Inside Donald Trump’s transition as hopefuls flock to Mar-a-Lago

Donald Trump’s private residence and club Mar-a-Lago in Florida is once again the Winter White House – a place expected by West Wing candidates when the US president-elect forms a new administration. behind its luxurious doors.

While President Joe Biden will be in office until January, this part of Florida has become a rival political power center in the US.

Just two years after an FBI raid found secret documents on nuclear weapons and US spy satellites stored in a bathroom, a diverse group of insiders descended on Mar. -a-Lago, which is patrolled by robot dogs and armed guards on boats.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, rumored to be a potential energy secretary, was present on election night. The same goes for former Chief of Staff of the US Department of Defense Kash Patel.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has stood side by side with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago during family dinners and phone calls with world leaders.

Musk was photographed inside the private club with his son and on the tarmac of Palm Beach International Airport, as he moved back and forth to be by the president-elect’s side.

For those unlucky enough to receive an invitation to stay at Mar-a-Lago itself, the hotels and restaurants around nearby West Palm Beach are packed with office seekers vying for influence in the New administration and supporters celebrate Trump’s victory.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, vaccine skeptic and scion of one of America’s most famous political dynasties, hit up The Ben hotel’s chic pool bar, which has an ice skating rink Faux Christmas trees and trees welcome visitors.

Giant yellow Dobermann dog sculptures adorn the lobby and every floor outside the elevators.

He is a member of the transition team and a one-time presidential candidate vying for a role that influences health policy.

Speaking even before the election, along with former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat who switched to the Republican Party, he said: “There are people of all kinds of different ideologies and people that we will have to confront that transition group and fight for our vision.”

Also spotted at The Ben was Marjorie Taylor Greene, the outspoken Republican congresswoman from Georgia who recently blamed the Biden administration for flooding in Republican areas of North Carolina. She is said to be running for a position in the cabinet.

At The Breakers, a luxury beachfront hotel in the Italian Renaissance style, the young waiters were most impressed by a visit from Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, who joined his friend Trump on board. stage on election night, but he said he has no personal political views. aspirations.

The same cannot be said for others. One Republican insider the BBC met in the hallway said the transition was “free for all”, as different factions within the party vied for dominance.

“Trump likes to see people scrambling and falling apart.”

But insiders note with some concern that some “minimally acceptable people are starting to say they don’t want a role.”

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton has conveyed that he is not interested in working in government and would prefer a leadership position in the Senate.

Donald Trump is expected to focus less on elected officials filling senior positions.

His son, Don Jr., said in an interview on Fox News that he wanted people who “don’t think they know better” than his father and that he was willing to block anyone he thought would be a disaster.

The president-elect has been vocal about doing things differently this time around, feeling his biggest mistake in his first term as president was hiring “bad or disloyal people.”

Back in 2016, transition plans prepared by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with the outgoing Obama administration were squandered.

After Trump’s team pulled off what was considered an unlikely victory, they decided to take an unconventional approach and fire Christie.

What ensued was an Apprentice-style march of the people to Trump Tower in New York that took place in front of the cameras.

Meanwhile, news crews crowded into the lobby to photograph people going up the golden elevator to meet Donald Trump on the 26th floor.

While the world is still trying to understand what a Trump presidency will look like, influencers in Wall Street, media, politics and entertainment all seek audiences, including Bill Gates, Al Gore and even Kanye West.

This time, Trump appears to be prioritizing loyalty, tallying those who have been with him since day one.

And the world’s media were crowded onto hotel balconies, parks and beaches around Mar-a-Lago, where security was tight to fortress level.

The transition is still unusual in terms of design, but it’s so far more behind the scenes than it was in 2016.

Trump’s first appointment — Florida political consultant Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff — offered a clue that Florida’s well-built conservative political operation may be poised to repeat success Its at the White House.

Slater Bayliss, co-founder of the Florida-based lobbying firm Advocacy Partners, has worked for and against Ms. Wiles in the state’s election battles and enjoys siding with her.

“I would say, borrowing a nickname from our friends on the other side, Susie is the Iron Lady of American electoral politics.”

He said offers have flooded in from talent across the state, which was once considered “a bastion of resistance for smart conservative thinkers who love our country and want to play a role in making it more reflective of our electorate.”

Republican political consultant Max Goodman said there are predictions of a wave in Florida hitting Washington.

He expected Trump’s group to be miners in Susie Wiles’s group and in the state, where congressional and senate delegations came out early to support Trump.

“There is no hotter political farm system in the country than the state of Florida, when you have a president and the best political consultant turned chief of staff calling Florida home,” he said.

Despite having the second-largest Republican congressional delegation in the country, Mr. Goodman said Florida is “notoriously snubbed” when it comes to a seat at the leadership table.

He believes that could change with Ms. Wiles leading the race, and with key Floridians like Rick Scott likely to become Senate Majority leader and Sen. Marco Rubio vying for a spot. senior cabinet position.

One person who has already started working on the transition is Joe Gruters, who is waiting to see how it will play out.

He was co-chair of Trump’s Florida campaign in 2016 along with Ms. Wiles, then chairwoman of the state Republican Party and now a state senator.

Mr. Gruters, a self-described “loyal foot soldier,” was the only member of the Florida legislature to immediately endorse Trump’s 2024 bid and appear at Mar-a-Lago to give notice.

He was counting on Miss Wiles to bring her “battle-tested” lieutenants to Washington to take up positions.

“They know who the true believers are … and they probably have a clear idea of ​​who they’re going to put in most of these positions,” Mr. Gruters said.

Palm Beach didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump when he first emerged with his purchase of Mar-a-Lago in the 1980s.

But walking around town now, it’s clear this is Maga country – Trump-branded bikinis and hats are a common sight.

Next week, Argentine President Javier Milei is expected to travel to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump and Elon Musk.

Also next week, CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference, will hold its annual investor summit at Mar-a-Lago with tickets costing up to $25,000 (£19,350).

And it is unlikely that the southward migration will stop when Donald Trump takes office and occupies the Oval Office once again.

Florida lobbyist Slater Bayliss believes Trump will want to spend as much time in Florida as possible during his second term.

That would go some way, he said, “making Mar-a-Lago’s 62,500 square feet the most hallowed real estate in the political universe.”

With additional reporting by Pratiksha Ghildial