Donald Trump Used Mar-a-Lago To Create a Facade of Royalty During His Presidency

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When Donald Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985 with then-wife Ivana Trump, it was a grand piece of property that he could do anything with. As a private residence, it offered his family the bragging rights of living in the historic Marjorie Merriweather Post-built estate. Once he became president, it provided a backdrop to an inflated illusion of wealth. 

As Donald Trump faces a New York judge for committing business fraud through overvaluations of his real estate portfolio, it’s easy to see how the Palm Beach, Florida property helped his voter base buy into his version of the American Dream. With media outlets and generous donors gaining access to him via booking events at Mar-a-Lago or buying membership into the club, the former president knew exactly what he was doing. 

Donald Trump set the stage for his legal fights after his first indictment in the New York civil case by flying immediately back down to Florida to look like “the hero of the world.” Mary C. Shanklin, author of American Castle: One Hundred Years of Mar-a-Lago, tells SheKnows that he was pretty calculated in his return to Mar-a-Lago. “Driving slow-roll for the little distance from the Palm Beach Airport up to Mar-a-Lago,” she recalls. “He then goes to the podium, wearing this idea of being persecuted” after “he’s filled the audience with all of his fans, all his donors, and all his people.”

The former president took the opportunity to not just claim that he’s “an innocent man,” but to also add the text information “to donate” to his campaign and help defray his legal fees. “He’s taken this mantle of Marjorie Merriweather Post, a legacy property, and then transformed it into, not just the glad-handing, not just the access, but this major fundraising venue,” Shanklin notes. “When he’s not leasing it out for weddings, clubs, and nonprofits and things, he’s using it for himself because it plays really well on the cameras.” And for Donald Trump, that’s a big win. “He does look regal. He does look presidential,” she concludes. “You know, wouldn’t we all against a backdrop like that?” It makes Donald Trump feel like American royalty.

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