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Meanwhile, the President and First Lady Melania Trump are renovating their private quarters in Mar-a-Lago to prepare for a definitive return. And, concerned about their political future, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have reportedly bought a multi-million dollar property in an exclusive Miami neighborhood. Trump’s kids plan to spend more time in Palm Beach unless Eric’s wife Lara Trump runs for the North Carolina Senate, according to a person close to the family.
Taken together, these steps will inevitably put the Palm Beach area and Florida at zero point for the MAGA movement, giving Trump convenient access to potential donors and some of his most dedicated allies as he prepares for a possible attempt. back in 2024. Unlike previous presidents, like Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who quietly entered their post-presidency and spent time working on their books or picking up oil paint, Trump should embark on its next chapter keeping control over its political base. with the help of his family, antagonize the Biden administration on Twitter and organize MAGA events. Supporters will continue to flock to Palm Beach, though it squeals many longtime residents, who see their locality as a quiet enclave above politics and are fighting the president for a permanent move to Mar-a- The girlfriend.
“You see a lot of conservative influencers talking about Florida and it creates an environment where… people are looking for havens where their ideology manifests itself in the world around them,” said Blair Brandt, Palm Beach-based political consultant. and a Republican fundraiser who served as Florida’s co-finance chair for Trump’s re-election campaign.
The president’s planned move to Palm Beach is part of a larger movement of prominent Republicans backing Trump to head south to Florida. According to Bloomberg, real estate inventory in Palm Beach is down 75% due to high demand, and the island’s exclusive clubs, like Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, have long waiting lists.
Some Trump allies and prominent conservatives have recently moved to South Florida – including Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who has left Los Angeles, and Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who is a legal resident of Florida. . Radio host Rush Limbaugh has a home in Palm Beach and Trump-friendly Newsmax, run by Chris Ruddy, a longtime friend of Trump, is based in West Palm Beach.
Trump has long reveled in the attention he has received at his Mar-a-Lago club, which has become a stopping point for fans and a place where the president’s allies can see and be seen. Last week, Turning Point USA hosted its black-tie gala in the resort – a who’s-who of Trumpworld, with White House officials like press secretary Kayleigh McEnany taking selfies with young fans without masks.
On his last visit, however, the president did not mingle with guests like he has in the past and mostly stayed for himself, according to a club member. Some members shelled out $ 1,200 for New Years Eve gala tickets at the club, hoping to catch a glimpse of the president and first lady and be entertained by ’90s rapper Vanilla Ice, but were disappointed when the president suddenly decided to return early to Washington for reasons. unknown.
But with his tenure clock on, the expanded Mar-a-Lago neighborhood is largely set to become the new home for the Trump-in-exile movement.
Trump “adds a star quality to it on a much more permanent basis,” said former White House press secretary and Newsmax presenter Sean Spicer. “The idea that Florida Republicans have good access to the president is a big deal. Having the president’s star power is a big deal, and Palm Beach is already a massive fundraising destination for Republican candidates.
Brandt noted that his work as a fundraiser, connecting wealthy Palm Beach conservatives to the Republican Party, will receive a welcome jolt with Trump constantly in close proximity.
“He’s going to translate the power of the presidency into a political machine, which nobody has done like Trump before,” Brandt said. “But to have someone like Trump who is an operator and needs things to do, he could be really influencing Republican fundraising.”
But while GOP agents in Florida are happy to orbit near the new center of the Republican universe, many longtime residents are rolling their eyes. As they breathe a sigh of relief that the traffic jams due to road closures end, they worry about what Trump’s permanent presence might mean – including a potential presidential library and museum that could become a tourist destination. for the MAGA world. . A Trump adviser even envisioned some sort of Trump-themed amusement park.
“I fully understand why he and his whole family want to be in Florida,” said Matthew Swift, a Palm Beach resident and founder of the non-partisan Concordia summit. “The president is incredibly popular here,” he noted, but added: “people are certainly curious as to how this will work with the development of a presidential library and any other hub the president is considering. develop.”
Either way, Trump will still have a Secret Service detail, but not the kind of security footprint – complete with barriers and no-fly zones – that comes with being a sitting president.
Even before Trump officially moved to Palm Beach, some would-be neighbors have already raised concerns about him living full-time in what he calls his “Winter White House,” saying he has agreed. not to use the club as a full-time residence. In the past, the president has run into the city over planes flying over the club, and he expects him to confront the community over the use of his helipad on the property.
Several people close to Trump have said that while renovations are underway at the club, the small size of his Mar-a-Lago space could push him to find another property in Palm Beach, and they expect that. he buys a separate house on the island. .
Yet some Palm Beach residents, even those who are Trump supporters, say that in the end nothing will really change.
“Palm Beach has always been a place above politics, if you will. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans or Rush Limbaugh or whatever, ”said Guido Lombardi, member of Mar-a-Lago and resident of Palm Beach. “Some people here are speaking to people they think they need to shake hands with.”
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