Latest news with #bidding
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Report: Inside Trump and Epstein's bidding battle for $41M mansion
Donald Trump 's voice boomed out across the auction room as it became clear he was determined to win the bidding battle for one of the most palatial mansions in Florida. There was only one man standing in his way - the other bidder was Jeffrey Epstein. The auction on November 15, 2004 appears to have been the final time the two men's paths crossed and, by all accounts, it was not friendly. They appear to have never spoken after it. Around the same time, Trump banned Epstein from his nearby Mar-a-Lago club for being a 'creep.' Weeks later, police were pursuing Epstein over allegations involving underage girls. The titanic hour-long auction struggle was relayed to the Daily Mail by an insider present in the room on the seventh floor of non-descript office building in Palm Beach. Both Trump and Epstein were determined to buy Maison de l'Amitie - 'The House of Friendship' - a glorious six-acre French Regency-style estate on 'Billionaires' Row' overlooking the Atlantic. It had come up for auction after the owner, Abe Gosman, a nursing home tycoon, declared bankruptcy. Gosman died in 2013. Judge Steven Friedman presided over the hearing with a speakerphone next to him on his desk. 'This was before the advent of Zoom so the bankruptcy judge allowed bidders to bid by telephone,' the insider said. Bidders tended to use representatives and Epstein pursued that strategy. Trump had a lawyer representing him in the room, but placed his own bids from afar. 'There was a speaker on the judge's table and everyone had a dial-in number,' the insider said. 'Mr Trump did the bidding himself. We knew it was him, we recognized the voice. I was surprised. Mr Trump said he was going to outbid everyone. 'In my recollection he just made it clear he was going to win the bid. He said something to the effect of "I will continue bidding." 'The Apprentice had just started and he was that persona - very confident, very authoritative.' About 40 people - lawyers and Florida real estate types - packed into the room. Rather than a courtroom, it was a banal space in the offices of a medical company. The auction itself was the culmination of a lengthy battle for control of Maison de l'Amitie. According to the bankruptcy trustee Epstein and Trump had both already lobbied hard to buy it. The insider said the starting price had been 'about $20 million.' Epstein, his bids relayed by an intermediary, went all the way up to $38.6 million before finally dropping out. A third bidder, another Florida developer, then made a surprise entry. Trump was undeterred and outbid him too with an offer of $41.35 million. The third bidder did not return a request for comment. Another intriguing aspect of Maison de 'l'Amitie may have spurred Epstein's intense interest in it. It had once been owned by the Victoria's Secret fashion mogul Les Wexner. Epstein had started managing Wexner's money in the late 1980s. It was through Wexner that Epstein acquired his massive mansion in Manhattan, a seven-story, 21,000 square foot behemoth less than a block from Central Park. Wexner sold his entire interest through which he owned the Manhattan property to an entity owned by Epstein in 1998. Wexner later severed all connections with Epstein and said he was 'embarrassed' by his former ties to someone who was 'sick, so cunning, so depraved.' Previously, in 1988, Wexner had sold Maison de l'Amitie to Gosman for $12 million. Gosman built a 64,000 square foot home with a pool house and tennis pavilion, and filled it with expensive works of art before declaring bankruptcy. After winning the auction for it in 2004, Trump told the Palm Beach Daily News: 'My initial feeling is to utilize the existing house and create the second greatest house in America, Mar-a-Lago being the first. 'It's the finest piece of land in Florida and probably in the U.S..' A few years later he hired Karen Todd, the winner of season 3 of 'The Apprentice,' to oversee upgrades to the property. In 2008 Trump sold the property for a Palm Beach record residential price of $95 million to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 after being charged with [sexual] trafficking. That year, when asked about Epstein, Trump said he had not spoken to him since about 2004. He said: 'Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. 'I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan.' The White House has since indicated that the falling out was to do with Epstein being a 'creep' rather than the property auction. This week, White House spokesman Steven Cheung said: 'The fact is that the president kicked him (Epstein) out of his club for being a creep.' It has been reported that Epstein behaved inappropriately with a Mar-a-Lago member's daughter. That may have added steel to Trump's determination to crush Epstein in the auction, and to declare victory in what would prove to be their final encounter.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Inside the room where a $41 million 'House of Friendship' deal led to a titanic Trump and Epstein showdown
Donald Trump 's voice boomed out across the auction room as it became clear he was determined to win the bidding battle for one of the most palatial mansions in Florida. There was only one man standing in his way - the other bidder was Jeffrey Epstein. The auction on November 15, 2004 appears to have been the final time the two men's paths crossed and, by all accounts, it was not friendly. They appear to have never spoken after it. Around the same time, Trump banned Epstein from his nearby Mar-a-Lago club for being a 'creep.' Weeks later, police were pursuing Epstein over allegations involving underage girls. The titanic hour-long auction struggle was relayed to the Daily Mail by an insider present in the room on the seventh floor of non-descript office building in Palm Beach. Both Trump and Epstein were determined to buy Maison de l'Amitie - 'The House of Friendship' - a glorious six-acre French Regency-style estate on 'Billionaires' Row' overlooking the Atlantic. It had come up for auction after the owner, Abe Gosman, a nursing home tycoon, declared bankruptcy. Gosman died in 2013. Judge Steven Friedman presided over the hearing with a speakerphone next to him on his desk. 'This was before the advent of Zoom so the bankruptcy judge allowed bidders to bid by telephone,' the insider said. Bidders tended to use representatives and Epstein pursued that strategy. Trump had a lawyer representing him in the room, but placed his own bids from afar. 'There was a speaker on the judge's table and everyone had a dial-in number,' the insider said. 'Mr Trump did the bidding himself. We knew it was him, we recognized the voice. I was surprised. Mr Trump said he was going to outbid everyone. 'In my recollection he just made it clear he was going to win the bid. He said something to the effect of "I will continue bidding." 'The Apprentice had just started and he was that persona - very confident, very authoritative.' About 40 people - lawyers and Florida real estate types - packed into the room. Rather than a courtroom, it was a banal space in the offices of a medical company. The auction itself was the culmination of a lengthy battle for control of Maison de l'Amitie. According to the bankruptcy trustee Epstein and Trump had both already lobbied hard to buy it. The insider said the starting price had been 'about $20 million.' Epstein, his bids relayed by an intermediary, went all the way up to $38.6 million before finally dropping out. A third bidder, another Florida developer, then made a surprise entry. Trump was undeterred and outbid him too with an offer of $41.35 million. The third bidder did not return a request for comment. Another intriguing aspect of Maison de 'l'Amitie may have spurred Epstein's intense interest in it. It had once been owned by the Victoria's Secret fashion mogul Les Wexner. Epstein had started managing Wexner's money in the late 1980s. It was through Wexner that Epstein acquired his massive mansion in Manhattan, a seven-story, 21,000 square foot behemoth less than a block from Central Park. Wexner sold his entire interest through which he owned the Manhattan property to an entity owned by Epstein in 1998. Wexner later severed all connections with Epstein and said he was 'embarrassed' by his former ties to someone who was 'sick, so cunning, so depraved.' Previously, in 1988, Wexner had sold Maison de l'Amitie to Gosman for $12 million. Gosman built a 64,000 square foot home with a pool house and tennis pavilion, and filled it with expensive works of art before declaring bankruptcy. After winning the auction for it in 2004, Trump told the Palm Beach Daily News: 'My initial feeling is to utilize the existing house and create the second greatest house in America, Mar-a-Lago being the first. 'It's the finest piece of land in Florida and probably in the U.S..' A few years later he hired Karen Todd, the winner of season 3 of 'The Apprentice,' to oversee upgrades to the property. In 2008 Trump sold the property for a Palm Beach record residential price of $95 million to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking. That year, when asked about Epstein, Trump said he had not spoken to him since about 2004. He said: 'Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. 'I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan.' The White House has since indicated that the falling out was to do with Epstein being a 'creep' rather than the property auction. This week, White House spokesman Steven Cheung said: 'The fact is that the president kicked him (Epstein) out of his club for being a creep.' It has been reported that Epstein behaved inappropriately with a Mar-a-Lago member's daughter. That may have added steel to Trump's determination to crush Epstein in the auction, and to declare victory in what would prove to be their final encounter.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brazil judge rejects Maersk request to alter $1 billion port auction
By Luciana Magalhaes SAO PAULO (Reuters) -A Brazilian judge has rejected a request by Danish shipping group Maersk to suspend a bidding process for the Tecon 10 terminal at Brazil's Port of Santos pending its call for a review to allow firms already operating there into the first phase. Maersk filed a lawsuit last month against Brazil's marine transport authority (Antaq), calling for corrections to the bidding process to build and run the new megaterminal at Latin America's largest port, as first reported by Reuters. Incumbent companies are barred from the first round of bidding for the contract for the terminal, which is expected to require 5.6 billion reais ($1.0 billion) of investment. Judge Paulo Cezar Neves Junior said he did not see any illegality in the way the marine authority designed the auction and noted that Brazil's federal audit court is also analyzing the bidding process. He therefore denied Maersk's injunction request, citing the absence of an imminent risk that would warrant judicial intervention. In a statement, Maersk said on Wednesday that the ruling, issued on Tuesday, referred to a request for a new public consultation and did not cover its questions over the guidelines barring incumbent operators from the auction's first phase. The company said it would consider an appeal and other "appropriate measures". According to the current bidding rules, if no valid proposals are received in the first phase of the auction, operators of existing container terminals at Santos can bid in subsequent rounds, provided they divest their other holdings in the port complex. The marine authority did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The restrictions clear the path for new companies, including Asian rivals or local players such as JBS Terminais, the recently established port operating unit of Brazilian meatpacker JBS. JBS Terminais declined to comment on the matter.
CNA
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
COE premiums for cars mostly unchanged; prices up for commercial vehicles and motorcycles
SINGAPORE: Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums closed mostly higher in the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday (Jul 23). For Category A cars, or those 1,600cc and below with horsepower not exceeding 130bhp, premiums closed at S$101,102 (US$79,115), unchanged from the last exercise. Premiums for larger and more powerful cars in Category B fell slightly to S$119,101 from S$119,600. COEs for commercial vehicles, which include goods vehicles and buses, rose to S$68,600 from S$66,689 in the previous bidding exercise. Motorcycle premiums closed at S$9,511, up from S$9,389 in the last exercise. Open category COEs, which can be used for any vehicle type but end up being used mainly for large cars, rose to S$120,000 from S$118,500. A total of 4,480 bids were received, with a quota of 3,059 COEs available.
The Sun
20-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Leeds United ready to sell Emile Heskey's relative in £10m deal to raise money for Rodrigo Muniz transfer
LEEDS want a bidding war for forward Mateo Joseph. The Elland Road club are after £10million for the 21-year-old Spain Under-21 striker. 3 3 3 That was proving too rich for Real Betis but fellow LaLiga side Celta Vigo are in the mix, armed with cash from the sale of Fer Lopez to Wolves. Leeds need to boost their kitty to make a new bid to land Fulham's Brazilian hitman Rodrigo Muniz, 24. Joseph's father is a cousin of former England striker Emile Heskey, but despite his dad's English family, Joseph was born in Spain. The 21-year-old grew up in Santander, where he joined the academy of LaLiga 2 outfit Real Racing Club. After impressing in their youth set-up, Joseph left home at just 13 to move to the city of Barcelona and join the academy at Espanyol. The centre-forward spent six years with the Catalan club before leaving Spain for Leeds United when his deal with Espanyol expired in 2022. Since joining Leeds, the 21-year-old has been a mainstay in the team. Last season, he played 39 Championship games, scoring three goals as Leeds secured promotion back to the Premier League. But promotion means they must now invest heavily and are looking to cash in on the Spain Under-21 striker to fund other deals. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK They have been strongly linked with Fulham's Brazilian hitman, Muniz, and even though the player is open to a move, they must meet Fulham's £50million asking price. In the last two seasons, all six teams promoted from the Championship faced relegation, and Leeds manager Daniel Farke is determined to build a team that avoids the same fate. They have already agreed a deal for £17.4m with Hoffenheim midfielder Anton Stach.
