Mar-a-Lago golf club Image by Getty Images

When President Trump arrived in Palm Beach, Florida in the 1980s, he wasn’t accepted into any of the city’s prestigious private clubs — he was “arrogant and pushy and he didn’t care that locals thought he was loud and vulgar,” The Washington Post recounted.

So Trump opened Mar-a-Lago, the estate he scored for $10 million, as a private club in 1995. Mar-a-Lago was open to anyone, which was new in that time — several clubs did not admit Jewish members, and another only admitted wealthy Jews.

Now, many of the club’s original members, most notably Jewish Democrats, have left, the Post noted.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Although Palm Beach is known for providing residents with privacy, with most people keeping their political affiliations to themselves, some members said they are just not comfortable affiliating with a Trump-owned property. And the president’s presence has become an inconvenience, between security measures and closed-off golf courses.

“It’s a better energy when he’s not here,” said one business owner, one of two dozen locals interviewed by the Post. “It’s like the clouds lifted and everybody goes about their business.”

The original members have been replaced by business executives, socialites and groupies, the Post reported.

Laurence Leamer, author of the forthcoming book “Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump’s Presidential Palace,” said while the new members are “very different,” this may not necessarily be a bad thing.

“It’s the most fun of any of the clubs because there’s this range of humanity,” he said. “There are people who are unspeakably vulgar and loud and fairly disgusting, and elegant people. It’s lively.”

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount