Here's Donald Trump's 62,500-Square-Foot Mansion. Is It Secure?

Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach

Donald Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago, is a 126-room, 62,500-square foot mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, built for businesswoman and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post between 1924 and 1927. Post was the former owner of General Foods Corporation. Mar-a-Lago means "sea to lake" in Spanish, referring to the fact the resort extends the entire width of Palm Beach, from the intracoastal to the ocean. Trump designated Mar-a-Lago his primary residence in 2019. Some say he switched his residency to Florida to avoid taxes.

History of Trump's purchase

Trump officially bought the property in 1985. His initial offer for $15 million was rebuffed, and so he bought land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean for $2 million and threatened to develop it, thereby obscuring the property's view. Ultimately he was able to acquire the entire estate for $10 million. The property has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and three bomb shelters. Trump did extensive renovations after acquiring the building, including adding a 20,000-square foot ballroom. Click or scroll to see more about Mar-a-Lago, including details of its history.

Interior of Mar-a-Lago in 1967

Prior to Trump's purchase of the property, the estate was owned by the U.S. government. Mar-a-Lago was willed to the federal government by Marjorie Merriweather Post after her death in 1973. The property was intended as a winter White House and to be used to greet foreign dignitaries. Neither then-President Richard Nixon or former President Jimmy Carter were interested. After discovering the immense requirements for the property's maintenance, the government gave it back to the Post foundation in 1981.

Is Mar-a-Lago secure?

Critics have questioned whether Mar-a-Lago is secure. Court filings from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida revealed that another person was arrested for sneaking into Mar-a-Lago where former President Donald Trump lives. Twenty five-year-old Joshua Warnock was observed entering the area on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, at approximately 12 p.m. and "walking up the pool deck staircase adjacent to the family suite." Warnock was “insisting he needed to speak with FPOTUS Trump." He was escorted off of the grounds by police after refusing to leave.

Intruder tried to access Mar-a-Lago twice to speak with Trump

Warnock, the 25-year-old intruder, then returned to Mar-a-Lago at approximately 6 p.m. where he said he “climbed up a big step” to try to connect with former president Trump a second time. Warnock’s lawyer said she had “concerns about his mental health." The case comes after Donald Trump was found to have top secret and classified documents at the luxurious resort that were accessible to members, but the club has also been infiltrated by several people, including a woman who was armed with digital spying equipment.

Classified documents found on property

Mar-a-Lago was also the location where classified documents were found after an FBI raid in August 2022. Former President Donald Trump allegedly took the documents from the White House at the end of his tenure. The former president claims that he had the right to take the documents and that he declassified them while still in office -- a suggestion that has been dismissed by former White House officials. According to the New York Times, over 300 documents were taken by Trump from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.

Trump infuriated

Trump sought a "special master" to review the documents obtained, but an appeals court eventually shut down the special master review. Trump was incensed, responding: "WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE FBI & 'JUSTICE' DEPARTMENT? THEY SEEM TO BE TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL! THERE IS, RIGHT NOW, A 'WEAPONIZATION' OF JUSTICE THE LIKES OF WHICH OUR COUNTRY HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THE TWITTER AND FACEBOOK SCANDAL HAS ALREADY PROVEN TO BE, WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN,THEIR MOST SINISTER ACT IN HISTORY. EVEN THE RINOS & THE WEAK ARE OPENLY ADMITTING THAT THE 2020 ELECTION WAS RIGGED, BUT IN A DARKER WAY THAN EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. SO MANY LIVES DESTROYED!"

Trump kept highly secret documents at resort

Donald Trump reportedly stashed some of the most highly sensitive classified information at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The former president kept at least one document describing Iran's missile program and documents detailing highly sensitive intelligence operations aimed at China, according to sources who spoke to the Washington Post. “The exceptional sensitivity of these documents, and the reckless exposure of invaluable sources and methods of U.S. intelligence capabilities concerning these foreign adversaries, will certainly influence the Justice Department’s determination of whether to charge Mr. Trump or others with willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act,” said David Laufman, a former senior Justice Department official, who worked on cases involving mishandled classified materials.

Former President Donald Trump's attempt to distance himself from classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago property got harder in February 2023 after ABC News reported that Trump's legal team submitted a folder categorized with classified material to the Department of Justice last month. The unnamed sources did not specify the type of classification or the folder's contents. However, the classified materials were found on a property at a separate location than the storage unit where initial classified material was found. Investigators also found more limited classified documents in the possession of Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence.

Trump and Melania leave the White House

Previously, former President Donald J. Trump resided in the White House. Trump and his wife, Melania, left the White House on Jan 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was inaugurated. Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration ceremony. Donald Trump switched his residency from New York to Florida in 2019. Specifically, he filed documents in September 2019 to declare himself a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, and changed his primary residence to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Trump had previously been a resident of New York for many years and owned several properties in the state, including his Trump Tower residence in Manhattan. The move to Florida was seen by some as an attempt to avoid New York's higher taxes and to appeal to his voter base in Florida, which is a crucial swing state in presidential elections.

Trump used Mar-a-Lago during his presidency

Trump routinely stayed at Mar-a-Lago during his presidency, when it functioned as a "Winter White House" and served as a place he could host traveling foreign dignitaries. The property was the site of his April 6-9 meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. It was also where he made the decision to strike a Syrian airfield. Trump also visited Mar-a-Lago at least eight times in 2018; it was also the site of his meeting with the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. During his presidency, Trump spent numerous weekends at Mar-a-Lago, often referring to it as the "Winter White House." However, after leaving office, he has made the estate his permanent residence and has continued to use it as a base for his political activities. Despite being a private club, Mar-a-Lago has attracted controversy over the years due to concerns over its security, potential conflicts of interest, and the high membership fees required for access.