Clockwise from top-left: {{Flatlist|*The Trumps host [[Shinzō Abe]] and his wife [[Akie Abe]] at Mar-a-Lago.
* The Trumps host [[Xi Jinping]] and his wife [[Peng Liyuan]] at Mar-a-Lago.
* President Trump hosts Brazilian president [[Jair Bolsonaro]] at Mar-a-Lago.
* President Trump (at the head of the table) and staffers monitor the [[2017 Shayrat missile strike|missile strike on Syria]] from the [[Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility|SCIF]] within Mar-a-Lago.}}
 | image1    = Shinzō Abe and Donald Trump in Palm Beach (5).jpeg
 | alt1      =
 | image2    = Peng Liyuan, Xi Jingping, Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the entrance of Mar-a-Lago, April 2017.jpg
 | alt2      =
 | image3    = President Donald Trump receives a briefing on a military strike.jpg
 | alt3      =
 | image4    = Working dinner between Trump and Bolsonaro and advisers in Mar-a-Lago.jpg
 | alt4      =
}}
[[File:President Trump Signs H.R. 133 (50773855346).jpg|thumb|Trump signing the [[Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021]] at Mar-a-Lago on December 27, 2020]]

Donald Trump's first visit to Mar-a-Lago as president of the United States took place on the weekend of February 3–6, 2017. On Saturday, he hosted the Diamond Red Cross Ball at the Mar-a-Lago Club,<ref name="pbp">{{cite news |url=http://postonpolitics.blog.mypalmbeachpost.com/2017/02/05/trump-in-palm-beach-another-golf-course-visit-today/ |title=Trump in Palm Beach: Another golf course visit today | newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]| date=February 5, 2017 |access-date=February 6, 2017 }}</ref> and on Sunday he watched [[Super Bowl LI]] at the nearby [[Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach)|Trump International Golf Club]] in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]].

On the weekend of February 10–12, 2017, President Trump and his wife Melania hosted [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese prime minister]] [[Shinzō Abe]] and his wife. This was the first use of Mar-a-Lago to entertain an international leader, traditionally performed at the White House.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-japan-idUSKBN15Q0JN |first=Ayesha |last=Rascoe| title=Trump and Japan's Abe take a swing at golf diplomacy |work=Reuters |date=February 11, 2017| access-date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> On this weekend one of President Trump's first international security crises happened, a North Korean missile launch. Trump and Abe conferred in full view of the other diners.<ref name="North Korea Missile Launch">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/12/politics/trump-shinzo-abe-mar-a-lago-north-korea/index.html |title=At Mar-a-Lago, Trump tackles crisis diplomacy at close range |last=Liptak |first=Kevin |date=February 13, 2017}}</ref>

During the third weekend visit to Mar-a-Lago on February 17–20, President Trump conducted a campaign rally at the [[Melbourne Orlando International Airport]].<ref name="boyer"/> He also conducted interviews for a replacement [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] and named General [[H. R. McMaster]] as Michael Flynn's, who had recently been terminated,<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN15Z1Z0| vauthors=Mason J, Zengerle P |title=Outspoken general named Trump's top security adviser |work=Reuters |date=February 20, 2017 |access-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref> successor on February 20, 2017.<ref name="Reuters"/>

After President Trump's fourth weekend visit on March 3–5, 2017, questions were raised about the access his paying club members have to him and his entourage. A number of Democratic senators asked the President to release visitor logs of Mar-a-Lago and as well as a list of the members of the private club.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national-govt--politics/new-senators-call-for-release-visitor-logs-from-trump-mar-lago/syxFr7EeYrG4RM2hZ9vp6H/|first=Kristina|last=Webb|title=New: Senators call for release of visitor logs from Trump's Mar-a-Lago|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=March 6, 2017|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=March 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306235348/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national-govt--politics/new-senators-call-for-release-visitor-logs-from-trump-mar-lago/syxFr7EeYrG4RM2hZ9vp6H/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Subsequently, the "Mar-a-Lago Act" was introduced, legislation requiring publication of logs of visitors at the White House and other places where the president conducts business.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/25/democrats-mar-a-lago-act.html |first=Jessica |last=Estepa| title=Democrats introduce the 'Mar-a-Lago Act' |publisher=[[CNBC]] |date=March 25, 2017 |access-date=March 26, 2017}}</ref> After a lawsuit was filed, a judge ordered, in July 2017, that these logs be released in September.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/foia/2017-07-17/judge-orders-sep-8-deadline-mar-lago-visitor-records-release|title=Judge Orders Sep. 8 Deadline for Mar-a-Lago Visitor Records Release {{!}} National Security Archive|website=nsarchive.gwu.edu|language=en|access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>

President Trump's fifth presidential visit took place on March 17–18. Guests included Melania's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

During his next visit April 6–9, President Trump hosted the Chinese president [[Xi Jinping]] for the first two days.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2086073/said-and-unsaid-hits-and-misses-xi-trump-talks-mar-lago |title=Said and unsaid: the hits and misses of Xi-Trump talks in Mar-a-Lago |work=South China Morning Post |date=April 8, 2017 |last=Huang |first=Cary |access-date=April 9, 2017 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408185800/http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2086073/said-and-unsaid-hits-and-misses-xi-trump-talks-mar-lago |archive-date=2017-04-08 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/asia/xi-jinping-golf-trump-mar-a-lago.html|title=When Xi Jinping Visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago, 'Nothing Involving Golf Clubs'|first=Alan |last=Wong|date=April 5, 2016}}</ref><ref name=pbp4>{{cite news|url=http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/national-govt--politics/trump-palm-beach-syria-strike-mar-lago/hXCMoIt3MaWRLJja1rFDMN/|first=George|last=Bennett|title=Trump in Palm Beach: Syria strike OK'd at Mar-a-Lago|publisher=Plam Beach Post|date=April 7, 2017|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-date=April 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412052545/http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/national-govt--politics/trump-palm-beach-syria-strike-mar-lago/hXCMoIt3MaWRLJja1rFDMN/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At Mar-a-Lago, the decision [[2017 Shayrat missile strike|to strike a Syrian airfield]] was made.<ref name=pbp4/> The following Easter weekend was also spent with family members at Mar-a-Lago.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2017/04/16/trump-attends-easter-service-with-family-near-mar-a-lago/ |author=Golding, Bruce |title=Trump attends Easter service with family near Mar-a-Lago| newspaper=[[New York Post]]| date=April 16, 2017| access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=June 2023}}

On April 4, 2017, prior to Xi's visit, [[Bureau of International Information Programs|ShareAmerica]], a website run by the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State's]] [[Bureau of International Information Programs]], published a blog post describing Mar-a-Lago's history.<ref name="ShareAmerica">{{Cite web|url=https://share.america.gov/mar-a-lago-winter-white-house/ |title=Mar-a-Lago: The winter White House |website=ShareAmerica |date=April 4, 2017 |author1=Hartman, Leigh |access-date=April 25, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424182729/https://share.america.gov/mar-a-lago-winter-white-house/ |archive-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref> On April 5, 2017, the U.S. embassy in the United Kingdom's website shared snippets of the original blog post on its own blog, and the U.S. embassy in [[Albania]]'s Facebook page shared the original post.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://uk.usembassy.gov/mar-lago-winter-white-house/|title=Mar-a-Lago: The winter White House|date=April 5, 2017|work=U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom|access-date=April 24, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424200907/https://uk.usembassy.gov/mar-lago-winter-white-house/|archive-date=April 24, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/usembassytirana/posts/10154547231765838|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314191845/https://www.facebook.com/usembassytirana/posts/10154547231765838|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 14, 2021|title=U.S. Embassy—Tirana|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref> On April 24, 2017, Democratic senator [[Ron Wyden]], House minority leader [[Nancy Pelosi]], and ethics observers like former ambassador [[Norman L. Eisen|Norman Eisen]], questioned the use of official government resources promoting a private property owned by Trump.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/RonWyden/status/856580066389708801|title=Ron Wyden on Twitter|work=Twitter|access-date=April 24, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi/status/856591879198175232|title=Nancy Pelosi on Twitter|work=Twitter|access-date=April 24, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/24/us-embassy-site-outrage-mar-a-lago-winter-white-house|title=US embassy site triggers outrage by calling Mar-a-Lago 'winter White House'|last=Borger|first=Julian|date=April 24, 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=April 24, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/04/24/why-us-embassy-promoting-story-mar-a-lago/100854136/|title=Why is a U.S. embassy promoting a story about Mar-a-Lago?|work=USA Today|access-date=April 24, 2017|language=en}}</ref> By April 25, 2017, ShareAmerica and both U.S. embassies in the United Kingdom [[Embassy of the United States, Tirana|and Albania]] removed their respective posts. ShareAmerica, replaced their post with the following statement, "The intention of the article was to inform the public about where the president has been hosting world leaders. We regret any misperception and have removed the post."<ref name="ShareAmerica"/>

In November 2017, President Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago for a Thanksgiving celebration,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/us/politics/trump-mar-a-lago-thanksgiving.html| author1=Cochrane, Emily |title=A Mar-a-Lago Thanksgiving: It's All Gravy| newspaper=New York Times |date=November 23, 2017 |access-date=November 26, 2017}}</ref> and one month later he returned for his tenth presidential visit during his Christmas vacation.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/palm-beach-adjusts-to-having-the-president-as-one-of-its-part-time-residents/2017/12/27/f57603ee-eb09-11e7-b698-91d4e35920a3_story.html?tid=ss_gp |author1=Ye Hee Lee, Michelle |author2=Rozsa, Lori|title=Palm Beach adjusts to having the president as one of its part-time residents |newspaper=The Washington Post| date=December 27, 2017 |access-date=December 28, 2017}}</ref>

In 2018, President Trump visited Mar-a-Lago eight times prior to the seasonal closing in May. During this time he had a summit meeting with Shinzō Abe on April 17–18.<ref name="Trump_Abe">{{cite news |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-summit-meeting-prime-minister-shinzo-abe/ |date=April 18, 2018 |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |title=President Donald J. Trump's Summit Meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2018, President Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving. One month later, President Trump canceled his planned Christmas vacation in Mar-a-Lago following the [[2018-2019 United States federal government shutdown|federal government shutdown]]. In November 2019, he returned to Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving, and a month later returned for Christmas.

On March 7, 2020, President Trump hosted [[President of Brazil|Brazilian president]] [[Jair Bolsonaro]] for a working dinner, where the two leaders discussed the U.S.-led effort to oust [[President of Venezuela|Venezuelan president]] [[Nicolás Maduro]], a future trade deal, and peace for the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-08/trump-and-bolsonaro-to-discuss-venezuela-over-mar-a-lago-dinner |author1=Adghirni, Sami |author2=Harney, John|author3=Parker, Mario| title=Trump and Bolsonaro Discuss Venezuela Over Mar-a-Lago Dinner |publisher=Bloomberg |date=March 7, 2020 |access-date=March 8, 2020}}</ref> Also at the dinner was Bolsonaro's press secretary, {{ill|Fábio Wajngarten|pt}}, whose wife informed others on social media on March 11, 2020, that he had tested positive for [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] after he had returned from the United States via Miami to Brazil.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/03/wajngarten-volta-de-viagem-aos-eua-com-bolsonaro-e-testa-positivo-para-coronavirus.shtml |title= Wajngarten volta de viagem aos EUA com Bolsonaro e testa positivo para coronavírus: Informação é da mulher do secretário de Comunicação da Presidência da República |trans-title=Wajngarten returns from trip to the USA with Bolsonaro and tests positive for coronavirus: Information is from the wife of the Secretary of Communication of the Presidency of the Republic |work=[[Folha de S.Paulo]] |last1=Campos Mello |first1=Patrícia |last2=Uribe |first2=Gustavo |author-link1=Patrícia Campos Mello |date=March 12, 2010 |access-date=March 12, 2020}}</ref> Others attending the dinner included [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Mike Pence]], [[Ivanka Trump]], and [[Jared Kushner]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/matthewchampion/coronavirus-trump-bolsonaro-brazil |title=A Brazilian Official Who Met Trump At Mar-A-Lago Has Tested Positive For The Coronavirus: Fabio Wajngarten was pictured alongside Donald Trump and Mike Pence last Saturday. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is being monitored for the coronavirus. |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |last=Champion |first=Matthew |date=March 12, 2020 |access-date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>

====Security zone====
When President Trump was in residence as president, the Palm Beach region became a zone of [[Federal Aviation Regulations|temporary flight restrictions]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/february/14/aopa-seeks-faa-meeting-on-mar-a-lago-tfrs |first=Dan |last=Narnowitz |title=AOPA Seeks FAA Meeting on Mar-a-Lago TFRs |publisher=AOPA |date=February 14, 2017|access-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref> affecting flights and air operations severely within a 30 nautical mile (55.56&nbsp;km) radius.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_4956.html|title=TFR List 7/4956 (Palm Beach, FL)|publisher=FAA|date=February 15, 2017|access-date=February 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219005921/http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_7_4956.html|archive-date=February 19, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Coast Guard and Secret Service secured the two waterway approaches, ocean and lake, and Secret Service cordoned off streets to Mar-a-Lago during the president's visits. The Coast Guard also attached an elite [[Maritime Safety and Security Team]] with unique capabilities that specialized in maritime security.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/travel-outdoors/article/Mar-a-Lago-resort-Donald-Trump-s-winter-10955220.php| last=Liberman |first=S| title=Mar-a-Lago resort—Donald Trump's winter white house—serves the elite in Palm Beach| publisher=My San Antonio| date=February 24, 2017| access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> By the third weekend in February 2017, nearby [[Palm Beach County Park Airport]] (Lantana Airport) had been shut down for three consecutive weekends, accumulating significant financial losses for multiple businesses.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-small-airport-florida-trump-20170217-story.html |first=Terry |last=Spencer |title=Small airport businesses to Trump: Your Florida visits hurt |newspaper=Chicago Tribune| date=February 17, 2017 |access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>

===Between Trump presidencies===
At the end of his term, Trump went to live at Mar-a-Lago and established an office as provided for by the [[Former Presidents Act]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Wolfe|first=Jan|title=Explainer: Why Trump's post-presidency perks, like a pension and office, are safe for the rest of his life|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-benefits-explai-idUSKBN29W238|work=[[Reuters]]|date=January 27, 2021 |access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Quinn|first=Melissa|title=Trump opens 'Office of the Former President' in Florida|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-office-former-president-florida/|work=[[CBS News]]|date=January 27, 2021 |access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> Following the end of his term, Trump and other Republican candidates continued to hold fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago, and Trump continued to hold significant influence over the Republican party, a state of affairs labelled the "Mar-a-Lago machine" by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goldmacher|first=Shane|title=Mar-a-Lago Machine: Trump as a Modern-Day Party Boss|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/17/us/politics/trump-mar-a-lago.html|access-date=July 31, 2022|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Paybarah|first=Azi|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/trump-endorsements-midterm-primary-election.html|title=Where Trump's Endorsement Record Stands Halfway through Primary Season|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 2, 2022|access-date=August 3, 2022}}</ref><ref name="lat">{{cite web|last1=Castleman|first1=Terry|last2=Mason|first2=Melanie|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-05-03/trump-endorsements-2022-election|title=Tracking Trump's endorsement record in the 2022 primary elections|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 5, 2022|access-date=August 6, 2022}}</ref>

Mar-a-Lago was the location of watch parties for Trump and close allies for the [[2022 United States elections]] on November 8, 2022  and for [[Super Tuesday]] on March 5, 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lovett |first1=Greg |title=Images: Trump's Super Tuesday watch party at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach |url=https://eu.palmbeachpost.com/picture-gallery/news/trump/2024/03/05/images-donald-trump-speaks-at-mar-a-lago-after-super-tuesday/72854949007/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=The Palm Beach Post}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite news |last1=Fins |first1=Antonio |title=Trump to hold election night watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center |url=https://eu.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/28/trumps-election-watch-party-at-palm-beach-county-convention-center/75892567007/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=The Palm Beach Post}}</ref> During his [[Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign|2024 presidential campaign]], Trump hosted [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] at Mar-a-Lago.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lasa |first1=Kristina Webb and Diego Diaz |title=Netanyahu leaves Palm Beach after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago |url=https://eu.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/local/2024/07/26/netanyahu-visits-trump-in-palm-beach-what-to-know-about-todays-visit/74551651007/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Palm Beach Daily News}}</ref>

====Storage of classified records====
{{Main|FBI search of Mar-a-Lago}}
[[File:Classified documents at Mar-A-Lago 1000-6.jpg|thumb|Classified documents stored in a [[bathroom]] at Mar-a-Lago]]
Upon departing the White House in January 2021, Trump transported a large volume of presidential records to Mar-a-Lago, despite storage of such materials being subject to the [[Presidential Records Act]].<ref name="presidentialrecordsact">{{cite news |last=Rai |first=Sarakshi |date=February 7, 2022 |title=White House record boxes recovered at Trump's Mar-a-Lago: report |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/593065-boxes-improperly-removed-from-white-house-recovered-at-trumps-mar-a |access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref> Seeking to preserve presidential communications and correspondence with world leaders, the [[National Archives and Records Administration]] arranged to retrieve 15 boxes of material from Mar-a-Lago in January 2022.<ref name=presidentialrecords>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/07/trump-records-mar-a-lago/|title=National Archives had to retrieve Trump White House records from Mar-a-Lago|newspaper=Washington Post|date=February 7, 2022|accessdate=February 8, 2022}}</ref> These included documents clearly marked as classified, prompting the Department of Justice to restrict any details regarding the contents of the 15 boxes.<ref name="Alemany 2022april">{{cite news | last=Alemany | first=Jacqueline | title=DOJ rebuffs Democrats' request for inventory of Trump's boxes | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2022-04-12 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/12/trump-boxes-records-top-secret-doj/ | access-date=2022-08-12}}</ref>

On May 11, 2022, the Justice Department sent Trump a grand jury subpoena, requesting any additional documents marked classified.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-subpoenas-b8082283fc599738c92d1f1ec8680924|title=A timeline of the investigation into Trump's Mar-a-Lago docs|last=Colvin|first=Jill|date=August 31, 2022|work=AP News|access-date=12 September 2022}}</ref> A later subpoena requested surveillance footage from the club. On August 8, 2022, FBI agents presented a search warrant and searched Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago, part of the continuing investigation into the potential mishandling of classified documents. The Secret Service "facilitated access" for the FBI, and one of Trump's lawyers was present for the search.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Caputo| first1=Marc|last2=Reilly|first2=Ryan J.|title=FBI search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home tied to classified material, sources say|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-mar-lago-home-was-raided-large-group-fbi-agents-rcna42133 |date=August 9, 2022 |work=[[NBC]] |access-date=August 9, 2022 }}</ref>

===Second Trump presidency===
Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on the night of the [[2024 United States presidential election]]. While Trump's official watch party was hosted at [[Palm Beach County Convention Center]], where Trump delivered his victory speech,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cordy |first1=Bill Ingram, Greg Lovett, Damon Higgins and Thomas |title=Trump Republicans watch party at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm |url=https://eu.palmbeachpost.com/picture-gallery/news/politics/2024/11/05/trump-watch-party-in-west-palm-beach/76079814007/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=6 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Full text – Donald Trump's victory speech: 'God spared my life for a reason' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-donald-trumps-victory-acceptance-speech/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Times of Israel}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> Trump hosted a more exclusive watch party and several private dinners at Mar-a-Lago during election night. Attendees at the event included his extended family, close friends and members of the Mar-a-Lago club. [[Elon Musk]], [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]], [[Dana White]] and [[Vivek Ramaswamy]] were all at the Mar-a-Lago events, as well as foreign political figures such as [[Nigel Farage]] and [[Eduardo Bolsonaro]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Romboy |first1=Dennis |title=Trump declares victory, likely headed back to the White House |url=https://www.deseret.com/politics/2024/11/05/donald-trump-election-night-watch-party-palm-beach-mar-a-lago/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=Deseret News |date=6 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=de Wolfe |first1=Danielle |title=Inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago election night party as Musk, Farage and UFC boss kick-off early celebrations |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/trumps-mara-a-largo-election-night-party-as-musk-farage-and-ufc-boss-kick/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=LBC |date=6 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Following his election to a second term as President of the United States, Mar-a-Lago became the base for the [[second presidential transition of Donald Trump]] as the president-elect made decisions on the nomination of people for his upcoming administration.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tawfik |first1=Nada |last2=Morris |first2=Regan |title=Inside Donald Trump's transition as hopefuls flock to Mar-a-Lago |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvzlj3k8m8o |access-date=11 November 2024 |work=BBC News |date=10 November 2024}}</ref>

== Architectural style, layout, and materials ==
Architecturally, the resort is in [[Spanish Colonial Revival architecture|Spanish Revival]] style. The house is a Mediterranean-style villa, an adaptation of [[Moorish architecture|Hispano-Moresque architecture]] which was popular in Palm Beach at the time. It has a two-story central block with family quarters and service areas in lower subsidiary wings and buildings. This arrangement was chosen by Mrs. Post to keep the main house from appearing too massive and to separate the family and service areas from those used for entertaining. The house is topped by a seventy-five foot, tile-roofed tower containing bedrooms, baths, and an observation deck with an extensive view of Palm Beach.<ref name="habs" />

Among the imported materials used were three boatloads of Doria [[limestone]] from [[Genoa]] visible in the exterior wall facing, some interior structures, arches, and the Barwig sculptures. This fossil-bearing limestone was chosen for its quality of rapid aging and its suitability for intricate carving. Approximately 20,000 roofing tiles and 2,200 black and white marble floor blocks came from a Cuban castle. Spanish tiles are used in the entrance hall, patio, cloisters, and some rooms from a collection of nearly 36,000 15th century tiles that had been assembled in the 1880s by Mrs. [[Havemeyer family|Horace Havermeyer]]. This collection is possibly one of the largest in the world.<ref name="habs" />

The house has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a {{convert|29|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} [[pietra dura]] marble-top dining table, 12 fireplaces, and three [[bomb shelter]]s.

On April 18, 2012, members of the [[American Institute of Architects]]' Florida chapter ranked Mar-a-Lago fifth on the ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places'' list.<ref>{{cite web |title=Current Standings |url=http://www.aiaflatop100.org/Current-Standings.cfm |access-date=March 10, 2016 |work=2015 People's Choice Award (Florida Architecture)}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Club}}The Mar-a-Lago Club==
[[File:Maralago1 (4158314102).jpg|right|thumb|Mar-a-Lago in 2009]]
The primary business occupying the estate is the Mar-a-Lago Club, which opened in 1994 and operates as resort and hotel for dues-paying members, and rents out estate venues for private events. Operating the mansion as a club in this way, while continuing to live on the premises, allows Trump to significantly reduce his tax bill, by identifying a range of items used to maintain the mansion and his lifestyle as being legitimate business expenses.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/inside-mar-a-lago-the-secret-history-of-trumps-florida-retreat/ |first=Thévoz |last=Seth |title=Inside Mar-a-Lago: the secret history of Trump's Florida retreat |newspaper=openDemocracy | date=January 21, 2021 |access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref>

Membership at the Mar-a-Lago Club required a $200,000 initiation fee. In 2012, reportedly in response to reduced demand following the [[Madoff investment scandal|Bernie Madoff scandal]] which affected many affluent Palm Beach residents, the fee was lowered to $100,000.<ref name="CNBC.2017">{{cite web|url =https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/25/mar-a-lago-membership-fee-doubles-to-200000.html|title=Mar-a-Lago membership fee doubles to $200,000|last=Frank|first=Robert|date=January 25, 2017|work=CNBC|access-date =February 13, 2017|quote =The initiation fee for Mar-a-Lago had been $100,000 since 2012, when it was cut from $200,000. People close to the resort said the fee was reduced following a decline in memberships after the Bernie Madoff scandal, which claimed many wealthy Palm Beach victims.}}</ref> The fee returned to $200,000 in January 2017 after Trump was elected president,<ref name="CNBC.2017"/> with $14,000 annual dues.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Jordan |first1 = Mary |title = Inside Trump's Palm Beach castle and his 30-year fight to win over the locals |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-palm-beach-castle-and-his-30-year-fight-to-win-over-the-locals/2015/11/14/26c49a58-88b7-11e5-be8b-1ae2e4f50f76_story.html |newspaper = The Washington Post |access-date = November 18, 2016 }}</ref> Overnight guests paid up to $2,000 a night.{{r|brown20161231}}

The membership list of Mar-a-Lago has long been shrouded in secrecy. The 2020 book ''The Grifter's Club'' had access to old membership records from the club, which confirmed that [[Jeffrey Epstein]] had been a member until 2007, and reveals that he was expelled "after Epstein harassed the daughter of a member", according to another Mar-a-Lago member. The book alleges that the girl was a teenager at the time, and confirms that Epstein is listed in club membership records as "Account closed 10/07", in contrast to cases of members' resignations, where "Resigned" is normally noted.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Blaskey |first1 = Sarah |last2 = Nehemas |first2 = Nicholas |last3 = Ostroff |first3 = Caitlin |last4 = Weaver |first4 = Jay |date = 2020 |title = The Grifter's Club: Trump, Mar-a-Lago and the Selling of the Presidency |location = New York |publisher = [[PublicAffairs]] |isbn = 978-1529362695 }}</ref>

As of January 2017, the club was nearly at its maximum capacity of 500 paying members and was admitting twenty to forty new members a year.<ref name="Jill Disis CNN 2017">{{cite web | last=Disis | first=Jill | title=Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago hikes prices as membership nears cap | website=CNNMoney | date=January 26, 2017 | url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/26/news/trump-mar-a-lago-hotels/index.html | access-date=August 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="nyt19feb">{{cite news|author1=Confessore, Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Confessore|author2=Haberman, Maggie|author2-link=Maggie Haberman|author3=Lipton, Eric|author3-link=Eric Lipton|title=Trump's 'Winter White House': A Peek at the Exclusive Members' List at Mar-a-Lago|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/us/mar-a-lago-trump-ethics-winter-white-house.html|access-date=February 20, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=February 19, 2017|page=A1}}</ref> Members as of 2017 include oil executive [[Bill Koch (businessman)|Bill Koch]], financier [[Thomas Peterffy]], [[New Jersey]] Democratic Party leader [[George Norcross]], lobbyist [[Kenneth Duberstein]], real estate developers [[Bruce E. Toll]] and [[Richard LeFrak]], media executive [[Christopher Ruddy]], talk show host [[Howie Carr]], talk show host [[Michael Savage]]'s wife, and NFL coach [[Bill Belichick]].<ref name=nyt19feb/>

In February 2017 it was reported that Trump was considering at least three club members for ambassadorships.<ref name="nyt19feb" />

In protest against Trump's remarks on the August 2017 [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], six nonprofit organizations canceled scheduled gala events at the club. The charities canceling included the [[American Red Cross]] and the [[American Cancer Society]].<ref name="guardian-18aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Glenza|first1=Jessica|title=Charities cancel events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/18/charities-cancel-events-at-trumps-mar-a-lago-club|access-date=August 18, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|date=August 18, 2017}}</ref>

The club has been frequently cited for health code violations. In January 2017, Florida inspectors noted 15 infractions that included unsafe seafood, insufficiently refrigerated meats, rusty shelving, and cooks without hairnets.<ref name=health>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=April 13, 2017 |title=Mar-a-Lago restaurants slapped with 15 health code violations|url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/mar-a-lago-restaurants-slapped-with-15-health-code-violations |work=FoxNews|access-date=April 13, 2018 }}</ref> However, according to Florida department of Business and Professional Regulation spokesman, Stephen Lawson, "The infractions were corrected on site, and the establishment was immediately brought into compliance."<ref name=health/> Since 2013, it has faced 51 health code violations.<ref name=health.bi>{{cite news |author1=Smith, Allan |date= June 25, 2018 |title=Trump's history of health code violations at his businesses comes under fire after he blasts 'filthy' restaurant that kicked out Sarah Huckabee Sanders|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mar-a-lago-health-code-violations-resurface-after-red-hen-attack-2018-6|work=Business Insider|access-date= June 25, 2018 }}</ref>

On March 30, 2019, Yujing Zhang, a Chinese national, was arrested and charged with unlawful entry to the premises and making false statements to federal law enforcement officials.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/secret-service-under-fire-after-agent-testifies-agency-inserted-malicious-thumb-drive-into-computer |author=Lukas Mikelionis| title=Secret Service under fire after agent testifies agency inserted malicious thumb drive into computer |publisher=Fox News |date=April 19, 2019 |access-date=May 30, 2019}}</ref> Chinese nationals were also arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago in December 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/were-these-six-chinese-trespassers-confused-tourists-or-spies-fbi-n1140496 |title=Were these six Chinese trespassers confused tourists or spies? The FBI wants to know. |date=February 23, 2020 |author1=Anna Schecter |author2=Tom Winter}}</ref> Chinese national Zijie Li attempted to enter the property at least three times in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cone |first1=Allen |title=California man arrested after another attempt to breach security at Trump's Mar-a-Lago|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/california-man-arrested-after-another-attempt-to-breach-security-at-trumps-mar-a-lago/ |access-date=12 November 2024 |work=www.cbsnews.com – Miami|date=8 November 2024}}</ref>

In August 2022, the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'' reported that a Ukrainian-born Russian speaker who used a fake name and claimed to be a [[Rothschild family]] heiress had frequented the residence over a year's time, even posing there for photos with Trump and Senator [[Lindsey Graham]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Burnett |first=Erin |date=August 26, 2022 |title='They never found out': Fake heiress accessed Mar-a-Lago for over a year |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/08/27/mar-a-lago-security-lapses-fake-heiress-michael-sallah-intv-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/erin-burnett-outfront/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827172656/https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/08/27/mar-a-lago-security-lapses-fake-heiress-michael-sallah-intv-ebof-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/erin-burnett-outfront/ |archive-date=August 27, 2022 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |website=[[CNN]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sallah |first1=Michael |last2=Silver |first2=Jonathan D. |date=August 26, 2022 |title=Inventing Anna: The tale of a fake heiress, Mar-a-Lago, and an FBI investigation |url=https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/anna-de-rothschild-trump-mar-a-lago-security-fbi-investigation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826143927/https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/anna-de-rothschild-trump-mar-a-lago-security-fbi-investigation/ |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |website=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]}}</ref>

==Legal issues==

===Hurricane insurance claim===
Trump received a $17 million insurance payment for hurricane damage to Mar-a-Lago after the [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]], for damage to the "landscaping, roofing, walls, painting, leaks, artwork in the tapestries, tiles, Spanish tiles, the beach, the erosion", as he described. [[Anthony Senecal]], a former mayor and<ref>{{cite news|last1=Francis|first1=Breanna|title=Former Martinsburg Mayor Anthony Senecal dies|url=https://www.journal-news.net/journal-news/former-martinsburg-mayor-anthony-senecal-dies/article_21f663f3-5c34-55cc-b083-f771158d0b58.html|work=[[The Journal (West Virginia newspaper)|The Journal]]|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426174300/https://www.journal-news.net/journal-news/former-martinsburg-mayor-anthony-senecal-dies/article_21f663f3-5c34-55cc-b083-f771158d0b58.html|archive-date=April 26, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Trump's former butler at the resort and later its "in-house historian" said some trees behind the resort had been flattened and some roof tiles were lost, but "That house has never been seriously damaged. I was there for all [the hurricanes]."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeff |last2=Spencer |first2=Terry |date=October 24, 2016 |title=Trump took $17 million in insurance for damage few remember |url=https://apnews.com/f4df8c9beb17404484ee539dd4a8f087 |website=AP News}}</ref>

===American flag litigation===
On October 3, 2006, Trump raised a {{convert|20|by|30|ft|adj=on}} [[American flag]] on an {{convert|80|ft|adj=on}} flagpole at Mar-a-Lago. Town [[zoning]] officials asked Trump to adhere to town zoning codes that limit flagpoles to a height of {{convert|42|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/31/s1b_trumpflag_1031.html|title=Town cites Trump, but big banner still waves|website=The Palm Beach Post|date=October 31, 2006|author1=O'Meilia, Tim |access-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111108/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/31/s1b_trumpflag_1031.html|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> This dispute led the town council of Palm Beach to charge Trump $1,250 for every day the flag stayed up. Trump filed a lawsuit against the Town of Palm Beach. He eventually dropped his lawsuit over the flag, and in exchange the town waived its fines.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/19/trump.flag.ap/index.html |date = January 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070121141108/http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/19/trump.flag.ap/index.html |archive-date = January 21, 2007 |title = City to Trump: You're Fined! |publisher = CNN }}</ref> As part of a court-ordered mediation, Trump was allowed to file for a permit and keep a pole that was both {{Convert|10|ft|m}} shorter than the original pole and located on a different spot on his lawn. The agreement also required him to donate $100,000 to veterans' charities, and resulted in a change to town ordinances allowing out-of-town club members.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.politico.eu/article/trumps-war-with-palm-beach/ |title = Trump's war with Palm Beach |work = Politico|author1=Cerabino, Frank |date=September 5, 2015 |access-date = March 10, 2016}}</ref>

===Discrimination lawsuit===
In 1993, Trump and the city of Palm Beach signed an agreement that allowed Trump to turn the residence into a private club.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wagner|first=Jodie|url=https://palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/2021/05/07/trump-maralago-florida-employee/4944038001/|title=Town attorney's final word: Trump can live at Mar-a-Lago as a 'bona fide employee'|work=[[Palm Beach Daily News]]|date=May 7, 2021|access-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref> In November 1996, Trump asked the Palm Beach council to lift the restrictions contained in the agreement that limited media photography, filmmaking, land sales, membership, and traffic at the club, and prevented him from applying for tax exemptions on the property for three years. The council denied the request. According to ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', before the meeting "Trump and his attorney had already implied that he and his club had been discriminated against because many of its members were Jewish, and, worse, that the council members who had placed the conditions on him had not placed those restrictions on their own clubs."<ref name="seal201702" /> In December 1997, Trump filed a lawsuit in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] alleging that the town discriminated against him and his club because the club accepted Jewish and African-American members<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Jenna|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/01/trump-claims-no-one-has-done-so-much-for-equality-as-he-has-citing-his-private-club/|title=Trump claims no one has 'done so much for equality' as he has, citing his private club|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=March 1, 2016|access-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref> and because town officials had financial stakes in competing clubs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gold |first=Scott |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-05-22-9705210833-story.html |title=Trump Sues Palm Beach Over Mar-a-Lago|work=[[The Sun Sentinel]]|date=May 22, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324005739/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-05-22-9705210833-story.html|archive-date=March 24, 2022|access-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref>

===Aviation litigation===
Trump has repeatedly filed lawsuits against [[Palm Beach County, Florida|Palm Beach County]] over aircraft going to and from [[Palm Beach International Airport]] (PBI) allegedly affecting Mar-a-Lago.<ref name="Reid">{{cite news |first = Andy |last = Reid |url = http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-trump-airport-fight-palm-20151211-story.html |title = Trump's Airport Lawsuit Lingers as Presidential Bid Heats Up |work = South Florida Sun-Sentinel |date = December 11, 2015 }}</ref>

Trump first filed such a lawsuit in 1995; that action was settled in 1996, with the county agreeing to collaborate with the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) and to change flight patterns so the noisiest [[jet aircraft]] flew over a wider area.<ref name="Reid"/> As part of the settlement, Trump leased {{convert|215|acre|ha|abbr=off}} from the county, on which he built the 18-hole [[Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach)|Trump International Golf Club]].{{r|seal201702}} In July 2010, Trump filed another lawsuit aiming to stop the airport from constructing a second [[Airliner|commercial]] [[runway]].<ref>{{cite news |first = Adam |last = Playford |url = http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/trump-sues-to-prevent-runway-expansion/nL8bb/ |title = Trump Sues to Prevent Runway Expansion |work = The Palm Beach Post |date = July 20, 2010 |access-date = March 13, 2016 |archive-date = October 11, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121011003208/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/trump-sues-to-prevent-runway-expansion/nL8bb/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> That suit was dismissed.<ref name="Reid"/>

Trump filed a third suit against the county in January 2015, seeking $100 million in damages for "creating an unreasonable amount of noise, emissions and pollutants at Mar-a-Lago".<ref name="Reid"/> Trump claims that officials pressured the FAA to direct air traffic to PBI over Mar-a-Lago in a "deliberate and malicious" act.<ref name=usa.2015>{{cite news |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/01/12/trump-air-traffic-suit/21673979/ |first = Matt |last = Sedensky |title = Trump Sues for $100M, Says Air Traffic Targets Him |newspaper = [[USA Today]] |date = January 13, 2015 |access-date = February 23, 2015 }}</ref>

In November 2015, a [[Florida circuit courts|Florida Circuit Court]] judge ruled against most of Trump's arguments, dismissing four of the six claims and allowing the others to proceed.<ref name="Reid"/> Trump dropped the lawsuit after winning the presidency, as the estate would likely have a [[no-fly zone]] imposed by the FAA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20161116/NEWS06/912310533/Mar-a-Lago-no-fly-zone-renders-Trump-lawsuit-moot|title=Mar-a-Lago no-fly zone renders Trump lawsuit moot|website=Business Insurance|date=November 16, 2016}}</ref>{{r|seal201702}} In January 2017, Palm Beach exempted Mar-a-Lago from a ban on landing helicopters on residential properties while Trump was president, including his own fleet and [[Marine One]].<ref name="heliweb201701">{{Cite magazine |date=January 2017 |title=President Elect Trump Given Permission to Land Helicopter at Mar-A-Lago Estate |url=http://www.collectivemag.com/president-trump-landing-exemption/ |magazine=Collective Magazine |access-date=February 6, 2020 |archive-date=May 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505165214/http://www.collectivemag.com/president-trump-landing-exemption/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Use as a Trump residence===
[[File:Marine One at Mar-a-Lago (33638029748) (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|Trump's estate on Palm Beach Island in 2019]]
In September 2019, Mar-a-Lago became the primary residence for Donald and Melania Trump, who previously held primary residence in [[New York City]].<ref name="nytresidency">{{cite news|last=Haberman|first=Maggie|date=October 31, 2019|title=Trump, Lifelong New Yorker, Declares Himself a Resident of Florida|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/trump-new-york-florida-primary-residence.html|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name="cbsnewsresidence">{{cite news|last=Linton|first=Caroline|date=October 31, 2019|title=Lifelong New Yorker Trump moving primary residence to Florida|publisher=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-primary-residence-trump-moving-primary-residence-from-new-york-city-to-florida/|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> The legality of this was disputed because, in 1993, Trump signed a "use agreement" with the town of [[Palm Beach, Florida]], that changed Mar-a-Lago's designation from a single-family residence to a private club and specified that guests, including Trump, could not stay there more than three non-consecutive weeks per year.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last1=Roig-Franzia|first1=Manuel|last2=Leonnig|first2=Carol D.|date=December 15, 2020|title=Mar-a-Lago neighbors to Trump: Spend your post-presidency elsewhere|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/trump-mar-a-lago-neighbors-dispute/2020/12/15/bc2ce1d0-3ed4-11eb-9453-fc36ba051781_story.html|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Roig-Franzia|first=Manuel|date=May 8, 2020|title=Trump made Florida his official residence. He may have also made a legal mess.|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/trump-made-florida-his-official-residence-he-may-have-also-made-a-legal-mess/2020/05/07/17d53fb2-849c-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html|access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref>

In December 2020, neighbors of Mar-a-Lago delivered a [[demand letter]] to the town of Palm Beach, stating that the town should notify Trump that he cannot use the estate as his residence.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/us/a-27-year-old-agreement-may-prevent-trump-from-living-at-mar-a-lago.html|title=A 27-year-old agreement may prevent Trump from living at Mar-a-Lago. |first=Maggie|last=Haberman|date=December 17, 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref> In 2021, Palm Beach's attorney concluded that Palm Beach's zoning code allowed employees to reside at private clubs. He also stated that paperwork submitted by Trump's attorney confirmed that Trump was an employee whose duties include "overseeing the property, evaluating the performance of employees, suggesting improvements to the club's operations, reviewing the club's financials, attending events, greeting guests and recommending candidates for membership".<ref>{{cite news |last=Wagner |first=Jodie |url=https://palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/2021/05/07/trump-maralago-florida-employee/4944038001/ |title=Town attorney's final word: Trump can live at Mar-a-Lago as a 'bona fide employee' |work=[[Palm Beach Daily News]] |date=May 7, 2021 |access-date=March 8, 2024}}</ref>

===Appraisal discrepancy===
Palm Beach county assessors appraise the value of the property "based on Mar-a-Lago's annual net operating income as a club, not on its resale value as a home or on its reconstruction cost.".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hofheinz |first1=Darrell |title=Mar-a-Lago's value was front and center in Trump's New York civil fraud case |url=https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/business/real-estate/2024/02/16/trumps-civil-fraud-case-put-mar-a-lagos-value-front-and-center/72633906007/ |work=Palm Beach Daily News |date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> As part of the [[New York civil investigation of The Trump Organization|New York civil investigation of the Trump Organization]], a New York court found that from 2011 to 2021 Mar-a-Lago was assessed by Palm Beach County as having a value from $18 million to $27.6 million, while at the same time Trump's financial statements valued it from $427 million to $627 million as part of an alleged scheme to both lower insurance premiums and to get favorable loan terms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/new-york-judge-rules-trump-committed-fraud-lied-net-years-rcna117504 |website=[[NBCNews.com]] |title= New York judge rules Trump committed fraud and lied about his net worth for years |first1=Adam |last1=Reiss |first2= Chloe |last2=Atkins |first3=Jonathan |last3=Dienst |first4=Dareh |last4=Gregorian |date=2023-09-26 |access-date=2023-10-03}}</ref> Various real estate brokers suggested that the property was worth anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://therealdeal.com/miami/2023/10/06/trump-taps-top-palm-beach-broker-lawrence-moens-in-fraud-case/ | title=Trump Taps Top Palm Beach Broker Lawrence Moens in Fraud Case | date=October 6, 2023 }}</ref><ref>[https://apnews.com/article/trump-maralago-lawsuit-palm-beach-51fea4e520b1901c1c045590b2a7bdc0 Is Mar-a-Lago worth $1 billion? Trump's winter home valuations are at the core of his fraud trial], Associated Press, October 9, 2023</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Architecture|Florida|National Register of Historic Places}}
* [[List of residences of presidents of the United States]]
* [[List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2017)]]
* [[List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2018)]]
* [[List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2019)]]
* [[List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2020–2021)]]
* [[List of presidential trips made by Donald Trump (2025)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title = The Trumps |url = https://archive.org/details/trumps00gwen |url-access = registration |first = Gwenda |last = Blair |year = 2000 |page = [https://archive.org/details/trumps00gwen/page/364 364] }}
* {{cite book
|title=The Grifter's Club: Trump, Mar-a-Lago and the Selling of the Presidency
|last1 = Blaskey
|first1 = Sarah
|last2 = Nehemas
|first2 = Nicholas
|last3 = Ostroff
|first3 = Caitlin
|last4 = Weaver
|first4 = Jay
|year=2020
|publisher=PublicAffairs
|isbn=978-1529362695}}
* {{cite book
|title=Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace
|first=Lawrence
|last=Leamer
|year=2019
|publisher=Flatiron Books
|isbn=978-1250177513}}
* {{cite news
|title=The Secret History of Christmas at Mar-a-Lago, an Unlikely (and Increasingly Uncomfortable) Oasis for the Palm Beach Jewish Community
|first=Lawrence
|last=Leamer
|magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]
|date=December 25, 2018
|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/12/the-secret-history-of-christmas-at-mar-a-lago}}
* {{cite book
|title=Casas to Castles: Florida's Historic Mediterranean Revival Architecture Featuring Mar-a-Lago
|first=Justin A.
|last=Nylander
|year=2010
|publisher=Schiffer Publishing
|isbn=978-0-76433435-1}}
* {{cite news
|title=Inside Mar-a-Lago: The Secret History of Trump's Florida retreat
|first=Seth
|last=Thévoz
|magazine=[[openDemocracy]]
|date=January 21, 2021
|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/inside-mar-a-lago-the-secret-history-of-trumps-florida-retreat/}}
* {{cite book |title = Florida |publisher = DK Eyewitness Travel Guides |year = 2004 |page = 117 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mar-a-Lago}}
* {{Official website|https://www.maralagoclub.com/}}
* Includes interactive 3-D walk-through model of Mar-a-Lago:
:{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/15/us/mar-a-lago-trump-documents.html|title=Inside Mar-a-Lago, Where Thousands Partied Near Secret Files|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|last1=Singhvi |first1=Anjali |last2=Gröndahl |first2=Mika |last3=Haberman |first3=Maggie |last4=Cai |first4=Weiyi |last5=Migliozzi |first5=Blacki|language=en-US |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=December 15, 2022|archivedate=December 16, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216061614/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/15/us/mar-a-lago-trump-documents.html}}
* {{cite web|url=https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/donald-trumps-house-mar-a-lago/ |title=Donald Trump's house (Mar-a-Lago) |date=July 30, 2010 |publisher=VirtualGlobetrotting}}
* {{HABS |survey=FL-195 |id=fl0181 |title=Mar-a-Lago, 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, FL |photos=108 |data=37 |supp=yes}}
* {{cite book |last = Nylander |first = Justin A. |author-link = Justin A. Nylander |date = 2010 |title = Casas to Castles: Florida's Historic Mediterranean Revival Architecture |url = http://www.casastocastles.com/ |location = Atglen, Pa. |publisher = Schiffer Publishing |isbn = 978-0764334351 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140222165630/http://www.casastocastles.com/ |archive-date = February 22, 2014 |df = mdy-all }}

{{Donald Trump}}
{{Trump businesses}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida}}
{{Florida}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mar-a-Lago| ]]
[[Category:1927 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Assets owned by the Trump Organization]]
[[Category:Donald Trump]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida]]
[[Category:Houses completed in 1927]]
[[Category:Houses in Palm Beach County, Florida]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida]]
[[Category:Italianate architecture in Florida]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Florida]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Palm Beach County, Florida]]
[[Category:Villas in the United States]]
[[Category:Presidential homes in the United States]]
[[Category:Trump family residences]]
[[Category:Palm Beach, Florida]]
[[Category:Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Florida]]