Neighbors cite old deal to oust Trump

Of: Wolfgang Hansson

Published: January 26, 2021 at 11:28 p.m.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA. Not everyone is happy to have former President Donald Trump as a neighbor.

Some of them try to use an old deal to force him out of Mar-a-Lago.

– They have a real rise, says political reporter Antonio Fins. Trump has won many desperate legal battles here in the city.

When Donald Trump converted Mar-a-Lago from his winter home into a private club in 1993, the municipality was not particularly pleased. Palm Beach is one of the most exclusive residential areas in the United States, where the billionaires of neighbors do not want any commercial activity.

To enforce his will, Trump had to sign an agreement that allows him to live in the property no more than 21 days a year. The same applies to those who are members of the private club.

Photo: JERKER IVARSSON

Antonio Fins is a reporter for the local Palm Beach Post.

No one has cared so much about the deal during the Trump presidency. But now that she has signed up and apparently intends to live permanently in Mar-a-Lago for at least half the year, several neighbors have soured and filed a lawsuit.

– During the years that Trump has been president, there has always been an undercurrent from some neighbors that they do not want him and his club there, says Antonio Fins in the local Palm Beach Post newspaper, which in recent years has been responsible for coverage of Donald Trump.

Outwardly, they were silent. But now that he is no longer president, they dare to challenge him.

We are sitting at Antonio Finn’s villa in a gated community about an hour’s drive from West Palm Beach. Today, he does much of his work from home due to the pandemic. Like many other journalists from the local newspaper.

Fear the followers

The newspaper has spoken with several of the residents who have filed the lawsuit, but so far they have chosen to appear only anonymously.

– They do not fear Trump but fear harassment from his followers.

Aftonbladet has sought out the attorney who is prosecuting the neighbors’ case, but declined to comment.

Conflicts seem to follow the real estate billionaire wherever he goes. This is far from the first time that Trump has confronted local authorities.

– Over the years, Trump has fought over everything, says Fins. He has sued the municipality on everything from installing a tall flagpole to access to the airport that runs over his property. If you look at the laws and regulations that exist, you should have lost many of the disputes. However, he almost always wins. So I think it will be a real climb for those who want to remove the former president of Mar-a-Lago.

When we visit Mar-a-Lago, it’s easy to see why Trump’s presence there can be irritating. In the water out front are high speed boats equipped with Coast Guard weapons and prevent all boats from approaching the property from the sea side.

Outside the main entrance are heavily armed police officers and the Secret Service. The street closest to Trump’s club is cordoned off with concrete bristles, making it difficult for neighbors to access their properties.

We walked through Palm Beach along the beach to Trump’s property. The beach is public, so the Secret Service has a harder time blocking it.

Do you want to see him in jail?

But the solid signs next to the fence surrounding the property say it’s a 100 percent ID check to be able to enter from the beach.

Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection for life, but the guard will be significantly reduced now that he is no longer president.

A man in a picket shirt and shorts descends from one of the houses not far from Trump’s club. He is barefoot. It turns out to be a Danish businessman from New York who bought a place here to retire.

-I know some neighbors don’t like Trump’s presence, but so far it hasn’t bothered me, he says. So far, Trump has been primarily in Washington. It is possible that more people are against him now that he will live here permanently with all the vigilance that he is.

The businessman himself has not seen Trump in Palm Beach.

– I don’t think it’s directly the type that goes down to the beach and takes a dip.

When I ask Antonio Fins to describe the attitude of the locals to the fact that Trump has moved to the municipality, he breaks out into a wide smile.

– As always with Trump, the population is deeply divided. I don’t think there is a single person in Palm Beach County who doesn’t care. Conservatives love that you moved here. Democrats hate him and prefer to look like him in jail and not have him as a neighbor.

Political office opens

Fins describes Trump’s club as an important part of the social scene in the area, but paradoxically somehow lost influence during his time as president.

– After the 2017 Charlottesville protests when a woman was killed by a right-wing extremist who drove her car into a crowd, there were around 20 high-profile organizations, including the Red Cross, that stopped having their donation events at the club. The president’s statement on the facts distanced himself by saying “there are good people on both sides.”

The assault on the Congress building a few weeks ago has not directly contributed to strengthening Trump’s brand or reducing threats to him.

Fins believes that the words of the Secret Service will weigh heavily when the municipality has to decide whether to invoke the old agreement that Trump can only live in Mar-a-Lago for 21 days a year.

– For the Secret Service, the property with all access roads is easy to monitor. I think they are very happy if Trump stays there.

The former president also announced yesterday that he intends to open an office in Palm Beach to further push his administration’s agenda. A clear sign that you intend to remain active in politics and that you have no intention of being forced to leave.

Published: January 26, 2021 at 11:28 p.m.