West Palm Beach Marine unit decides against hosting annual event at Mar-a-Lago after blowback
U.S. Marine Commandant General David H. Berger, according to Newsweek, was angry upon learning that a U.S. Marine Corps unit in South Florida had booked an event at President Donald Trump’s private resort Mar-a-Lago. And because of the controversy, the Palm Beach Post is reporting, the 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) won’t be holding the November 16 event at Mar-a-Lago after all.
The event is a celebration of the 244th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), which was founded in 1775. Berger evidently felt that holding the event at a property owned by the Trump Organization was inappropriate, and now, it appears that the celebration will be held at the unit’s quarters — which the Palm Beach Post’s Christine Stapleton described as “warehouse-like.” Instead of a gala ball, a more modest celebration will be held.
A senior officer for the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Post, “We went from dinner tables at Mar-a-Lago to picnic tables in a gymnasium. We can’t plan another ball now.”
On September 19, the Miami Herald published an article describing the South Florida unit’s plans to hold a lavish gala at Mar-a-Lago — and Berger, according to Newsweek, had a very negative reaction after finding out what the Marine Corps unit had in mind.
Mar-a-Lago was built by wealthy heiress/socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post in the 1920s and purchased by the Trump Organization in 1985.
