The president has a well documented obsession with his public image; one could say that such an obsession is what propelled him to ever run for office in the first place. He ran on the strength of his ability to persuade the members of his target audience, something that he’s said is parallel to his private business activities. There is one important difference, however — one can not simply declare bankruptcy and walk away from a public policy endeavor scot-free, as Trump has done multiple times in the private sector.
With these issues in mind, it’s likely that new reporting from CNN has revealed something that seriously irritates the notoriously volatile commander-in-chief.
Trump stayed at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort from before Christmas through New Year’s Day. In the past — even since he’s taken office — the freedom with which Trump has conducted himself while at Mar-a-Lago has caused headaches. For instance, besides the fact that it seems to some as though he sends more incendiary tweets while left more to his own devices in Florida, the club did not, going into Trump’s presidency, have the strict security that would be fitting for a part time residence of the president of the United States.
That has now — partially at least — changed, according to CNN. Now, there are such measures in place as a reported red velvet rope around the president’s table in the dining room and on the patio, besides it also being surrounded by his family members’ tables. These measures are reportedly both meant to keep those seeking to get a word in with the president away and to help with security.
This reporting is not to say that the president no longer mingles with club guests while at Mar-a-Lago. Now, however, guests are instructed not to take photos of the president, something that contrasts with the numerous photos of Trump at Mar-a-Lago that marked the opening of his presidency.
An example of this — from the time earlier this year that Trump dealt with a North Korean missile launch in full view of members of his club — is featured below.
Mar-a-Lago, since Trump took office, has become — in the description of CNN — more of a “Republican mecca” than it was in the past. Numerous organizations cancelled their events at the property in protest of the president’s lackadaisical at best response to thousands of white nationalists gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this year, skewing the population of those still at the club Republican.
The president’s businesses as a whole have taken a hit since Trump took office, with potential patrons staying away from his hotels in the face of his incendiary policies. Recently, as a sign of the lag, the Trump Organization parted ways with their prominent Manhattan hotel property.
He shouldn’t even still have any tangible financial connections to his businesses, but that’s a different story.
He has spent a significant chunk of his presidency at one of the properties that he still owns.
He has, according to NBC, spent one-third of his presidency at a property branded with his name and spent about half of his time at one of his own properties at Mar-a-Lago.
Featured Image via Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
