The extended holiday lame duck president Donald Trump is taking at his Mar-a-Lago club did not start off well, as Trump was reportedly angered by the renovations his third wife, Melania, made to the private residence, CNN reports.
Trump, who is not legally allowed to use Mar-a-Lago as a permanent residence, immediately began berating staff and management about the updates as soon as he walked into the 3,000 square foot private apartment at the club, sources say.
Apparently, Trump was not happy with the design choices made by the Third First Lady and her interior decorator, Tham Kannalikham, and he took it out on the employees of the establishment.
“He was not happy with it,” the source, who noted several loud, one-sided conversations with club management almost immediately ensued, told CNN.
Trump ordered some of the newly-made renovations, including light marble and dark wood, removed. Staff took them out immediately.
After undermining the coronavirus relief bill and the omnibus spending bill, and vetoing the Defense Authorization Act, Trump arrived for the Christmas holiday angry and upset, a status exacerbated by the new decor.
He didn’t mingle with guests as he typically does during the holiday weekend, appearing “moody” and staying behind closed doors in the private section of the club. On Sunday, he came out alone to have dinner with his son, Junior, and Junior’s current concubine, Kimberly Guilfoyle. Melania was not seen.
“The vibe is off,” another source at Mar-a-Lago told CNN of this Christmas compared to previous ones.
Although Mar-a-Lago is not properly permitted to have a permanent residence on it by local ordinance, Trump has declared he will live there when his term expired January 20th at noon.