Trump angered by Mar-a-Lago renovations, sources
say
Kate
Bennett
By Kate
Bennett, CNN
Updated
1945 GMT (0345 HKT) December 29, 2020
(CNN)His
mood darkened as soon as he walked into his members-only club Mar-a-Lago, three
days before Christmas, according to multiple sources. The changes to his
private quarters, many of which were overseen by his wife, first lady Melania
Trump, were not to President Donald Trump's liking, and he was mad about it,
according to a source familiar with the President's response.
Several
weeks in the works, the renovations, undertaken to make the approximately
3,000-square-foot space feel larger and updated in preparation for the Trumps
post-White House life, didn't appeal to Trump's aesthetics, according to his
reaction. Trump was also displeased with other renovations at the property, the
source said, not just in the living space.
"He
was not happy with it," said the source, who noted several loud, one-sided
conversations with club management almost immediately ensued.
The White
House did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment .
It was
Melania Trump, and her interior decorator, Tham Kannalikham, who selected many
of the details on the renovations, however, not Mar-a-Lago staff, a fact of
which Trump was well aware.
This is not
the first time the President's personal taste has clashed with that of his
wife. Trump was also not thrilled with some of the decorative updates to Camp
David, another project of the first lady, when he saw them during the
Thanksgiving holiday, according to another source familiar with the President's
reaction after the visit.
The source
at Mar-a-Lago noted Trump was so displeased this week with the way some of the
renovations looked he asked that pieces of the décor, which consisted of white
marble and an abundance of dark wood, be removed. They promptly were.
If the
kick-off to his last Florida sojourn as President was rough, the days that
followed would be much of the same, with Trump appearing "moody,"
according to the source at the club, spending more time than usual behind
closed doors and not mingling and conversing as much as he normally does with
club members and senior White House staff, many of whom have in the last few
years joined him there.
"The
vibe is off," said another source at Mar-a-Lago of this Christmas compared
to previous ones.
Trump's
waffling on when or even if he would sign a large Covid-19 relief package and
federal funding bill created a guessing-game of whether his day would be good
or bad, or indifferent. Trump initially was set to sign the bill on Christmas
Eve, according to a source familiar with the President's schedule, but opted
not to at the last minute. On Sunday, on his way out to dinner at his nearby
Trump International Golf Club, Trump finally signed.
Changes at
the club
Though he
has largely publicly ignored the ravages of Covid-19 on the country, commenting
little in recent weeks and seemingly taking a backseat approach as hundreds of
thousands of Americans become infected each day, Trump hasn't been able to
avoid the coronavirus' impact at his beloved sanctuary of Mar-a-Lago.
The week
between Christmas and New Year's is typically the highlight of the winter
season, and at Mar-a-Lago, some longtime members are avoiding the club.
"It's
just too big a risk, not worth it," said a member who chose to not travel
to Florida this year.
Yet there
remain some crowded areas and an abundance people, adds another member who has
been in touch with people currently at Mar-a-Lago.
"People
are going for dinner as usual," said the source, who added there seems to
be "little regard for the pandemic."
At the
beach club area by the pool, it is so crowded during the day that guests are
arguing over available chairs, the source said.
On Monday,
the Florida Department of Health released new figures for test positivity
rates. Palm Beach County was at 10.38%, the highest since November 30 and an
increase since December 15 at 8.42%. The state considers anything above 5%
dangerous.
A Palm
Beach winter regular said they've heard about the lack of parties, events and
fundraisers in the wealthy enclave, and the dinnertime ritual of table-hopping,
going from table to table to exchange air kisses and hellos has all but
disappeared. The mask-wearing mandate for businesses, establishments, public
spaces and restaurants in Palm Beach was extended in Palm Beach County until
January 20 and includes Mar-a-Lago, though compliance there has been
hit-or-miss at best.
The
Mar-a-Lago "scene," as it were, consists largely of Trump holding
court when he is in residence. Club members and their guests like to marvel at
stumbling upon the President of the United States at the buffet or a party in
the ballroom. At a wedding Monday night at Mar-a-Lago, Trump made a surprise
appearance, entering to wave hello and congratulate the bride and groom,
according to someone present at the event.
New Year's
Eve party
The fabled
Mar-a-Lago black-tie New Year's Eve party, which Trump and his family attend
each year and which guests pay thousands per ticket, is still slated to take
place Thursday night, said a member of Mar-a-Lago, who has heard buzz that at
least 500 reservations have already been confirmed. What is unclear is whether
attendees will adhere to coronavirus mitigation guidelines. At a gala earlier
this month for Turning Point USA, the conservative student group, partygoers
flouted mask and social distancing requirements, photos from the event showed
hundreds in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom.
The
President has also been relegated to a smaller batch of familiar faces to
entertain and occupy his time during this Florida trip. There are no foreign
leaders to host, as has often been the case during his presidency, and most of
the West Wing senior staff who usually join the trip are not there.
On Sunday,
Trump did not dine out with the first lady, and instead ate dinner at a table
with his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and Trump Jr.'s girlfriend
Kimberly Guilfoyle, according to one witness, who said Trump had a pop-by at
his table from Roger Stone, one of his longtime cronies who the President had
pardoned less than a week prior. Stone entered the club wearing a "Trump
2020" face mask.
Trump's
most frequent activity -- and respite -- has been his morning rounds of golf,
vacation recreation so many millions of Americans have forgone this year as
they heed warnings about the spread of coronavirus.
On Tuesday,
on his way to the golf course, the President had time to tweet about the
jumbled state of proceedings back in Washington, DC, where politicians are
scrambling to get eleventh-hour financial support to Americans facing economic
desperation.
"Republican
leadership only wants the path of least resistance," Trump tweeted. "Our
leaders (not me, of course!) are pathetic."
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