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Trump's Club Mar-A-Lago in Palm Bach, Florida
Photo: Douglas E. Murray / AP
Donald Trump calls it his "White House for the Winter": During his presidency, Trump spent a lot of time on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida - and could be there a lot more often after his term in office.
Some residents fear Trump could move in permanently.
Now they send a clear message to him: "We don't want you to be our neighbor".
This is reported by the Washington Post, which has the relevant letter.
Accordingly, a lawyer from the neighbors sent a letter to the Secret Service and the city of Palm Beach.
In it they write that Trump has no right to permanently reside in the facility, which is considered a private club.
They refer to regulations from the 1990s.
It was then that Trump converted the property from a private residence to a private club.
Local residents are asking the city of Palm Beach to make Trump aware of this fact.
This would avoid the "embarrassing situation" that the outgoing president would move there first, but would have to move away later, the letter says.
The move by the neighboring family could now prompt Palm Beach to comment publicly on whether Trump will be allowed to live in Mar-a-Lago after handing over office to Democrat Joe Biden in January.
At the same time, the dispute reveals a constellation that is unique in US history: an ex-president has to argue about where he will live after the White House.
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This is exactly what some neighbors do not want: Trump fans express their support from boats in front of his Mar-a-Lago property (during the election campaign in September this year)
Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
"There is absolutely no legal basis that he can use his property as a residence and club," the newspaper quoted a neighboring homeowner in Palm Beach, who had previously complained about Trump.
Trump could "not deceive and not intimidate people," said the local resident.
The current controversy stems from a 1993 agreement.
Back then, Trump's finances were in dire straits as the annual cost of running Mar-a-Lago rose to millions of dollars.
According to the agreement, club members are prohibited from spending more than 21 days a year there.
In addition, they are not allowed to stay in the private club for more than seven consecutive days.
This is to preserve the club character of the facility.
Trump originally wanted to convert them into residential units for permanent use, the newspaper said.
Before the agreement was reached, a city lawyer also assured in a public meeting that Trump would not live in Mar-a-Lago.
Trump's neighbors in Palm Beach have been complaining about the disadvantages of its presence for years.
According to the reports, they suffer from the traffic jam that occurs when Trump is there.
But even before his election as president in 2016, Trump caused displeasure because he did not adhere to the applicable rules.
For example, when he had a huge flagpole erected that violated local regulations.
In addition, Trump is said to have tried in 2018 to have a ban lifted that prevents him from building a jetty.
Neighbors feared they would be disturbed by noisy boat tours.
According to the Washington Post report, Trump's statement said that the secret service needed the new building to protect the president.
It was later said that the investor was intended for the private use of the Trump couple.
Earlier this year, Trump withdrew the motion after a Washington Post report disclosed details of the existing agreements.
According to calculations by the newspaper, Trump traveled to Palm Beach at least 30 times during his presidency and spent a total of at least 130 days in Mar-a-Lago.
According to the report, the White House and the Mayor of Palm Beach have not yet responded to questions about the neighbors' complaints.
The city has so far not made any apparent attempts to prevent Trump from living permanently on his property.
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Irishman