 "US President-elect Donald Trump. Reuters")
Donald Trump is heading back to the White House.
And Mar-a-Lago, where the US president-elect is hunkered down, is currently the political centre of the United States.
Trump spent much of his time during his first term at his Florida estate – meeting world leaders, Republican Party bigwigs and movers and shakers – which he dubbed the ‘Winter White House.’
But what is happening inside Trump’s private club Mar-a-Lago?
Let’s take a closer look:
What is happening?
As per CNN, Trump and his team are holding meetings about the forthcoming administration during the days at the resort.
However, it is the evenings that are the most interesting.
This is when Trump emerges for dinner, with his wife Melania in tow, to walk to his dinner table.
The president-elect usually glad-hands with members and guests on his way.
“People will pitch ideas as he walks by,” a source told CNN.
Though his table is roped off, people still try to meet him during dinner.
Billionaire Elon Musk is essentially living out of Mar-a-Lago, while Robert F Kennedy was seen taking pictures with members last week.
People from all around the world are flocking to Florida.
Sources told the outlet that Mar-a-Lago members have even been offered money to take people to the club to meet Trump.
“I don’t even know what member I went in with,” a source who visited Mar-a-Lago last week said.
“Someone came up to me last night [at Mar-a-Lago] and said they were up to be press secretary,” another source close to Trump said. “I have never seen this person in my life.”
According t_o BBC,_ hotels and restaurants surrounding West Palm Beach are packed to the brim.
A GOP insider told the outlet the transition has devolved into “a free for all” between warring factions of the party.
“Trump loves to see people scramble and suck up.”
Some “minimally acceptable people are starting to say they don’t want a role,” the insider added.
Mar-a-Lago looks like it will be the centre of political gravity for some time.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei is expected to visit the estate next week, as per BBC.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), next week is hosting its annual investors summit at Mar-a-Lago.
Tickets are going for as much as $25,000.
Florida lobbyist Slater Bayliss told the outlet Trump is likely to spend a lot of time here.
That will go some way, Bayliss added in “making the 62,500 square feet of Mar-a -Lago the most sacred real-estate in the political universe.”
A history of controversy
The club itself has been embroiled in controversy since Trump’s first term.
Mar-a-Lago was the scene of at least five intrusions during Trump’s first term as president, including the two by Chinese nationals.
During Trump’s term as president, there were numerous illegal incursions at Mar-a-Lago, including two by Chinese nationals, but none were attempts to harm him.
In March 2019, Chinese national Yujing Zhang gained access to Mar-a-Lago while carrying a laptop, phones and other electronic gear. That led to initial speculation that the Shanghai businesswoman might be a spy, but she was never charged with espionage. Text messages she exchanged with a trip organizer indicated she was a fan of the president and wanted to meet him or his family to discuss possible deals. She was found guilty of trespassing and deported.
Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump last year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
But Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases before the president-elect takes office in light of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
With inputs from agencies