More- a-lago fee doubles
Donald Trump’s luxury resort in Florida is making the most of his leap into the White House by doubling its initiation fee to $200,000, it was reported Wednesday.
The price hike at Mar-aLago in Palm Beach took effect on Jan. 1, less than two months after Trump’s defeat of Hillary Clinton, according to CNBC.
A Reuters report said the increase occurred in two phases — from $100,000 to $150,000 in June, and then to $200,000 this month.
The timing raised red flags for a government watchdog.
“It sure looks like he’s using the presidency to line his pockets,” said Jordan Libowitz of the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, DC.
One source told The Post the steep fee hasn’t dissuaded the Trump faithful or those just eager to hobnob with the president.
“The applications are skyrocketing,” said the source.
The price jump comes as Secret Service security costs at the club are likely to mount to safeguard Trump, the members and the spacious waterfront property.
Trump is expected to use the resort as a winter retreat away from DC and New York.
The initiation fee had been $100,000 since 2012, when it was cut from $200,000.
People close to the resort told CNBC that price reduc- tion came after memberships fell during the Bernie Madoff scandal, which claimed many wealthy Palm Beach residents as victims.
On top of the initiation fee, members pay $14,000 a year in dues and have to spend at least $2,000 a year on food.
The resort includes a beach club, pools, restaurant, tennis courts and a 20,000-squarefoot ballroom that Trump built for events.
A Trump golf course is nearby.
The president resigned as CEO of the Trump Organization, and the firm is now run by his two oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.
While the company has said it will stop any new deals overseas, it is continuing to expand in the US.
The CEO of Trump Hotels announced the firm is looking to triple the number of luxury operations it runs in American cities.
“There are 26 major metropolitan areas in the US, and we’re in five,” Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger said at a conference in LA, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday.
The company manages or owns eight hotels in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami and Washington, DC.
Danziger said the company is considering opening new hotels in Dallas, Seattle, Denver and San Francisco.
The Trump Organization and Mar-a-Lago declined to comment.