The terrace is packed every night with politicos looking for a post or people simply looking to party. The opportunistic and the merely curious are offering members thousands of dollars to land a seat at dinner.
And since November 5 Mar-a-Lago has become ‘the most exclusive place’ on the planet,’ according to one regular.
Every night is like a party, as guests throng the pool deck waiting for the man who will become the 47th president of the United States to make his grand entrance.
‘It is the hottest ticket in town,’ said one veteran Palm Beach socialite, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing out on invitations if he was seen as a gossip.
‘It’s full every night.’
It is all a far cry from Donald Trump‘s 2016 election victory.
In the weeks and months after he took office, dozens of charities canceled their annual fundraising events at Trump’s Florida home as they sought to distance themselves from his polarizing presidency.
Trump spent most of his transition in Manhattan, at Trump Tower, as he put together his first Cabinet.
Donald Trump with House Speaker Mike Johnson at Mar-a-Lago last week. Trump’s Florida home has become the only place to be for Republican officials and supporters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s health supremo, takes a selfie with fans
This time around, world leaders and hopefuls seeking administration jobs have descended on Trump’s ‘winter White House,’ packing out the terrace each evening.
Instagram is filled with fans snapping pictures alongside the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, or more established Trump world figures such as Roger Stone, longtime Republican provocateur, or the new wave of bro influencers who made such an impact on the campaign.
While Trump spends his days building an administration, evenings become a never ending victory celebration.
Trump’s social media guru Dan Scavino posted video on Wednesday of Trump breaking out his familiar dance moves to the sound of the Village People’s ‘Y.M.C.A.’ much to the delight of whooping supporters.
Last week, Trump and Musk joined opera star Chris Macchio for a rousing rendition of ‘God Bless America’ in a video that went viral.
‘It’s not a different vibe. It’s a different planet,’ said Palm Beach doyenne Lexye Aversa, who will be holding her annual charity holiday gala at Mar-a-Lago in two weeks time, as she compared this transition with 2016.
‘There’s been such an evolution through COVID and people wanting to re-emerge after the pandemic shutdowns, and then the political climate sort of piggybacked onto that with Mar-a-Lago as a Mecca for events … helping to catapult its visibility to another dimension.’
His Highness Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe will co-host her gala which features Italian tenor Franco Corso, all in aid of the charity ‘A Safe Haven for Newborns.’
Trump and Elon Musk put on a show, teaming up with opera star Chris Macchio for a rousing rendition of ‘God Bless America’ at a Mar-a-Lago party on another night
Influencer Melissa Rein-Lively posed with Republican strategist Roger Stone as she launched a outsider bid to land the role of White House press secretary
Matt Gaetz, center, was tapped to be Trump’s attorney general before dropping out
Tucker Carlson, Cheryl Hines, Robert F Kennedy Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Tulsi Gabbard share a table at dinner
Aversa said attending an event was the only way any non-member could get a glimpse of Mar-a-Lago.
‘You can buy tickets for those but to pick up the phone and get yourself a seat at the table or go to dinner … no, absolutely not,’ she said.
‘This is the most exclusive place on Earth right now.’
Two sources told DailyMail.com they had been offered money for seats at dinner. Both demurred when asked if they accepted.
The other way in is to be a guest of Trump himself as an administration hopeful or adviser. Spotted in the past fortnight have been Steve Bannon, recently released from prison, and punchy podcast host Sebastian Gorka, who has been tipped for a spot on the National Security Council.
Former Trump spokesman Sean Spicer and Kari Lake, who lost her run for the Senate in Arizona, both held talks about possible roles last week, according to sources in the know.
And, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance was photographed playing with his three children on the estate’s sweeping lawns.
Some wannabes have made themselves a constant presence in the hope of landing an unlikely post. Online influencer Melissa Rein-Lively has peppered her Instagram feed with images from Mar-a-Lago, but failed in her effort to land the job of White House press secretary.
Musk posted a picture with Trump and Argentinian President Javier Milie (center)
Trump, in dinner jacket, addressed a political gathering at his Florida HQ
British politician Nigel Farage posed with Barron Trump on election night
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance plays with his three children beside the water
Guests arriving for a party at Mar-a-Lago. The club is the hottest ticket in town
Supporters have been a constant presence beside the bridge the leads to Mar-a-Lago
Joining fees were reportedly raised to $1million this year with rumors that the Trump Organization is thinking of raising them again after the election victory.
With membership limited to 500 by the town of Palm Beach, open slots are scarce.
And for a big company looking for a chance to lobby the president-elect as he dines among members on the terrace, it is money well spent, according to Laurence Leamer, who wrote a history of the estate.
He has also crunched the numbers.
‘You want to be there when he’s there so you probably go once a week for maybe three or four months, for four years, which means your dinner costs, what … $18,000 each time,’ he said.
‘Now, if you if your company gets a billion dollar government deal, that’s the best money you ever spent.’
But for many other guests it is simply a chance to let go of four years of hurt since election defeat in 2020.
‘They’ve just held this into themselves as they felt they were not appreciated and understood,’ he said. ‘And they just are crazed for it now,’
