PoliTalker
Diversity Makes Greatness
Got it for ten cents on the dollar:
"Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post Cereals business, paid for the house to be built with her husband Edward F. Hutton. She hired Marion Sims Wyeth to design it, and Joseph Urban to create interior design and exterior decorations.[11][12] Post spent $7 million ($90 million today) and it was finished in 1927.[13] The house has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a 29-foot-long (8.8 m) pietra dura marble top dining table, 12 fireplaces, and three bomb shelters. Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980.[3][14][15] On April 18, 2012, the American Institute of Architects' Florida Chapter ranked Mar-a-Lago fifth on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.[16]
At the time of her death in 1973, Post bequeathed the property to the National Park Service, hoping it could be used for state visits or as a Winter White House, but because the costs of maintaining the property exceeded the funds provided by Post, and it was difficult to secure the facility (as it is located in the flight path of Palm Beach Airport), [high taxpayer cost] the property was returned to the Post Foundation by an Act of Congress in 1981.[5]
Post, who died in 1973, willed the 17-acre (6.9 ha) estate to the United States government as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries.[17] Richard Nixon preferred the Florida White House in Key Biscayne, however, and Jimmy Carter was not interested. [HE was a thrifty man!] The federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance, and the difficulty maintaining security for diplomats,[18] and returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981. It was then listed for sale for $20 million. Dina Merrill and Post's two other daughters did not maintain the property in the meanwhile, expecting to sell it.[19] But there was so little interest, the city approved its demolition to build smaller homes.[20]"
Dirty Trick:
"Donald Trump learned about the estate after unsuccessfully trying to purchase and combine two apartments in Palm Beach for his family. According to Trump, he offered the Post family $15 million for it, but they rejected it. Trump purchased the land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean from Jack C. Massey, the former owner of KFC, for $2 million,[21] stating he intended to build a home that would block Mar-a-Lago's beach view. The threat caused interest in the property to decline, and Trump ended up getting the property for $7 million in 1985.[22][19] Trump then renovated the estate, adding a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) ballroom.[20] The club also has five clay tennis courts and a waterfront pool.
In the early 1990s, Trump faced financial difficulties. While negotiating with his bankers, he promised to divide Mar-a-Lago into smaller properties, alarming Palm Beach residents; so the city council rejected his plan to do so. Trump instead turned the estate into a private club that—unlike other Palm Beach old money resorts like the Bath and Tennis Club and Everglades Club—accepted Jewish people and African-Americans as members.[23]
The new club hosted concerts by Céline Dion and Billy Joel, had beauty-pageant contestants as guests, and Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley spent their honeymoon at Mar-a-Lago.[20][19][24] Mar-a-Lago has frequently hosted the International Red Cross Ball, an annual "white tie, tails, and tiara" ball. Founded by Post, it has a history of attracting wealthy socialites and ambassadors from across the world in support of the mission of the American Red Cross.
In May 2019, it was reported revenue had dropped at Mar-a-Lago, while Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel, which opened months before the 2016 election, had a slight uptick in revenue from 2017.[25]"
Taxpayers footed hefty new bills for the President's extravagance:
"Trump's first visit to Mar-a-Lago as president of the United States [during his very first month] took place on the weekend of February 3–6, 2017. On Saturday, he hosted the Diamond Red Cross Ball at Mar-a-Lago Club,[31] while on Sunday, he watched Super Bowl LI at Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach). The estimated cost (over US$3 million) of the weekend garnered some scrutiny as Trump, before being elected, had regularly criticized President Barack Obama for taking allegedly expensive taxpayer-funded vacations.[32]"
How Trump Used Dirty Tricks To 'Steal' Mar-A-Lago (wiki)
"Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach resort owned by the Trump Organization, doubled its initiation fee to $200,000 following the election of Donald Trump as president. ...
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. But the timing is likely to add to criticism that the Trump Organization is trying to benefit from the president’s election.
Indeed, shortly after the fee hike was revealed, Barack Obama’s former top ethics lawyer told MSNBC that the increase is a “not very subtle exploitation of the fact that the club’s figurehead is now president of the U.S.”
“This type of naked profiteering off of a government office is what I would expect from King Louis XVI or his modern kleptocratic equivalents, not an American president,” Norm Eisen said."
Mar-A-Lago doubles fees once Trump was elected
Naked greed surrounds the place:
"There’s no way of knowing whether demand for memberships has grown. 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."
Impacts Include Ruining Local Business:
"When the president is in residence the Palm Beach region becomes a zone of temporary flight restrictions[57] affecting flights and air operations severely within a 30 nautical mile (55.56 km) radius.[58] Coast Guard and Secret Service secure the two waterway approaches, ocean and lake, and Secret Service cordons off streets to Mar-a-Lago during the president's visits. Coast Guard also attaches an elite Maritime Safety and Security Team to specialize with maritime security.[59] 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.[60]"
"Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post Cereals business, paid for the house to be built with her husband Edward F. Hutton. She hired Marion Sims Wyeth to design it, and Joseph Urban to create interior design and exterior decorations.[11][12] Post spent $7 million ($90 million today) and it was finished in 1927.[13] The house has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a 29-foot-long (8.8 m) pietra dura marble top dining table, 12 fireplaces, and three bomb shelters. Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980.[3][14][15] On April 18, 2012, the American Institute of Architects' Florida Chapter ranked Mar-a-Lago fifth on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.[16]
At the time of her death in 1973, Post bequeathed the property to the National Park Service, hoping it could be used for state visits or as a Winter White House, but because the costs of maintaining the property exceeded the funds provided by Post, and it was difficult to secure the facility (as it is located in the flight path of Palm Beach Airport), [high taxpayer cost] the property was returned to the Post Foundation by an Act of Congress in 1981.[5]
Post, who died in 1973, willed the 17-acre (6.9 ha) estate to the United States government as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries.[17] Richard Nixon preferred the Florida White House in Key Biscayne, however, and Jimmy Carter was not interested. [HE was a thrifty man!] The federal government soon realized the immense cost of maintenance, and the difficulty maintaining security for diplomats,[18] and returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981. It was then listed for sale for $20 million. Dina Merrill and Post's two other daughters did not maintain the property in the meanwhile, expecting to sell it.[19] But there was so little interest, the city approved its demolition to build smaller homes.[20]"
Dirty Trick:
"Donald Trump learned about the estate after unsuccessfully trying to purchase and combine two apartments in Palm Beach for his family. According to Trump, he offered the Post family $15 million for it, but they rejected it. Trump purchased the land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean from Jack C. Massey, the former owner of KFC, for $2 million,[21] stating he intended to build a home that would block Mar-a-Lago's beach view. The threat caused interest in the property to decline, and Trump ended up getting the property for $7 million in 1985.[22][19] Trump then renovated the estate, adding a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) ballroom.[20] The club also has five clay tennis courts and a waterfront pool.
In the early 1990s, Trump faced financial difficulties. While negotiating with his bankers, he promised to divide Mar-a-Lago into smaller properties, alarming Palm Beach residents; so the city council rejected his plan to do so. Trump instead turned the estate into a private club that—unlike other Palm Beach old money resorts like the Bath and Tennis Club and Everglades Club—accepted Jewish people and African-Americans as members.[23]
The new club hosted concerts by Céline Dion and Billy Joel, had beauty-pageant contestants as guests, and Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley spent their honeymoon at Mar-a-Lago.[20][19][24] Mar-a-Lago has frequently hosted the International Red Cross Ball, an annual "white tie, tails, and tiara" ball. Founded by Post, it has a history of attracting wealthy socialites and ambassadors from across the world in support of the mission of the American Red Cross.
In May 2019, it was reported revenue had dropped at Mar-a-Lago, while Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel, which opened months before the 2016 election, had a slight uptick in revenue from 2017.[25]"
Taxpayers footed hefty new bills for the President's extravagance:
"Trump's first visit to Mar-a-Lago as president of the United States [during his very first month] took place on the weekend of February 3–6, 2017. On Saturday, he hosted the Diamond Red Cross Ball at Mar-a-Lago Club,[31] while on Sunday, he watched Super Bowl LI at Trump International Golf Club (West Palm Beach). The estimated cost (over US$3 million) of the weekend garnered some scrutiny as Trump, before being elected, had regularly criticized President Barack Obama for taking allegedly expensive taxpayer-funded vacations.[32]"
How Trump Used Dirty Tricks To 'Steal' Mar-A-Lago (wiki)
"Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach resort owned by the Trump Organization, doubled its initiation fee to $200,000 following the election of Donald Trump as president. ...
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. But the timing is likely to add to criticism that the Trump Organization is trying to benefit from the president’s election.
Indeed, shortly after the fee hike was revealed, Barack Obama’s former top ethics lawyer told MSNBC that the increase is a “not very subtle exploitation of the fact that the club’s figurehead is now president of the U.S.”
“This type of naked profiteering off of a government office is what I would expect from King Louis XVI or his modern kleptocratic equivalents, not an American president,” Norm Eisen said."
Mar-A-Lago doubles fees once Trump was elected
Naked greed surrounds the place:
"There’s no way of knowing whether demand for memberships has grown. 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."
Impacts Include Ruining Local Business:
"When the president is in residence the Palm Beach region becomes a zone of temporary flight restrictions[57] affecting flights and air operations severely within a 30 nautical mile (55.56 km) radius.[58] Coast Guard and Secret Service secure the two waterway approaches, ocean and lake, and Secret Service cordons off streets to Mar-a-Lago during the president's visits. Coast Guard also attaches an elite Maritime Safety and Security Team to specialize with maritime security.[59] 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.[60]"
