During a town council meeting on Tuesday, attorneys defended Trump’s right to live at the club he owns and manages.
The issue for the town was Trump’s promise, long ago, not to call Mar-a-Lago home. Trump bought the former estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1985 and turned it into a members-only club in 1993.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a Christmas Eve dinner with his family at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on December 24, 2019. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
To transform the private residence into a revenue-generating business, he had to agree to certain limitations, based on guidelines presented as deal-breakers from Palm Beach. That deal stipulated that members could not live at the club for more than 21 days a year. Neighbors of the former President complained to the town that Trump has breached the agreement he signed.
Town attorney John “Skip” Randolph advised the council that the key issue was not the agreement. Rather, he said, the issue is whether Trump is a member or an employee of the club.
Town zoning allows for a “bona fide employee of the club” to live at the clubs that they work at or own.
Trump’s longtime West Palm Beach attorney John Marion presented documentation to the council, signed by Trump on January 25, 2021, to verify that Trump was again president of Mar-a-Lago.
“There is no prohibition in there about the owner using the owner’s suite,” Marion said. “This guy (Trump), as he wanders the property, is like the mayor of Mar-a-Lago, if you will.”
“He’s always present, he owns the property and enjoys it like his home,” Marion added. “There’s no reason in the world that President Trump shouldn’t be able to reside at the club he owns.”
Trump’s attorney went on to list functions that the former President carries out while living and working at the club, saying he “evaluates the performance of employees” and attends “events held at the club and welcomes/thanks those attending.”