"Man Of The People" Trump Selling Memberships To His Club For One Million Dollars Each
It now costs a million dollars to become a member at Mar-a-lago. No word on how much extra it will be to have your picture taken with Donald,
or to be seated for dinner at the same table with white supremacists.
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www.theguardian.com /us-news/article/2024/aug/05/trump-mar-a-lago-membership-price-hike
Trump hikes Mar-a-Lago membership to $1m, raising concerns of selling access
Richard Luscombe 5-6 minutes 8/5/2024
Donald Trump has set a million-dollar price tag for the ability to whisper in his ear should he win back the presidency in November, prompting ethics watchdogs to worry that the Republican nominee is selling access and political influence for personal gain.
Trump is making available four new and rarely available memberships at his exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he mingled freely with unvetted patrons during his first term of office and accepted policy advice from guests scrawled on cocktail napkins .
The $1m cost of each membership, which will open for applications in October, exactly one month before the presidential election, also represents a 43% hike from the current initiation fee of $700,000 – an eye-popping increase given the former president has railed against Joe Biden for what he sees as out of control inflation.
The revelation came in a wide-ranging interview with Trump published by Bloomberg last month, in which Bernd Lembcke, Mar-a-Lago’s long-time manager, justified the price rise by claiming the opulent waterfront Palm Beach club was “not desperate” for would-be members.
“In October we’re going up to $1m because we have four memberships to sell,” he said, noting the club was ramping up for 30th anniversary celebrations. Trump quickly interjected to try to return the interview to other subjects.
Ethics observers say the move suggests that Trump is courting a new clique of wealthy donors eager to pay for access, while tapping a lucrative, fresh income stream to alleviate his substantial legal bills and settlement obligations .
“Trump is the ultimate grifter,” said Robert Weissman, president of the Washington DC-based pro-transparency group Public Citizen.
“It’s possible some people just want to hobnob with a president and be around him, but it was explicit in his first presidency that it was an opportunity to tell him what you thought, and also to seek favor.
“So of course, the people who are most interested in this are going to look at it as a really sound investment. Why not pay a million dollars and talk to the president?”
Weissman pointed to several episodes during Trump’s term in which Mar-a-Lago members received plum appointments.
They include Lana Marks, the luxury handbag designer, who became US ambassador to South Africa with no diplomatic training or experience; Adrian Zuckerman, a lawyer and Trump’s golfing buddy who served the same role in Romania; and David Cornstein, the jewelry magnate, a longstanding Trump friend sent to Hungary as ambassador to woo strongman prime minister Viktor Orbán .
The 500-member Mar-a-Lago roster is traditionally kept secret, but in 2019 USA Today identified eight past or present members of Trump’s clubs picked for roles in his administration.
“The membership fee was said to be $200,000 at the start of his presidency, and if that’s correct it’s obviously supply and demand,” Weissman said.
“Now, are people really, suddenly interested in this spectacular club in Florida in a way they just weren’t in 2016, because the word got out? Or another theory is it’s worth five times what it was because you might get a chance to give Trump some advice, or apparently get an ambassadorship.
“There are profound and systemic issues regarding ethics, and big money, and access for the rich, but Trump is in a category by himself. To call this an ethics issues sort of underplays it. There’s Trump, and then there’s everything else.”
The 20-acre Mar-a-Lago resort, which Trump bought in 1985 from the estate of the late cereal heiress and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post, was the site of a succession of security incidents and controversies during and after his presidency.
Perhaps most notably, its 1927 mansion was where he stored boxes of classified documents taken from the White House, which became the subject of a since-dismissed lawsuit . Special prosecutor Jack Smith has appealed the ruling.
The Trump Organization, the umbrella body for Trump’s portfolio of resorts and golf clubs, did not respond to a request for comment.
But other observers say Trump is likely to pocket the $4m he is set to raise from hawking the memberships.
“This is capitalism, and he is taking full advantage of a spike in interest because of the proximity of the election. If he loses, it will be harder to get such a premium,” said Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach county and a frequent Trump critic.
“This is money for Trump. It’s his best and most lucrative property, and I can’t imagine he’s going to send money he’s allowed to keep in his pocket over to his campaign. He’s got legions of diehard supporters to fund that and his lawsuits and his legal fees.”
Aronberg said the chance to mingle with Trump would be a big attraction for a certain type of person with a million dollars to spare, if he wins in November.
“There’s tennis, there’s golf, there’s entertainment, Andrea Bocelli performed there, and you’ve got the food,” he said.
“But I do think that if he loses the election again the price may stay the same, but the demand will fall.”
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But he goes into a Chick-Fil-A and buys 50 dollars worth of chicken for all the patrons so it all evens out.
Yeah, but according to some, he has 'real world experience' unlike Kamala which makes him fit to serve as 'president' again.
He has real world experience at running businesses into the ground
I literally lol'd at that. Truth.
OMG trumps rich and selling memberships to an exclusive club for exorbitant amounts of money! I’m shocked, maybe if a democrat running for president actually built something they would understand how capitalism works.
Maybe if MAGA weren't such suckers Trump would be out of everyone's life.
There is someone here who actually praises Trump when his campaign goes into a diner and he buys everyone a cheeseburger.
So when has Kamala done anything for anyone besides herself with her own money? Has she opened her purse and bought food for anyone on a campaign stop?
Democrats have no room to talk when they put a fucking vegetable in the Oval Office; and now nominate (who didn't get a single primary vote ever) a fucking hyena to replace him.
She makes her campaign staff openntheir purses and buy her lunch.
To a socialist, it’s always better with other people’s money.
Trump is charging suckers and losers one million dollars to join his golf club and you are criticizing Harris because she’s not buying cheeseburgers for her supporters? Uhhh … ok.
Losers don't have one million dollars to spend on joining a golf club.
Maybe that's why the left is crying about it.
False. Even though Trump brags about having way more money than he actually has, I believe he does have a million dollars … and he is without question a world class loser.
What is false?
Well, you can't win them all, but he won the presidency and a lot of money, what have you won?
Besides, you were talking about those joining his club, not him.
I would rather be a poor whatever I am than a rich Donald Trump. And I am quite serious.
Me too.
There are plenty of liberal capitalists in the world. Like George Soros. He is supposed to be controlling the world or some such shit. (At least to hear you glob on about it.) I swear Bloomberg made a whole lot of money somehow. I think there may be a few more.
I am not a Democrat or a Republican, but this stupid conflating of Democrats with non-business oriented people who have no aptitude is a non-starter.
Do you have a single link to anytime I have mentioned Soros or is your post completely false deflection?
The great businessman and philanthropist Warren Buffett is a Democrat.
You're right. I don't have any links. But you did accuse all Democrats of being business dummies, so I thought it went with the character. Quite frankly, I am not in the least bit sorry for my transgression.
Now, to the greater point of my argument, you have issued a false dichotomy in that my post is neither completely false deflection ( I will let that ride for now) and I have not, nor do I care to, flail around in the dark corners of Newstalkers looking for an utterance that you may or may-not-have made. The point remains that Democrats can make good business people. If you have anything to post that is in rebuttal of that argument, feel free to do so.
Hahahahahaha…..
You realize this comment is a lie, right? This is what I wrote,
So unless you can prove all democrats are running for president you are wrong again.
Glad that you found humor in my post. I notice that you did not address the point of my post, but seem to be squirreling around attempting to draw peoples attention elsewhere so that they won't notice that you have not mentioned the main point. C'mon, George. Man up and address the point.
Deflection fail, the entire premise of you post was a lie about what I said.
You said:
So you did not claim all democrats, you claimed presidential candidates. But the implication of your post was that no Democrat is capable of running a business and you know it. See? You are trying to avoid the original post and what you meant. Just like I said.
You can't weedle out of it though you will try like hell to disavow statements that you made, or change their meaning once they are out there.
No. The entire premise of my post was how democrats could be capitalists and run business.
You still refuse to address the topic.
You are arguing against something I never claimed so feel free to carry on, it’s obvious I’m not needed here, you have staked out a position I never claimed and are now arguing against it for me.
Oh, boo-hoo.
So, to be clear, Democrats can be just as good business people as any one else?
Obviously,
Thank you. That was my point.
Is Soros running for president? Which was the whole point of his comment.
Maybe puppet master of the world; but definitely not president- the position is beneath him.
Is Buffett running for president?
Like Soros, Buffett may be running for puppet master of the world; but definitely not president.
No, that would be your guys Putin and Xi.
George Soros is supposed to be funding 'liberal lefty' DAs and attorneys and such that rule in favor of Democrats in this two tiered justice system which favors Democrats
It is called Biden inflation in case you missed it.
Trump also has legal expense he has to pay thanks to TDS driven Democrats in NY; and Garland.
He is passing the costs along to his rich clientele that desire membership at Mar-a-Lago.
Democrats are just pissed they don't have their own country club to bilk millions from their elite donors.
LOL.
Isn't that hilarious? He has legal expenses that he needs to pass along to his rich clientele who want to corrupt the system with influence peddling if Trump gets elected again
[✘]
Not everyone has a Chinese sugar bro to pay his back taxes and penalties and legal fees for them. Nor does everyone have Russian oligarchs throwing millions of dollars, cars, and diamonds at them like Hunter.
Have you come up with an answer yet on where in the Constitution it shows states can prosecute Federal laws yet?
Otherwise Democrats and leftists bitching about 34 indictments amounts to nothing more than illegal lawfare by a TDS driven DA that promised "to get Trump" to win election; in a court with a Democrat judge who donated to Biden (and whose daughter raised money for her company from Democrats using the trial) running a kangaroo court giving final instructions to the jury that violate Supreme Court rulings that all jury decisions must be unanimous on all charges; and a jury coming from an area that voted 80% Biden- and that wasn't sequestered by the judge.
Guess it is ok to influence peddle only for Democrats.
Guess it's OK to completely make shit up like your fraudulent comment.
Explain which parts are made up and proof from a neutral source that none of it is true.
Only reactionaries will attack a post without subsequent backing of their positions.
Don't hold your breath.
Oh, I won't. It will be a VERY LONG hold.
If you are not aware that the comments in 4.1.3 are a complete fantasy I suggest that YOU do the research. It would benefit you to develop some research skills so that you can learn to engage in critical thinking. After you have done that, we can discuss. Let me know when you believe you are ready.
That is essentially correct and accurately describes Comment 4.1.3, which is nothing more than a reactionary attacking a post without any backing for their position. I don't see any support for the attacks made on Comment 4.1.1 by Comment 4.1.3. Do you?
That depends on you. See Comment 4.1.8. We're all waiting.
Your opinion states they are fantasy but you cannot provide the truth requested. So let’s try again…..explain which parts are made up and show proof from a neutral source that none of what was posted in 4.1.3
we will all be waiting for your proof.
I don't see any support for the attacks made on Comment 4.1.1 by Comment 4.1.3. Do you?
why don’t you ask for said proof instead of just complaining about it?
Isn't that how retailers are working the increased wages of bottom rung employees? I believe it is.
Where's Guilfoyle? You're missing a tramp
Funny how Melania won’t touch her husband but Ivanka can’t keep her hands off of him.
Perhaps the difference between a prenup and a will.
Or a fake wife and a victim of a pedophile.
No cost you just have to buy a pair of his shoes and 2 bibles