Trump Hosted Republican Governors A Dinner At Mar-a-Lago
by Zach Everson · ForbesDonald Trump isn’t even in office yet, but a significant majority of the nation’s Republican governors have already made the trip to Mar-a-Lago.
According to Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, who led a press conference at the Winter White House last Thursday, Trump invited Republican governors to dine with him at his Palm Beach home in an effort to establish a collaborative working relationship before inauguration. Of the country’s 27 Republican governors, 22 showed up, said Gianforte of the dinner. Part of Thursday’s dinner even aired live on Fox News, with Trump fielding questions from the press while seated at the dining table.
Other governors who can check Mar-a-Lago off their bucket lists include Kay Ivey (Alabama), Mike Dunleavy (Alaska), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Arkansas), Ron DeSantis (Florida), Brian Kemp (Georgia), Brad Little (Idaho), Mike Braun (Indiana), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Jeff Landry (Louisiana), Joe Lombardo (Nevada), Tate Reeves (Mississippi), Jim Pillen (Nebraska), Kelly Armstrong (North Dakota), Mike DeWine (Ohio), Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Bill Lee (Tennessee), Spencer Cox (Utah), Glenn Youngkin (Virginia) and Mark Gordon (Wyoming). Forbes was unable to identify one governor, and spokespeople did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Of the five governors who did not attend, two were being inaugurated that day, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Phil Scott of Vermont, and another unidentified governor was delayed by snow, Gianforte said. Also absent was Kristi Noem, who is likely on her way out of the South Dakota governor’s office after Trump nominated her to be his Secretary of Homeland Security. Noem, however, is no stranger to Mar-a-Lago, having visited plenty of times before.
While Trump no doubt loves his $342 million club, all these visitors–including governors but also dozens of other political powerbrokers since the election–will likely boost Mar-a-Lago’s bottom line. Profits there already have more than doubled since the end of Trump’s first term, making it one of the top performing properties in his empire. Annual dues also reportedly have jumped 10-fold since before the 2016 elections to $1 million.
In a 2016 deposition, Trump suggested politics was the reason for the club’s success. “The manager told me recently, he said, ‘Boy, it is actually the best year we’ve ever had at Mar-a-Lago.’ And I was looking at the numbers, I said, ‘What do you attribute this to?’ He said, ‘The campaign.’”