Mar-a-Lago: Inside Trump's 'winter White House'

CTV News Channel: Inside Trump's Fla. estate Author Laurence Leamer discusses the history of the historic Palm Beach estate, and the members who have lots of money.

Donald Trump’s “winter White House,” also known as Mar-a-Lago, is regularly making headlines as the U.S. president takes regular weekend retreats at the exclusive Florida club property, even hosting a foreign leader and holding an impromptu briefing in plain sight.

The estate, which Trump purchased in 1985, is currently a members-only club that, according to its website, is the “crown jewel” of Palm Beach. The sprawling property features a golf course, swimming pool, beauty salon and spa, championship tennis courts and two retail outlets.

Since becoming president, Trump has taken to calling the property his “winter White House,” which is actually what the original owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post, intended when she bequeathed the property to the U.S. government.

The cereal magnate and socialite built the estate in the 1920s. Following Post’s death in 1973, Mar-a-Lago was willed to the U.S. government with the intention that it be used as a winter White House for U.S. presidents and other dignitaries, says Laurence Leamer, author of “Madness Under the Royal Palm: Life and Death Behind the Gates of Palm Beach.”

But Leamer said that then-president Jimmy Carter “didn’t want it,” so the property sat there, “basically mothballed.”

“Trump bought it at a bargain-basement price, just the way he does with so many things,” Leamer said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “He was having trouble financially, and he turned it into a club.”

Now U.S. president, Trump is still making significant use of the resort.

Earlier in February, Trump played host to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, sparking a debate over a possible conflict of interest and presidential business expenses, not to mention concerns over security as the two world leaders held private discussions in plain sight.

On Tuesday during a White House press briefing, Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer denied reports that in front of guests at Mar-a-Lago, Trump and Abe had received a briefing on classified information related to North Korea.

“(Trump) followed every procedure that’s laid out,” Spicer said, adding news outlets reporting anything differently were jumping to conclusions.

After Trump spent a third-straight weekend at the Florida resort since his inauguration, Politico reported that Trump played a full round of golf with professional golfer Rory McIlroy on Sunday. That, despite Trump chiding Barack Obama for spending too much time on the golf course during his presidency.

Despite questions his frequenting Mar-a-Lago as president, Leamer says the “good thing” Trump did with the resort was open club membership to everyone, regardless of race or religious background.

However, since Trump took office, the pricey membership has doubled, to $200,000.

But does having a membership now give people access to Trump’s inner circle? Leamer said that, prior to Trump becoming president, “he’d be there, he’d greet people. He was very nice, if you wanted your picture taken with him, he was a very genial guy.”

“He’s accessible there,” Leamer added. “It’s unheard of for a president to be that way.”

Leamer said he’s surprised Trump still makes use of the estate at all.

“I thought there was no way, as president, (Trump) would stay in this club, with all those members there. But that’s what he’s doing.”

Leamer said that current members have likely had to adjust to a higher level of security and the presence of the Secret Service.

“But it’s exciting to have the president around, no question about it,” he said.