The Sun
SINCE Donald Trump departed the White House in January, his sprawling 20-acre, 128-room Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida has become his primary base of operations.
While Trump is said to be shopping for more property in the Sunshine State, over the last six months he has hosted a bevy of GOP banquets and balls at the Palm Beach resort as he mulls a run for president in 2024.
Mar-a-Lago, which translates from Spanish to mean “sea to lake”, was originally built between 1924 and 1927 for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Its lavish design draws influence from Florence and Venice and boasts gold-plated ceilings and walls and a panoramic view of the ocean.
With her life nearing an end, and fearful the home would be demolished after her death, Post donated the home to the US government in 1972 hoping the property would be used as the “Winter Whitehouse.”
The federal government was initially lukewarm about the proposal but accepted the gift after Post agreed to cover the maintenance costs. She died the following year.
After her death, the government found out the extent of the extortionate upkeep costs – $1 million annually. They then returned the gift to the Post Foundation in 1980.
The family later listed the estate on the market for $20 million but suitors proved hard to come by and permission was sought to raze it to the ground.
ART OF THE DEAL
Then, in 1985, Trump was said to be riding in the back of a taxi in Palm Beach, searching for suitable properties when his driver informed him about the Mar-a-Lago resort.
Within days, Trump tracked down the place, its origin, and its owners, later recalling: “I knew it had to be mine.”
He first launched a bid of $15 million that was quickly rebuffed by the Post family.
No stranger to the art of the deal, Trump instead purchased the beach at the front of the property for $2 million and threatened to build on it unless the Posts agreed to sell him the estate at a heavily discounted price.
Trump’s strong-arming had the desired effect, with the family agreeing to sell the estate and all of its antique contents for just $8 million – a fraction of what it cost to build and what it’s estimated to be worth now.
According to a 2018 Forbes report, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is believed to be worth at least $160 million.
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