Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Purchase Made Him a ‘Hero’ After Jimmy Carter’s Unexpected Presidential Decision

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Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is getting the deep-dive treatment in a new book, American Castle, written by Mary C. Shanklin. The 58-bedroom, 33-bathroom home was once considered a National Historic Landmark, but a 1970s-era president took away that prestigious title from the property and paved the path for Donald Trump to purchase it.

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The estate was originally built for General Foods Corp. heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who was considered a “longtime Democratic patroness.” (Don’t tell Donald Trump that bit of history.) The home was the site of many lavish parties during the 1920s, but Post knew that her opulent home with massive upkeep wasn’t going to be a coveted property. Florida turned down the opportunity to own the spectacular residence, so she gave it as “a gift to the people of the United States” in her will where it became a National Historic Site in 1969 and then given to the National Park Service in 1972.

Mar-a-Lago on January 11, 2018 in Palm Beach, Florida.

If Jimmy Carter hadn’t stepped in 1980 at the tail end of his administration, Americans could have kicked back on the gorgeous grounds during their Florida vacations at Mar-a-Lago. But it was Jimmy Carter who decommissioned the property because it was just too expensive for the government to run. He gave it back to the Post Foundation, who looked for a private buyer — and that’s where Donald and Ivana Trump stepped in. Instead of the land being “turned into a tacky subdivision,” Palm Beach’s city council praised the businessman for solving “a lot of problems” for the area. The local government even went as far as to say that Donald Trump “may find himself a very popular hero.”

‘American Castle’

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The $20-million sale price has a curious note from Shanklin, who revealed in the book that Donald Trump used less than $3,000 of his own money to make the purchase. (Someone might want to look into how that deal happened.) The locals don’t love Donald Trump as much as they used to because the now-designated club isn’t what they were hoping for in the neighborhood, and it’s now an alleged crime scene with the former president’s classified documents case. However, Jimmy Carter is the person Donald Trump has to thank for creating his very own “Winter White House.”

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