Neighbours to Trump: Live elsewhere
Neighbours cite agreement, seek residence ban
Donald Trump's neighbours in Florida are taking legal action to prevent him from moving permanently to his Mar-a-lago beach residence after leaving office next month.
They sent a letter to town officials and the U.S. Secret Service this week, urging them to inform the president that he would not be allowed to move to his hotel full time, so as to “avoid an embarrassing situation” when he is forced out at a later date.
They cite an agreement signed by Trump in 1993, when he sought to turn what had been a private residence into a social club. Club members who wished to stay at Mar-a-lago could do so for no more than seven days at a time for three non-consecutive weeks.
Trump bought the 118-room mansion, built in the 1920s, for US$7 million in 1985. In 1995, he converted the home into a private club in a bid to generate revenue.
For years, residents have complained about traffic caused by the president's trips to the club, of which he has made more than 30 since 2017. They have also claimed a flagpole is in violation of local height restrictions. The letter, seen by The Washington Post, was penned by a lawyer for the Demoss family, which made its fortune selling life insurance.
“There's absolutely no legal theory under which he can use that property as both a residence and a club,” said Glenn Zeitz, a Palm Beach resident and attorney who is part of the local resistance to a post-presidency move by Trump. “Basically he's playing a dead hand. He's not going to intimidate or bluff people because we're going to be there.”
Responding to the Post's story, a spokesman for the Trump business organization, who was not authorized to speak publicly about a legal issue, stated: “There is no document or agreement in place that prohibits President Trump from using Mara-lago as his residence.”
While the president continues to publicly fight the results of the election, privately he is reported to have made plans for a move to Florida.
Trump changed his official residence last year from New York to Florida. Melania Trump, his wife, has reportedly been touring schools in the area for their son Barron, while Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, has bought a large plot on Indian Creek Island, Miami.
Meanwhile, Trump took aim at Mitch Mcconnell, the Senate majority leader, who on Tuesday warned his fellow Republican senators not to join the president's continued attempts to overturn the Electoral College results.
Trump wrote on Twitter: “Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up. Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!'”