Say what you want about Donald Trump’s presidency—I sure do—but man it’s been a financial windfall for him. Case-in-point: his beloved Mar-a-Lago estate, which he’s been referring to as the “Winter White House,” just doubled its initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000. Still, it’s a fairly reasonable price, considering it comes with access to the golf course, the beach, the pool, the spa, and the President of the United States.
According to CNBC, which broke the story, Mar-a-Lago quietly doubled its rates on January 1, a return to pre-2012 prices that were dashed when what seems like half of Palm Beach invested with Bernie Madoff.
Although Donald Trump Jr. is technically now in control of Mar-a-Lago (the other Trump son, old what’s-his-name, is now president of Trump International Hotels Management), the price hike actually occurred on Jan 1, while Trump was still in control.
The Jan 1 price hike also occurred just a few weeks after the Trump family was roundly criticized for attempting to sell access to the future president to donors willing to spend between $500,000 and $1 million. In that sense, the $200,000 initiation fee, coupled with the $14,000 annual fees, is still practically a bargain basement rate for access to the president and his family. But that’s Donald—always thinking of the “common people.”