Former President Donald Trump has more than doubled the initiation fee to his West Palm Beach golf club, as wealthy vaccinated seniors have flocked to Florida and he’s moved to nearby Mar-a-Lago full-time.
The Washington Examiner reported Monday that new members must pay $350,000 – up from the previous initiation fee of $150,000 to start a $25,000-a-year membership, with a food and drink minimum of $1,800.
Like he did while he was in office, Trump spends his days shuttling between Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach coastal resort, and the golf club, which is under five miles away.
An ornate gate greets visitors to the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, which is charging a $350,000 initiation fee for new members
Ex-President Donald Trump was seen at the West Palm Beach course Tuesday afternoon. Since leaving office, Trump spends his time at the West Palm Beach property and at Mar-a-Lago
Former President Donald Trump was spotted at his West Palm Beach golf club on Tuesday, sporting a white polo and hat and black slacks
Members of the Secret Service stand outside President Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf clubhouse in December 2017
The clubhouse at former President Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club, which is more than doubling initiation fees
The ex-president has been frequently spotted out golfing – and was at the club with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday.
He was on the course again Tuesday.
While both Trump properties saw a dip in visitors in the aftermath of the January 6 MAGA riot, locals told the Examiner that there’s been an uptick due to rich, old people getting vaccinated.
‘These are people able to write a check for $350,000 and think nothing of it,’ Laurence Leamer, a Palm Beach expert who’s written a book on Mar-a-Lago, told the Examiner.
Leamer said he was initially surprised to hear fees were going up.
The Examiner reported that Mar-a-Lago’s dues are expected to increase as well.
The West Palm Beach golf club is under five miles away from former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago (pictured), where he’s lived since leaving office in January
Mar-a-Lago is Trump’s ocean-front resort property in Palm Beach, which is fewer than five miles away from his West Palm Beach golf resort
‘My first thought was that that’s impossible,’ Leamer said. ‘But at [Mar-a-Lago], my friends there say new members are coming in.’
‘They have to be real Trump believers,’ the author added. ‘It was half empty. It’s not half empty anymore.’
With Trump floating that he could run for president again in 2024, some view these memberships as an investment in their future.
‘Quite a number of his ambassadors and his Cabinet came from membership of Mar-a-Lago or people he got to know on the golf courses,’ Republican operative Larry Casey told the Examiner. ‘If he runs for president again, they may see that as a possibility of a big appointment.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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