Membership at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump’s exclusive Palm Beach club, has long been seen as a way to gain direct access to Trump himself. This access, however, is about to become significantly more expensive for new members.
In a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump touched upon various topics including his line of Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and potential political appointments. During the discussion, Trump briefly mentioned the cost of joining Mar-a-Lago.
When the club opened in 1994, the initial fee for membership was $25,000. Over the years, this fee increased to $200,000 but was halved in 2012 following the Bernie Madoff scandal, which affected many wealthy individuals in Palm Beach. By 2017, shortly after Trump assumed the presidency, the fee returned to $200,000 and has continued to climb.
Bernd Lembcke, the club’s longstanding manager, revealed that current membership fees start at $700,000—more than triple the cost during the early days of Trump’s presidency. In October, just before the upcoming election, this fee will rise by an additional $300,000.
“In October, we are increasing it to $1 million per membership because we have four memberships to sell, so we are not desperate,” Lembcke said.
Annual dues for members run just under $20,000, with total memberships capped at 500. Mar-a-Lago, occasionally referred to as the “Winter White House” during Trump’s tenure, has become a popular channel for the wealthy and influential to connect with the former president.
Robert Weissman, president of the pro-transparency group Public Citizen, commented in 2019 that Mar-a-Lago had evolved into a club where access to the president could be essentially bought, despite Trump’s limited knowledge of governmental policies.
One notable incident involved Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, a critic of the Chinese Communist Party. Initially set for deportation, Wengui’s status as a Mar-a-Lago member allegedly led Trump to cancel the deportation order. Wengui was later convicted in the U.S. of extensive fraud.
During his presidency, Trump appointed several Mar-a-Lago members to ambassador roles, including Lana Marks as ambassador to South Africa and Robin Bernstein as ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Additionally, Trump’s dentist, Albert Hazzouri, supported a proposal related to veteran care on Mar-a-Lago stationery, which Trump forwarded to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The club has also faced national security issues, including a dismissed case regarding Trump storing classified documents at the property. In 2017, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were seen discussing national security matters in view of other diners at Mar-a-Lago, with members taking photos and overhearing conversations.
At least two women have been arrested or accused of trespassing at the club. In 2019, Yujing Zhang, a businesswoman from Shanghai, was caught on the property with four cellphones, a laptop, and other electronic devices.