According to his reaction, several weeks of work, the reforms, made to make the space of approximately 3,000 square meters feel larger and updated in preparation for life after the Trump White House, did not like the Trump’s aesthetic. Trump was also upset with other property reforms, the source said, not just in living space.
“I was not satisfied with that,” said the source, who noted almost immediately several strong and one-sided conversations with the club’s management.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.
It was Melania Trump and her interior decorator, Tham Kannalikham, who selected many of the details of the renovations, but not the Sea-a-Lago staff, a fact Trump knew well.
It’s not the first time the president’s personal taste has clashed with his wife’s. Trump was also not happy with some of the decorative updates to Camp David, another First Lady project, when he saw them during the Thanksgiving holidays, according to another source familiar with the president’s reaction after the visit. .
The Mar-a-Lago source noted that Trump was so upset this week with the way some of the renovations he called for the pieces of the decor, which consisted of white marble and a lot of wood, looked like. dark. They quickly were.
If the start of his last stay in Florida as president were hard, the next few days would be almost the same, according to Trump, according to the club source, who would spend more time than usual behind closed doors. not mingling and conversing as much as he normally does with club members and senior White House staff, many of whom have joined in recent years.
“The atmosphere is off,” another Mar-a-Lago source said this Christmas compared to the previous ones.
Trump’s doubt about when or even if he would sign a major Covid-19 relief package and the federal funding law created a guessing game to see if his day would be good or bad or indifferent. Trump initially decided to sign the bill on Christmas Eve, according to a source familiar with the president’s calendar, but chose not to do so at the last minute. On Sunday, when he went out to dinner at his nearby Trump International Golf Club, Trump finally signed.
Changes to the club
While he has publicly ignored the ravages of Covid-19 in the country, commenting little in recent weeks and apparently taking a back seat approach, as hundreds of thousands of Americans become infected every day, Trump has been unable to avoid the impact of the coronavirus on its beloved Mar-a-Lago sanctuary.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is usually the highlight of the winter season, and in Mar-a-Lago, some longtime members avoid the club.
“It’s too big a risk, it’s not worth it,” said one member who chose not to travel to Florida this year.
Still, there are some areas full of people and a lot of people, adds another member who has been in contact with the people of Mar-a-Lago.
“People are going to dinner as usual,” the source said, adding that there appears to be “little consideration for the pandemic.”
In the beach club area by the pool, it is so crowded during the day that guests are arguing about the available chairs, the source said.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health released new figures on test positivity rates. Palm Beach County stood at 10.38%, the highest since Nov. 30 and an increase from Dec. 15 at 8.42%. The state considers anything above 5% dangerous.
A Palm Beach winter killer said he had heard of the lack of parties, events and fundraisers in the rich enclave, and that the table dinner ritual, going from table to table to exchange air kisses and greetings, is gone. The mandate to protect masks for Palm Beach businesses, establishments, public spaces and restaurants was extended to Palm Beach County through Jan. 20 and includes Mar-a-Lago, although at best, has been fulfilled.
The Mar-a-Lago scene, so to speak, is largely about Trump having a court when he is at the residence. Club members and their guests like to marvel at stumbling upon the president of the United States at the buffet or at a party in the ballroom. At a Monday night wedding in Mar-a-Lago, Trump made a surprise appearance, coming in to greet and congratulate the bride and groom, according to someone present at the event.
New Year’s Eve party
According to a member of Mar-a-Lago, the famous Mar-a-Lago black tie New Year’s Eve party, which Trump and his family attend every year and to which guests pay thousands per ticket, who has heard that at least 500 reservations have already been confirmed. What is not clear is whether attendees will follow the coronavirus mitigation guidelines. At a gala earlier this month for Turning Point USA, the conservative student group, partygoers busted their masks and social distancing requirements, photos of the event showed hundreds in the Mar- ballroom. a-Lago.
The president has also been relegated to a smaller group of faces known for entertaining and occupying their time during this trip to Florida. There are no foreign leaders to host, as has often been the case during his presidency, and most of the senior Western wing staff who normally join the trip are not there.
On Sunday, Trump did not dine with the first lady, but dined 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 had a pop-by at his table of Roger Stone, one of his longtime colleagues the president had pardoned less a week before. Stone entered the club with a “Trump 2020” face mask.
Trump’s most frequent activity and rest have been his morning rounds of golf, vacation recreation, which many millions of Americans have forgotten this year as they heed warnings about the spread of the coronavirus.
On Tuesday, on his way to the golf course, the president had time to tweet about the disorderly state of proceedings in Washington, DC, where politicians are vying for 11-hour financial support for Americans. who find themselves in economic despair.
“Republican leadership only wants the path of least resistance,” Trump tweeted. “Our leaders (I don’t, of course!) Are pathetic.”