As President Donald Trump’s wealth has soared since retaking office, a new financial disclosure shows his two premier Florida resorts have also delivered record-breaking surges in revenue – a potent illustration of how Trump’s personal business and presidential politics overlap.
Trump has visited the properties, Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral, more than two dozen times since the beginning of last year, hosting million-dollar-per-plate fundraising dinners, feting foreign dignitaries and welcoming GOP galas as industry leaders and political groups have scrambled to book their own events there as well.
Trump has also supercharged the money coming from Mar-a-Lago by raising the membership initiation fee to $1 million shortly before his reelection. The lavish resort is conducive to impromptu conversations with the president, who often dines on the patio at night, according to people familiar with the club.
Some ethics experts described the confluence of politics and profit as a blatant opportunity for special interests to get a direct line to Trump.
“People are going to Mar-a-Lago because they want proximity to the president,” said Robert Weissman, the co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer rights advocacy group. “A whisper in the president’s ear is worth an awful lot – more than what they’re paying to get in the door.”
