Trump arrives in his comfort zone at the & # 39; Winter White House & # 39; | Washington, D.C. News

By JILL COLVIN, Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump is back in his comfort zone at the "White House": Mar-a-Lago, where women, men in fur and men in diamond jewelry and monogrammed slippers mingle with Sylvester Stallone and Fabio at New Year's Eve and Don King rubs shoulders with Cabinet members, potential ambassadors and the "MyPillow" guy at his dinner.

While leaving Washington for Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump said he would do "a lot of work" in Florida, but the club also serves him as a safe haven for Washington.

All presidents had their favorite retreats: George H.W. Bush's family had a complex in Kennebunkport, Maine. George W. Bush loved his ranch in Crawford, Texas; and Barack Obama enjoyed winter getaways in his home state, Hawaii. But none of them fascinated – or raised the ethical issues – in Mar-a-Lago, where Trump spends his time mixing work, leisure and recreation in the company of contributing members.

This is one of the many ways in which Trump transformed the presidency and managed to maintain the life he led before taking office.

"His visits to Mar-a-Lago are part of the original sins of his presidency, and the fact that he returns there shows that he has not learned his lesson," said the president. former White House ethics attorney Norman Eisen. He described the club as "a place where, for extremely high admission fees, business executives who have strong interests before the government can literally engage in the purchase access to the president.These fees also seem to be down payments for the ambassadors. "

Trump recently chose Lana Marks, a handbag designer in Palm Beach and a member of Mar-a-Lago, to become an American ambassador to South Africa. She is the fourth member to be appointed to such a position, according to the Citizens Watch Group for Accountability and Ethics in Washington, where Eisen is chairman of the board of directors.

Trump usually has a light staff when visiting the south. But those who make the trip are on the alert, attentive to club members and guests who end up buttoning the chair in the dining rooms and other spaces of the club where they have almost unhindered access. Members, including business moguls and social figures, often raise familiar projects, make policy suggestions, and share strange ideas – trying to sell the president about the benefits of nuclear-powered cars at home. developing their own formulas for peace in the Middle East.

Trump sometimes asks his staff to follow up on their suggestions.

Former administration officials described the efforts made by the assistants to try to interfere: sweep the guest lists daily, book the table next to Trump's to watch him. as closely as possible and keep an eye on those who approach it to make sure of course, no alarms will be triggered.

The Trump presidency forced the club to adopt new security measures, among other changes. He invited the Japanese Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the club for diplomatic summits, prepared a response to the launch of a North Korean missile from the club terrace to dine al fresco and made a statement at home from one of his ballrooms.

Members are now calling for dinner reservations on nights when they know that Trump will be in town. Membership fees are rising. And some groups that organized events at the club now want to avoid controversy over the attendance of the president's playground. But many things also remained unchanged, with Trump returning to his former role as pre-presidential host and "mayor of Mar-a-Lago", chatting with members and their guests as he had done years ago. Election of 2016.

Trump should have a limited public schedule during his Thanksgiving break. Last year, its only public events were held on Thanksgiving Day. He held a videoconference with members of the service of one of the richly decorated club rooms and went to a nearby Coast Guard station to distribute lunches.

It was before a Thanksgiving dinner that looked more like a homecoming, since Trump joined more than 500 club members and guests in a golden ballroom for a meal consisting of traditional turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. potatoes, as well as local favorites like Florida Stone. Crab.

"It was very exciting because when the president and the first lady came in, without anybody saying anything, the room got up and everyone started applauding," said Mar Toni Holt Kramer -a-Lago and founder of Trumpettes USA booster group recounted last year. "The unit was overwhelming."

During Thanksgiving's stay last year, Trump visited his two neighboring golf properties, playing with champions such as Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Jack Nicklaus and his son, Nicklaus golfer player, Gary.

This year, forecasts predict intermittent rains.

Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj

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