'Like a newly married couple': Bizarre new claims about the Trumps' life in Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump has never shied away from the spotlight, and according to a forthcoming book, he's continuing to take this approach to life at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
In Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, journalist Michael Wolff explores the post-White House lifestyle of the former president and wife Melania, and there are plenty of odd details.
RELATED: What it's really like inside Donald Trump's exclusive Mar-a-Lago club
Donald and Melania Trump pictured at a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in 2004. Getty
Wolff claims Donald and Melania will often eat at a roped-off table in the centre of a "grand dinner patio" at the Florida resort, surrounded by "50 or 60" tables of diners.
"[They are] looked at, somewhat, like zoo animals," Wolff writes, per an excerpt in The Times.
"No, no, that's not right. They are like a newly married couple: every night is a wedding at which they spend their dinner greeting friends and wellwishers."
The Trumps arrived in Florida on January 20, ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration. AP
On the evenings when Melania isn't at Mar-a-Lago, Trump will dine alone on the patio, arriving just after the other patrons have been seated.
"He appears just as the patio has filled, at which point everyone stands and applauds," Wolff writes.
RELATED: Trump's account of what Melania has been up to post-White House
The journalist also mentions a formal portrait of Trump hanging on the wall of the resort's 'Liberty Bar', depicting him as "a young man posed in tennis whites, a brilliant sun breaking through the clouds over his head".
Melania was spotted at the exclusive Mar-a-Lago Mother's Day lunch. Twitter
"[It] does not seem to be treated as a kitschy joke — there might even be some reverence attached to it," Wolff adds.
According to the book, "old-fashion club life" dominates the day-to-day schedule at Mar-a-Lago, where the Trumps are the singular residents.
"The only membership qualification now, beyond the actual cost ($250,000, up from $150,000 before the presidency, plus a hefty yearly fee), is to be an abject Trump admirer," Wolff adds.
"The only [resort] membership qualification now ... is to be an abject Trump admirer." Getty
"This may not be so much a political statement as an aesthetic one — the thrall of a super-celebrity."
The Trumps moved to their Palm Beach resort ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration as president on January 21.
In May, the couple were spotted at Mar-a-Lago's exclusive Mother's Day lunch.
Most viewed in Lifestyle
The four-year experiment that created Australia’s best sausage roll
Prince William and Kate back return to official duties with subtle nod to Prince Harry
Grace Kelly’s granddaughter engaged after decade-long romance
Aussies don’t support work from home laws, but would be reluctant to push back on return to office orders
