Several weeks in progress, the renovations, undertaken to make the approximately 3,000 square foot space appear larger and updated in preparation for Trump’s life after the White House, did not attract Trump’s aesthetics, according to his reaction. Trump also did not like other property reforms, the source said, not just in the residential space.
“He was not happy about it,” said the source, who noted several one-sided conversations with the club’s management almost immediately.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request from CNN for comment.
It was Melania Trump, and her interior decorator, Tham Kannalikham, who selected many of the details of the renovation, but not the Mar-a-Lago team, a fact that Trump was well aware of.
This is not the first time that the president’s personal taste has come into conflict with that of his wife. Trump was also unenthusiastic about some of the decorative updates from Camp David, another first lady project, when he saw them during the Thanksgiving holiday, according to another source familiar with the president’s reaction after the visit.
The source in Mar-a-Lago noted that Trump was so displeased this week with the appearance of some of the renovations that he asked for the pieces of the decor, which consisted of white marble and an abundance of dark wood, to be removed. They promptly went.
If the kickoff to his last season in Florida as president was difficult, the days that followed would be pretty much the same, with Trump looking “temperamental”, according to the club source, spending more time than usual behind closed doors. and not mingling and talking as much as he normally does with club members and senior White House officials, many of whom have joined him in recent years.
“Vibration is off,” said another Mar-a-Lago source about this Christmas compared to previous ones.
Trump’s doubts about when or even if he would sign a large Covid-19 aid package and the federal funding bill created a guessing game about whether his day would be good or bad, or indifferent. Trump was initially set to sign the bill on Christmas Eve, according to a source familiar with the president’s schedule, but chose not to do so at the last minute. On Sunday, on his way to dinner at his neighbor Trump International Golf Club, Trump finally signed.
Club changes
Although he largely ignored the devastation of Covid-19 in the country publicly, commenting little in recent weeks and apparently taking a back seat while hundreds of thousands of Americans were infected each day, Trump was unable to avoid the impact of coronavirus in his beloved sanctuary of Mar-a-Lago.
The week between Christmas and New Year is often the highlight of the winter season and, in Mar-a-Lago, some former members avoid the club.
“It’s a very big risk, it’s not worth it,” said a member who chose not to travel to Florida this year.
However, there are still some crowded areas and an abundance of people, adds another member who has been in contact with people currently in Mar-a-Lago.
“People are going to have dinner as usual,” said the source, adding that there appears to be “little regard for the pandemic.”
In the beach club area next to the pool, it is so crowded during the day that guests are arguing about available chairs, the source said.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health released new figures for the test’s positive rates. Palm Beach County was at 10.38%, the highest value since November 30 and an increase since December 15 of 8.42%. The state considers anything above 5% dangerous.
A frequent visitor to the Palm Beach winter said he heard about the lack of parties, events and fundraising in the wealthy enclave, and the dinner time ritual of jumping from table to table to exchange kisses in the air and hello practically disappeared. The masking mandate for businesses, establishments, public spaces and restaurants in Palm Beach was extended in Palm Beach County until January 20 and includes Mar-a-Lago, although compliance was a hit or miss, at best. hypotheses.
The Mar-a-Lago “scene”, so to speak, consists largely of Trump holding the court when he is in residence. Club members and their guests like to marvel when they meet the President of the United States at the buffet or at a ballroom party. At a wedding on Monday night in Mar-a-Lago, Trump made a surprise appearance, coming in to wave and congratulate the bride and groom, according to someone present at the event.
New Year’s Eve Party
The legendary New Year’s Eve party in Mar-a-Lago evening dress, which Trump and his family attend each year and guests pay thousands of tickets for, is still scheduled to take place on Thursday night, said one member of Mar-a-Lago who heard that at least 500 reservations have already been confirmed. What is not clear is whether participants will adhere to the coronavirus mitigation guidelines. At a gala party earlier this month for Turning Point USA, the group of conservative students, revelers scoffed at the mask and the requirements of social distance, photos from the event showed hundreds of people in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom .
The president was also relegated to a smaller group of familiar faces to entertain and occupy his time during this trip to Florida. There are no foreign leaders to host, as was always the case during his presidency, and most of the senior West Wing staff who usually participate in the trip are not there.
On Sunday, Trump did not dine out with the First Lady and instead had dinner at a table with his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and Trump Jr.’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to a witness, who said Trump received a visit from Roger Stone at his desk, one of his longtime cronies that the president had forgiven less than a week earlier. Stone entered the club wearing a “Trump 2020” face mask.
Trump’s most frequent activity – and rest – has been his morning golf matches, a vacation recreation that so many millions of Americans have abandoned this year when they listened to warnings about the spread of the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, on his way to the golf course, the president had time to tweet about the confusing state of proceedings in Washington, DC, where politicians are struggling to get last-minute financial support for Americans facing economic desperation.
“Republican leadership only wants the path of least resistance,” tweeted Trump. “Our leaders (not me, of course!) Are pathetic.”