Donald Trump and Mar-a-lago have a long and strong connection. The private club is owned by Trump - who also resides on the premises. The ultra-exclusive place is a unique property located in the heart of Palm Beach. It is one of the world’s most celebrated private clubs, according to its website, and hosts many celebs, politicians and high-profile figures.
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In the investigation of his 4 ongoing cases, the FBI has executed a search warrant to raid Trump's Palm Beach resort and seized over 33 boxes, reports Town and Country Magazine. Trump often likes to call Mar-a-lago his ‘Winter White house’ which he bought for $5 million in 1985. As the owner of the property, Trump and his family often visit it and the place is filled with staff members.
A former staff member at Mar-a-Lago, Ashleigh Sasson, worked at the resort for three seasons between 2016 and 2018. She has recently revealed the one unspoken rule that she noticed the members of the Trump family had.
The unspoken rule of the Trump family
According to Newsweek, in her tenure as a server at Mar-a-Lago, Ashleigh has waited on many high-profile people, celebrities and, of course, the Trump family. She shared that she found former president Donald Trump - whose recent court behaviour is regarded as absurd - to be ‘very professional, always smiling, kind, and generous.’
Ashleigh revealed that she spent a lot of time with his children - Eric, Lara, Donald Jr., Ivanka and also their families. Being a server at the resort, the former Mar-a-Lago employee noticed that the Trump family never checked their bills. The South Florida native claims that it was like an unspoken rule that ‘the family did not see their checks.’
The only time the Trump family would check their bills, especially Donald Jr., was to see how many push-pops Chloe had that day. Chloe is the fifth child and second daughter of Donald Jr. and Vanessa. Reportedly, she was a fan of push-pops and 'Shirley-Temples' with extra cherries. Ashleigh added that although the Trumps never saw their checks, they were very gracious with their gratitude in the form of verbal appreciation and respect. When it came to tipping, only the former president showed money at the property to show his generosity and gratitude.
Ashleigh’s observations on the Trump family
In her time at the private club, Ashleigh noticed that Donald Jr., Eric and Lara’s children would often spend time at The Beach Club for the casual dining experience. They enjoyed burgers, grilled fish sandwiches and fries along with self-serve soft-serve ice cream and an ice box filled with assorted ice creams. Meanwhile, Ivanka, Jared, and their immediate family ate healthy and kosher. The Jared salad - inspired by Mr. Kushner - was his go-to at The Beach Club.
Recalling her time at the club, Ashleigh also spoke about an incident where Donald Jr. - who once made a baffling request while testifying for his father - helped a paraglider get his board back. She explains that once, the staff members saw a paraglider take a bad dip in water and get washed up after losing his board, Don Jr. swam out to get the guy’s board and returned it to him. Trump’s youngest son Barron - who would have been a kid around that time - was often spotted kicking his soccer ball around the entire property with his grandmother - Mrs Amalija Knavs. She mostly followed him around the resort.
Donald Trump’s history with Mar-a-Lago
When Trump bought the house in 1985, he paid an additional $3 million for Post's antiques and furniture. In 1995, he turned Mar-a-lago into a private club and built a 20,000-square-foot ballroom with $7 million in gold leaf. However, the former president has never seen eye-to-eye with locals over his plans at Mar-a-lago.
He first fought with the town over the size of its American Flag. The original was installed in 2006 on an 80-foot pole. However, the Palm Beach ordinances forbade flag poles to be higher than 42 feet. The suit saw him ultimately switch to a smaller flag posted on a 70-foot pole and donated $100,000 to veterans' charities instead of paying the fine.
Over the years, Trump has made Mar-a-lago a profitable business. In 2014, he made $15.6 million from the club and, in 2022, he made $21.4 million. It is also reported that Trump banned infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after he tried to make a move on the teenage daughter of a staff member.
All of Donald Trump’s children and his grandchildren
Donald Trump has been married 3 times and has 5 kids from all his wives. Ivana Trump and Marla Maples are his ex-wives and his current wife is Melania Trump. Trump has three children from Ivana - Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka, one from Marla - Tiffany and one from Melania - Barron. Out of these 5, 4 often spent time at Mar-a-lago with their families. Let’s get to know them here:
Donald John Trump Jr.
Don Jr. was born on Dec. 31, 1977, and is Trump’s eldest child. He was married to Vanessa Haydon from 2005 to 2018. The couple have five children: Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe, reports People Magazine. Don Jr often spent a lot of time at Mar-a-lago with his family.
Ivana Marie “Ivanka” Trump
The second child of Trump has been married to Jared Kushner since October 2009. Born on Oct. 30, 1981, and raised in N.Y.C., Ivanka joined her family’s real estate business and forged her own career path. She has three kids - Arabella, Joseph and Theodore. The entire family ate kosher meals at the resort.
Eric Frederick Trump
Eric was born on Jan. 6, 1984, in N.Y.C. and ended up marrying TV producer and Fox News contributor - Lara Yunaska - in 2014. They have two children together - Eric and Carolina. Eric and his family are also understood to be frequent guests at Mar-a-lago.
Barron Trump
The youngest of Trump’s children and the one child who may break his family’s tradition also frequently visited Mar-a-lago. He was still a kid when Ashleigh worked at the resort, he was often seen playing soccer in the resort as his grandmother followed him around.
Tiffany Ariana Trump
Marla and Trump’s only daughter Tiffany is kept out of the public eye. Marla raised Tiffany as a single mother while Trump provided for her education. Tiffany is a lawyer and stays out of Trump’s organisation.
Read More
⋙ Barron Trump: Donald and Melania's son has always led a lavish lifestyle
⋙ Donald Trump's hush money case is putting the spotlight on marriage with Melania
Sources Used
Newsweek: I Worked at Mar-a-Lago. There Was an Unspoken Trump Family Rule
Town & Country Magazine: A History of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's Palm Beach Home
People Magazine: Donald Trump’s Family Tree: All About His Parents, Siblings, Wives and Children
