Mar-a-Lago ( , ) is a resort and
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
on a
barrier island
Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...
in
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...
, United States. It spans 126 rooms and
built on of land.
Since 1985, it has been owned by
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, the 45th and 47th
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
.
Mar-a-Lago was built for the businesswoman and socialite
Marjorie Merriweather Post between 1924 and 1927, during the
Florida land boom. At the time of her death in 1973, Post bequeathed the property to the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
, 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, the property was returned to the Post Foundation by
act of Congress
An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...
96-586 on December 23, 1980.
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.
During
his first presidency, Trump frequently visited Mar-a-Lago and held meetings there with international leaders, including
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
and
Chinese president Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
.
Etymology
The name ''Mar-a-Lago'' means "sea to lake" in Spanish,
reflecting the fact that the estate extends from one end of Palm Beach Island to the other, touching the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
on the east and the
Lake Worth Lagoon on the west.
History
Design
During the 1920s
Florida land boom,
Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the
Post Cereals business and later the wealthiest woman in the United States, paid for the house to be built with her husband
Edward F. Hutton. She hired
Marion Sims Wyeth as designer and
Joseph Urban for interior design and exterior decorations.
Post spent US $7 million (equivalent to $ million in ). It was finished in 1927.
At the time it was the most expensive non-royal residence built in history.
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 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.
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.
In 1961 a pavilion with a 30-foot-by-50-foot dance floor was built where square dance evenings were held.
Federal government and foundation
By the 1950s and 1960s, social tastes had changed, and many mansions constructed in the 1920s were demolished.
However, in 1969 Mar-a-Lago was designated a national historic site. 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".
Post, who died in 1973, willed the estate to the United States government as a
Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries.
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
preferred the
Florida White House in
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne () is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and sout ...
, however, and
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
was not interested. The federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance and the difficulty of providing security 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,
but there was so little interest that its demolition was approved.
Mar-a-Lago was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
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".
[ and ]
Trump ownership
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
KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's se ...
, for $2 million,
stating he intended to build a
home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
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. Different sources have put the combined total cost of the purchase at around $10 million.
The minimum acceptable bid had been $20 million, and the interior furnishings were appraised at $8 million.
The Mar-a-Lago, which was renovated by Trump, remained largely true to its original style. Extensive renovations were done, including the addition of a ballroom. The club has five
clay tennis courts and a waterfront pool. Trump's wife at the time,
Ivana Trump, managed the property.
In 1992, Trump was filmed with
Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...
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
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
black comedy film ''
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm''. 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. 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.
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, fighting what he considered to be excessive restrictions.
The new club hosted concerts by celebrities such as
Céline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
and
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
, and had beauty pageant contestants as guests.
The club also had numerous celebrity guests; notably,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
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. It still frequently hosted the
International Red Cross Ball, an annual "white tie, tails, and tiara" event founded by Post.
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
Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...
. Giuffre would later go on to make accusations against Maxwell and Epstein for sex trafficking her to clients including
Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger broth ...
and
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz ( ; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law, U.S. constitutional and American criminal law, criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law Sc ...
.
In 2005, Trump married
Melania Knauss at Mar-a-Lago. The ceremony was attended by
Bill and
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
, as well as many other celebrities and figures in media and broadcasting.
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. The club had revenues of $25.1 million for calendar year 2017, $22 million in 2018, and $21.4 million in 2019.
In 2022, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' estimated the value of the estate at around $350 million.
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. According to ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'', "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
Letitia Ann "Tish" James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2019 as the 67th Attorney General of New York, attorney general of New York (NYAG), having won the 2018 New York Attorney General election, 2018 ...
alleged that Trump inflated the value of Mar-a-Lago to $739 million, when the property should actually be valued at $75 million.
First Trump presidency
President Trump referred to Mar-a-Lago as his "Winter White House",
and on occasion his "Southern White House".
During Trump's presidency, a
Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) was operational at Mar-a-Lago. It was removed after he left office. The SCIF was used for communications with the White House
Situation Room and Pentagon.
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.
Notable presidential visits
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,
and on Sunday he watched
Super Bowl LI at the nearby
Trump International Golf Club in
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
.
On the weekend of February 10–12, 2017, President Trump and his wife Melania hosted
Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe
Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...
and his wife. This was the first use of Mar-a-Lago to entertain an international leader, traditionally performed at the White House. 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.
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.
He also conducted interviews for a replacement
National Security Advisor and named General
H. R. McMaster as Michael Flynn's, who had recently been terminated,
successor on February 20, 2017.
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. 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. After a lawsuit was filed, a judge ordered, in July 2017, that these logs be released in September.
President Trump's fifth presidential visit took place on March 17–18. Guests included Melania's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs.
During his next visit April 6–9, President Trump hosted the Chinese president
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
for the first two days.
At Mar-a-Lago, the decision
to strike a Syrian airfield was made.
[ The following Easter weekend was also spent with family members at Mar-a-Lago.
On April 4, 2017, prior to Xi's visit, ShareAmerica, a website run by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs, published a blog post describing Mar-a-Lago's history.] 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
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
's Facebook page shared the original post. On April 24, 2017, Democratic senator Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee Wyden ( ; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996 United States Senate special el ...
, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
, and ethics observers like former ambassador Norman Eisen, questioned the use of official government resources promoting a private property owned by Trump. By April 25, 2017, ShareAmerica and both U.S. embassies in the United Kingdom 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."
In November 2017, President Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago for a Thanksgiving celebration, and one month later he returned for his tenth presidential visit during his Christmas vacation.
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.
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 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 Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro
Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
for a working dinner, where the two leaders discussed the U.S.-led effort to oust Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro
Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...
, a future trade deal, and peace for the Middle East. Also at the dinner was Bolsonaro's press secretary, , whose wife informed others on social media on March 11, 2020, that he had tested positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
after he had returned from the United States via Miami to Brazil. Others attending the dinner included Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Mike Pence
Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner.
Security zone
When President Trump was in residence as president, the Palm Beach region became a zone of temporary flight restrictions affecting flights and air operations severely within a 30 nautical mile (55.56 km) radius. 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. 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.
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. 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
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.
Mar-a-Lago was the location of watch parties for Trump and close allies for the 2022 United States elections
Elections in the United States, Elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2022, with the exception of absentee balloting. During this U.S. midterm election, which occurred during the term of president Joe Biden, all 435 seats in ...
on November 8, 2022 and for Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominatin ...
on March 5, 2024. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump hosted Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
at Mar-a-Lago.
Storage of classified records
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
The Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978, , is an Act of the United States Congress governing the official records of Presidents and Vice Presidents created or received after January 20, 1981, and mandating the preservation of all president ...
. Seeking to preserve presidential communications and correspondence with world leaders, the National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
arranged to retrieve 15 boxes of material from Mar-a-Lago in January 2022. These included documents clearly marked as classified, prompting the Department of Justice to restrict any details regarding the contents of the 15 boxes.
On May 11, 2022, the Justice Department sent Trump a grand jury subpoena, requesting any additional documents marked classified. 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.
Second Trump presidency
Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on the night of the 2024 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...
. While Trump's official watch party was hosted at Palm Beach County Convention Center, where Trump delivered his victory speech, 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
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dana White and Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy (born August 9, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He founded Roivant Sciences, a Biotechnology, biotech Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical company in 2014 and was its Chief executive officer, CEO ...
were all at the Mar-a-Lago events, as well as foreign political figures such as Nigel Farage
Nigel Paul Farage ( ; born 3 April 1964) is a British politician and broadcaster who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton (UK Parliament constituency), Clacton and Leader of Reform UK since 20 ...
and Eduardo Bolsonaro.
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.
Architectural style, layout, and materials
Architecturally, the resort is in Spanish Revival
The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish archi ...
style. The house is a Mediterranean-style villa, an adaptation of 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.
Among the imported materials used were three boatloads of Doria limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
from Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
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. Horace Havermeyer. This collection is possibly one of the largest in the world.
The house has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a pietra dura marble-top dining table, 12 fireplaces, and three bomb shelters.
On April 18, 2012, members of the American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
' Florida chapter ranked Mar-a-Lago fifth on the ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places'' list.
The Mar-a-Lago Club
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.
Membership at the Mar-a-Lago Club required a $200,000 initiation fee. In 2012, reportedly in response to reduced demand following the Bernie Madoff scandal which affected many affluent Palm Beach residents, the fee was lowered to $100,000. The fee returned to $200,000 in January 2017 after Trump was elected president, with $14,000 annual dues. Overnight guests paid up to $2,000 a night.
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
Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...
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.
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. Members as of 2017 include oil executive Bill Koch, financier Thomas Peterffy, New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
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
Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942) known by his professional name Michael Savage, is an American author, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Nation'', a nationally ...
's wife, and NFL coach Bill Belichick.[
In February 2017 it was reported that Trump was considering at least three club members for ambassadorships.]
In protest against Trump's remarks on the August 2017 Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, six nonprofit organizations canceled scheduled gala events at the club. The charities canceling included the American Red Cross
The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
and the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''.
History
The society w ...
.
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. 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."[ Since 2013, it has faced 51 health code violations.]
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. Chinese nationals were also arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago in December 2019. Chinese national Zijie Li attempted to enter the property at least three times in 2024.
In August 2022, the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' reported that a Ukrainian-born Russian speaker who used a fake name and claimed to be a Rothschild family
The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...
heiress had frequented the residence over a year's time, even posing there for photos with Trump and Senator Lindsey Graham.
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 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]."
American flag litigation
On October 3, 2006, Trump raised a American flag on an flagpole at Mar-a-Lago. Town zoning officials asked Trump to adhere to town zoning codes that limit flagpoles to a height of . 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. As part of a court-ordered mediation, Trump was allowed to file for a permit and keep a pole that was both 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.
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. 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." 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 and because town officials had financial stakes in competing clubs.
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.
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. As part of the settlement, Trump leased from the county, on which he built the 18-hole Trump International Golf Club. In July 2010, Trump filed another lawsuit aiming to stop the airport from constructing a second Airliner, commercial runway. That suit was dismissed.
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". Trump claims that officials pressured the FAA to direct air traffic to PBI over Mar-a-Lago in a "deliberate and malicious" act.
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. Trump dropped the lawsuit after winning the presidency, as the estate would likely have a no-fly zone imposed by the FAA. 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.
Use as a Trump residence
In September 2019, Mar-a-Lago became the primary residence for Donald and Melania Trump, who previously held primary residence in New York City. The legality of this was disputed because, in 1993, Trump signed a "use agreement" with the town of Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth 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.
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. 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".
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.". 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. Various real estate brokers suggested that the property was worth anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion.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
See also
* 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
References
Further reading
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External links
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* Includes interactive 3-D walk-through model of Mar-a-Lago:
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{{Authority control
Mar-a-Lago,
1927 establishments in Florida
Assets owned by the Trump Organization
Donald Trump
Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida
Houses completed in 1927
Houses in Palm Beach County, Florida
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
Italianate architecture in Florida
National Historic Landmarks in Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Palm Beach County, Florida
Villas in the United States
Presidential homes in the United States
Trump family residences
Palm Beach, Florida
Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Florida