President Donald Trump is raking in more money in membership fees at his pristine golf clubs, especially where he spends his personal time on the weekends.
New members of his Florida resort at Mar-a-Lago now have to pay $1 million, a huge escalation in price of membership.
The Wall Street Journal reported that initiation fees at his golf club at Bedminster, New Jersey, recently rose to $125,000 from $75,000, and some members have reportedly paid up to $350,000 to join.
Trump spent 31 days at Mar-a-Lago during the first 100 days of his second term, as prominent leaders of foreign countries and wealthy business figures rotated through the lavish halls to meet with him.
After Trump won the 2024 election Elon Musk stayed at the club for an extended period of time, prompting Trump to joke that he couldn’t get rid of his most famous billionaire supporter.
Other tech titans traveled to the club to pay their respects, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
Argentinian President Javier Milei and Canada’s then-Prime Minster Justin Trudeau also visited the president at the club before his inauguration.
Celebrities Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Kid Rock also made their way to the club to meet the president as well as Ted Nugent and Mike Tyson.
The main building of the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida
Actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone have passed through Mar-a-Lago, adding to it’s appeal for members
President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla
The lists of members at his clubs are not public, but real estate moguls and wealthy MAGA donors have flocked to join or at least appear as a guest to boost their political status.
Rumored or reported members of Mar-a-Lago include Thomas Peterffy, the billionaire founder of Interactive Brokers Group; Richard LeFrak, a New York real estate mogul, James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks; conservative radio host Howie Carr, and even former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
But as it closes for the season Trump is preparing to spend more time at his other club in Bedminster, New Jersey during the summer months.
Golfers gather at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.,
Supporters wait for US President Donald Trump during a Bikers for Trump event at the Trump National Golf Club
And he’s headed there for the long Memorial Day weekend alongside Melania and several of his children.
The lavish 535-acre property, located southwest of Manhattan, once served as the home of automaker John DeLorean before Trump purchased it in 2002 and built two championship golf courses.
Previously reported members of Trump’s club in New Jersey include former Yankees manager Joe Torre, former Gov. Chris Christie’s brother Todd Christie, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, real estate developer Stephen Ross, and even at one time, former President Bill Clinton.
Trump’s Washington, D.C., golf course, located in Sterling, Virginia, is also generating more business especially after the president sold his hotel in the Old Post Office building in Washington for $375 million in 2022. It is now the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
During his first term, Trump frequently hosted events at the hotel, but the club in Sterling has become his new entertaining base when he is in D.C.
When Trump officially returned to D.C. in January, he hosted a lavish pre-inauguration event for supporters at the club.
Charles Howell III of Crushers GC hits a shot during the second round of LIV Golf Bedminster at the Trump National Golf Club
Steve Lowery of the United States chips on the second hole during Round One for the 78th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C.
Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump visits the driving range, meets fans and watches Round 2 of LIV Golf Washington DC 2023
Membership fees for the DC club were reportedly $100,000 in 2016, but recent upgrades for the course may have raised the cost.
The president golfed at the Sterling course on Sunday and on Thursday he hosted a lavish ‘millionaires’ event at the club for buyers of his $TRUMP memecoin.
The D.C. location also makes it ideal for the president to spend time golfing with members of Congress.
During his first term the president hit the links with Senators Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul.
In 2023, LIV Golf hosted a tournament at the club as the president boasted of its prestige.
They use (Trump courses) because they’re the best courses. It’s pretty simple,’ he told reporters at the time, describing it has his ‘best course.’
‘It’s not even a contest,’ he said. ‘I think it’s one of the best properties anywhere in the world. You have the Potomac River.’
