The cars begin lining up early in the morning to be screened by Secret Service agents under white tents near the fence that surrounds President-elect Donald Trump’s vast south Florida estate.
Famous figures such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Tesla and X owner Elon Musk pop up at breakfasts, luncheons and other social gatherings held daily at the opulent Mar-a-Lago club.
Over the weekend, Mike Love, one of the original members of the Beach Boys, performed the band’s greatest hits under an outdoor tent there as Trump, trailed by Secret Service agents, wandered through the crowd, swinging his fists to the music, according to videos posted online. At other parts of the evening, he stood next to his wife, Melania, near the pool, bobbing his head to the music.
The resort is the “Center of the Universe,” Trump declared on social media Friday, adding, “Bill Gates asked to come, tonight.” Representatives for Trump and Gates didn’t clarify if the Microsoft co-founder did indeed join the parade of figures making the trip to Mar-a-Lago.
But the president-elect’s post reflects the way his resort, where he’s largely been holed up since the election, has become a salon and celebration for his movement. For the people he’s selected for his administration — and those who seek to get jobs or curry favor with the incoming president — it’s the place to be.
Sightings of those turning up there, usually in photos posted online or in the occasional public event, offer a glimpse into the workings of Trump’s incoming White House and how he is setting priorities for office.
They are also renewing concerns about transparency as the meetings are largely shrouded in secrecy, and raising questions about how Trump benefits financially as club members seeking to influence the new administration stay and eat there.
Besides Zuckerberg, Trump has hosted other Silicon Valley executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“The top executives, the top bankers, they’re all calling,” Trump said. “It’s like a complete opposite.”
Actor Russell Brand traveled this month to the club to speak at an event, where he sat with actor Mel Gibson, former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson and others. Later in the evening, he stood by a palm tree on the lawn, listening to a bagpiper in a kilt.
Brand later posted a video to X about his experience.
“Pretty amazing,” he said. “Is this real life, or am I in a dream?”