Latest news with #SummerWhiteHouse
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘Keep it down – the president is talking to Xi': The golf club acting as Trump's summer White House
On a hot summer's day in August 2019 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, members lounging by the pool were startled by an unusual announcement. 'Can you please keep the noise down because the president is talking to President Xi [Jinping] of China?' a club worker said through a megaphone. 'It was a phone call, not a visit, but it was pretty funny,' recalls one Bedminster member, speaking on condition of anonymity. Now that Trump is in the first summer of his second presidential term, expect more surprise diplomatic moments from Bedminster – dubbed the 'Summer White House' thanks to the president's habit of spending weekends and much of August at his plush, Georgian-style, 500-acre estate, one of his three official presidential residences. Bedminster is one of 15 golf clubs owned by The Trump Organisation, but in summertime it becomes the crown jewel of the president's real estate empire, eclipsing Mar-a-Lago until September. 'It's his happy place,' the member added. 'He's always relaxed. Even at Mar-a-Lago there are wealthy 'Never-Trump' spies and enemies [conservatives backing anti-Trump Republicans]; at Bedminster, you get none of that. Everybody is known.' 'Occasionally Trump will put on a show – in his last visit to Bedminster before Covid, he landed by helicopter 10ft from the pool and everyone watched him arrive. But mostly the calmness couldn't be more different from all the drama in DC.' Trump bought the club in 2002 from National Fairways, a golf course developer that had acquired it from another colourful, scandal-ridden businessman, John DeLorean, when it was still known as Lamington Farm. He has long had a soft spot for Bedminster, a rural town in New Jersey's Somerset Hills – the most popular fox-hunting area on the East Coast. According to the Wall Street Journal, Christopher 'Kip' Forbes, son of the late entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes, once overheard Trump arguing with a Pan Am executive at a party at the Forbes estate in Bedminster in 1987 over who had the biggest plane. Today, his Bedminster club boasts a helipad, swimming pool, tennis courts, a spa and yoga centre and pickleball courts, alongside two 18-hole golf courses renowned for their spotless greens and manicured fairways. 'Whatever you think of how Trump runs a country, he knows how to run a club,' the member says. 'The main people running Bedminster have been there for over a decade.' While Trump's White House has hardly been short of acrimonious personnel exits and political drama, 'at Bedminster he doesn't fire people.' (Bedminster general manager David Schutzenhofer has been at the club since 2006; director of golf Mickie Gallagher joined the same year.) The president stays in a cottage next to the club's pool, which contains an office and a second-floor balcony and porch. Don Jr also has a cottage there, as do Eric and Lara Trump, and Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner – who married at the location in 2009. All are expected to stay there this summer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump) It was to Bedminster that Donald Trump returned in July 2023 – receiving a hero's welcome after pleading not guilty at a Miami federal court to 37 charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents – and it was Bedminster where he stayed the night after he was shot in the right ear at a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024. The club also features in the president's social media posts. A video of him playing a round at Bedminster with American golfing star Bryson DeChambeau garnered 15 million views on YouTube in the run-up to last year's presidential election, while a recent fake video of him hitting persistent critic Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball has racked up 81.9 million views on X. In reality, Mr Trump tends to play golf at Bedminster with a core group of around two dozen friends. One of them is Tom Bennison, a sports business executive. 'He uses golf in his position as president of the United States the same way he did as a businessman – as a relationship-building tool,' Bennison tells The Telegraph. 'I've played with him when it's been with friends of his, and it's like any other round of golf with three buddies who talk a lot about sports.' 'And then I've played with him when he has been with people in the political circle, congressmen or senators. He plays really fast. A round of golf with the president takes between two and a half hours and two hours 45 minutes because he's trying to get every minute out of every day that he possibly can.' Criticism that Trump spends too much time golfing at the expense of his presidential duties is wrong, according to Republican strategist Matt Parker, co-presenter of the Golf & Politics podcast. 'One of the first weekends after the inauguration, he was playing at Trump International West Palm Beach,' Parker says. 'When he teed off, he was working on a trade deal, and by the sixth hole the trade deal was done. Between shots, he's making phone calls and sending messages.' 'Nobody has had as big an impact on the game of golf as a president than Donald Trump,' Parker adds. 'He loves the game, and with his single-digit handicap he's arguably the most talented golfer we've ever had in the White House.' Rich Levine, another golfing pal of Trump's, told the Golf & Politics podcast that Trump is a most congenial club owner: 'He'll never criticise anyone… he is so positive to every member, every employee. [He] will tell you that you played great golf, even though you played terrible that day.' Yet beneath the surface bonhomie, Bedminster is a factional court where today's Republican politicians rise and fall. Betsy DeVos, US secretary of education in the first Trump administration, recalled how he chose the venue as the backdrop for assembling his cabinet. 'Apparently the president-elect had decided it made for better theater [sic] for his visitors to greet him on the [Bedminster] front steps,' she wrote in her memoir Hostages No More, adding: 'Trump had commandeered the clubhouse at Bedminster to have his meetings with potential cabinet secretaries […] Mitt Romney was in an interview when I arrived. James Mattis, Trump's future secretary of defense [sic], was in the green room.' President Trump makes 1st public appearance at a wedding at his Bedminster club He looks happy, relaxed, and energized Crowd cheers and chants "USA" — DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) August 4, 2023 One member says that Howard Lutnick, Trump's commerce secretary and architect of his controversial tariff agenda, endeared himself to Trump by being an active presence at Bedminster. Conversely, Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general between 2017 and 2018, made a less favourable impression. 'When Jeff Sessions showed up at Bedminster, he was like a deer in headlights,' the member added. 'It's not the main reason he fell out of favour with Trump, but it didn't help that he looked way over his head and was never seen at Bedminster again.' Critics of Trump say he treats Bedminster primarily as another moneymaking venture. Initiation fees are reportedly $350,000. 'If one person joins as a member, he's covered most of his property taxes!' says Pulitzer Prize-winning Trump biographer David Cay Johnston. 'Trump loses money with his British golf courses, so clubs like Bedminster become a further extension of anything he can do that will bring in money.' Eyebrows have also been raised over the club quite literally being a cash cow, qualifying for agricultural tax breaks by harvesting hay and maintaining a small herd of goats. President Trump and First Lady Melania at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster New Jersey tonight — FLOTUS Report (@MELANIAJTRUMP) May 24, 2025 Then there are the allegations from celebrities that Trump cheats at golf, frequently deploying mulligans (a rule allowing a player to retake a shot). Rocker Alice Cooper told Q Magazine in 2012: 'The worst celebrity golf cheat? I played with Donald Trump once. That's all I'm going to say.' Actor Samuel L Jackson said in 2016: 'We clearly saw him hook a ball into a lake at Trump National [Bedminster] and his caddy told him he found it!' Sportswriter Rick Reilly recounted a tale about Trump allegedly declaring himself the winner of a Bedminster tournament in his 2019 book Commander in Cheat: 'Trump happened to walk into the Bedminster clubhouse just as a worker was putting up the name of the newly crowned senior club championship winner on a wooden plaque. Trump had been out of town and hadn't played in the tournament, but when he saw the player's name, he stopped the employee. 'Hey, I beat that guy all the time [Trump said]. Put my name up there instead […] I would've beaten him.'' However, Trump's friends refute suggestions of foul play. 'He's 100 per cent a gentleman,' says Tom Bennison. 'I've played over 125 rounds of golf with him, and I've never personally witnessed any of that.' Yet Trump's devotion to Bedminster cannot be questioned. 'This is my real group,' Politico reported the president saying in leaked remarks to club members at a Bedminster cocktail reception in November 2016. 'These are the people that came here in the beginning, when nobody knew what this monster was gonna turn out to be.' Ivana Trump, his late first wife, is buried in a private plot on the club's estate. According to David Cay Johnston: 'Donald Trump's assertion is that he too will be buried at Bedminster. It's really his refuge.' One outstanding ambition for the president is for the National Golf Club Bedminster to host a PGA Championship. The club has hosted two LIV Golf tournaments – the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway championship – but plans to hold the 2022 PGA Championship there were scrapped after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol. Members say the president's family has since attempted to mend fences with the PGA. And given the way Donald Trump has confounded his critics over the past decade, who would bet against Bedminster?
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Inside Trump's long weekend plans at his luxurious Bedminster club with Melania and his children
President Donald Trump will start getting some serious family time this weekend as he, first lady Melania Trump and his children begin their annual migration to Bedminster, New Jersey. Dubbed the 'Summer White House,' Trump's Bedminster Trump National Golf Club is a haven for the entire family, who stay in private 'cottages' on the property. Nestled on 500 acres in the New Jersey countryside, the compound, which includes two golf courses, has space for each Trump to have their own home. At various points over the summer Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Don Jr., and Lara and Eric Trump all stay there. The president is expected to spend weekends and much of August on the property. Golf carts are the preferred methods of transportation - each Trump has a customized one. Meals can be had at their cottages or in the club house. There's a spa and yoga center, pickle ball courts, tennis courts, and a helicopter pad. Trump arrived on Friday evening. Melania Trump was already there, having flown from Washington D.C. to New Jersey on Wednesday after her appearance at a Senate Spouses' luncheon, public flight records show. The president usually switches to Bedminster from Mar-a-Lago after the end of Palm Beach's social season, which traditionally is after Easter, and he stays on and off through Labor Day. This year it means he'll get more time with his family. The president has essentially been living alone in the White House: wife Melania has spent a majority of the time in New York with son Barron. And unlike the first term, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared did not move to Washington but are living Miami. Eric and Lara and Don Jr. have been spotted at the White House on-and-off but, again, there is no regular family presence for the president given his adult children have their own lives. There is a matching cottage nearby used by Ivanka and Jared. The president expanded his cottage by 500 square feet a few years ago after getting approval to add a second-floor balcony and a porch. It also has a large turret and picture windows. The Secret Service added a red brick wall around it for security reasons. Marine One can land right in front of the cottage, giving Trump an easy commute home. Ivanka and Jared also expanded their cottage to add a basement and extra bedrooms to accommodate their growing family. Their home now has an expanded master bedroom, bath and dressing room, two new bedrooms (for a total of five), a study and a ground floor veranda. The couple married on the property in 2009. The club is open for membership. The initiation fee runs $125,000, the Wall Street Journal reported. Members can stay on the property, renting rooms or one of the smaller cottages. It's a popular wedding venue with a large ballroom for the reception. There's a converted barn and old stable that make great backdrops for photos. In 2014, the Trumps received approval to build a family cemetery at the club. It's where Ivana Trump is buried. The original proposal for the cemetery plans included a mausoleum with 10 plots and a 19ft tall stone obelisk. Trump bought the property from a developer in 2002. The golf course was being built when he purchased it. He turned it into a private country club. The course has been home to two LIV Golf Tournaments. Previously called Lamington Farm, it had once been owned by John DeLorean, who created the winged-door DeLorean sports car of 'Back to the Future' fame.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump returns week after visiting all 3 of his Florida golf clubs. How to watch his motorcade
For the 10th time since he was sworn in, President Donald Trump is set to return to his home state of Florida for the weekend today, Friday, April 11. His latest visit last weekend started with a trip to Miami, then to his home and private club, Mar-a-Lago, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. Last week in particular was a big one for the commander-in-chief: Trump managed a golf trifecta — he attended, played or competed at all three of his Trump National Golf Club sites in Florida — after arriving April 3, 2025, for a four-day stay the Sunshine State. It was his ninth visit to Florida and the eighth to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach since his second term began on Jan. 20, 2025, Inauguration Day. Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, where he appeared, also hosted the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament on the same weekend. Also in the same weekend, protesters converged in about 1,300 Trump-Elon Musk "Hands Off, Fight Back" rallies nationwide, with 45 in Florida alone and some down the road from Mar-a-Lago. If you're keeping track, so far, Trump has spent all but two weekends of his presidency in Florida. Trump and LIV Golf match in Florida: List of family members who did (and didn't) attend Trump's primary residence is at Mar-a-Lago. During his first presidency, it was often referred to as the 'Southern White House' or "Winter White House' because of the amount of time he spent there. According to The Palm Beach Daily News and FAA temporary flight restrictions "for VIP movements" issued this week, Trump is expected to arrive in Palm Beach on Friday, April 11, make a quick Saturday evening trip to Miami, and leave from Palm Beach, on Sunday, April 13. The president typically spends Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago, according to previous Palm Beach Post coverage, then frequents his "Summer White House" in Bedminster, New Jersey, until fall. But first, he and first lady Melania Trump will host the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 21. When he returns to Palm Beach this weekend, Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County will likely be lined with some Trump supporters, protesters and anyone else who wants to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade that will escort Trump to and from his Florida home throughout the weekend. Here's information about Mar-a-Lago and how to watch the presidential motorcade in Palm Beach this weekend. When the president is in Palm Beach, the roads surrounding Mar-a-Lago are shut down. "South Ocean Boulevard will shut down between the Southern Boulevard traffic circle and the intersection with South County Road, the town said in an alert sent Thursday morning. While Palm Beach did not specify what time the road will close, the town typically sends the alert about 24 hours before the road is expected to shut down," The Palm Beach Daily News reported on Thursday. "Those who live, work and are visiting homes within the area affected by the South Ocean Boulevard's closure will be allowed in after providing identification, and they can enter and exit only through the north security checkpoint at South County Road, officials have said." Trump is expected to arrive back in Palm Beach this evening, sometime after 4:45 p.m., travel to Miami sometime before 9 p.m. Saturday, April 12, and arrive back in Palm Beach the same night, sometime after 11:30 p.m. He's expected to leave Florida, from PBI, sometime before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13. More on road closures around Mar-a-Lago: South Ocean Boulevard to close April 11 for Trump visit to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach The Mar-a-Lago resort and club in Palm Beach has been the primary residence of Donald, Melania and Barron Trump since 2019. In 1985, Donald Trump paid $10 million for the 17-acre estate that is now Mar-a-Lago. It originally boasted 33 bathrooms, three bomb shelters and a nine-hole golf course. Ten years later, Trump updated the already-luxurious estate and converted it into an even more ritzy private "Mar-a-Lago Club" with a spa, tennis and croquet courts, ballroom and a beach club. The size of the living quarters at Mar-a-Lago is speculated to be somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet. The private club has around 500 members. The ballroom was completed in 2005. The Mar-a-Lago resort and club is in Palm Beach, Florida, and sits about 15 minutes from the Palm Beach International airport (PBI). If you want to see Donald Trump when he's in Palm Beach County, your best shot is to watch the presidential motorcade en route to or from the Palm Beach International Airport today Friday, April 11, or on Sunday, April 13. The president is expected to land in Palm Beach tonight, Friday, April 11, sometime after 4:45 p.m. and leave Florida on Sunday, April 13, sometime before 6:30 p.m. Watching the motorcade is kind of like watching a rocket launch lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Brevard County. People from Palm Beach County and beyond often line up along Southern Boulevard and wait to watch Trump's motorcade pass by. Trump supporters usually line up along Southern Boulevard going east toward Mar-a-Lago. Southern Boulevard is the main road next to PBI, where Trump typically flies into the airstrip designated for private planes. Even when he wasn't president, you could sometimes see people parked on the side of the road near the airport, looking at his private plane which said 'Trump' in big, gold letters. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Trump supporters would line up on Southern Boulevard to watch the Trump motorcade, which typically has from 15 to 20 cars in it. You can drive by Mar-a-Lago, too. But the property is private, so you can't visit the actual club unless you're a member. The main entrance to Mar-a-Lago is on South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach. You can park and walk by, but you'll be in the roadway. It isn't uncommon for people to pull over their cars to catch a view of the famous club. It is dangerous, though, because there is no sidewalk, and there's no shoulder on the side of the road next to the private club. It's important to remember the roads surrounding Mar-a-Lago close when the president is in town. If you want a glimpse of his private club, you'll have to wait until after he leaves Florida. The best place to watch the motorcade pass is along Southern Boulevard, near the Palm Beach International Airport. Contributing: Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump in Miami and Mar-a-Lago, Florida: About presidential motorcade
