Maskless Trump mingles with Mar-a-Lago guests despite Covid outbreak at Florida resort, could be fined $15K
Former President Donald Trump has retired to his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago after his White House stint. But what is he up to? Now that he is no longer in control of the country, many are wondering how the 74-year-old is spending his days. Many reported that he was recently spotted entertaining friends at Mar-a-Lago.
The Daily Mail reported that on Tuesday, March 23, he was seen wearing a full suit and yellow tie, entertaining his friends. This comes right after Trump being spotted chatting “maskless” with car collectors at a luxury auto event this weekend in Palm Beach, Florida.
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The tabloid published photos of the ex-President giving a group of people a tour of the resort while talking at length, though it was not clear who his guests were. Trump was also photographed on Sunday at Mar-A-Lago with GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who posted videos and photos of himself with Trump on Sunday to Instagram. Neither Trump nor Cawthorn could be seen with masks. In fact, A 500-person fundraiser for the charity Place of Hope is currently scheduled to go ahead on Sunday, as per reports.
While Trump schmoozing with people is hardly out of the ordinary, it also comes in the wake of some troubling news at his new home. The Mar-a-Lago club was partially closed after staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported on March 19.
According to several people, including one familiar with club operations, Mar-a-Lago had “partially closed” a section of the club and quarantined some of its workers “out of an abundance of caution.” An email was reportedly sent to members that said that service had been temporarily suspended in the club’s dining room and at its beach club because some staff members had recently tested positive. It said the club had undertaken “all appropriate response measures,” including sanitizing affected areas,” and that banquet and event services remained open. “The health and safety of our members and staff is our highest priority,” it read.
"It is clear to me that folks at Mar-a-Lago are cavalier and careless about mask-wearing," state Rep. Omari Hardy said to the press. Hardy said that he first became concerned about the club's pandemic rules "after seeing a New Year's Eve party video from Mar-a-Lago with guests not wearing masks."
In January, Palm Beach County issued a warning to Mar-a-Lago’s management after the aforementioned New Year’s Eve party that violated an ordinance requiring employees and guests to wear masks. A video of the party posted online by Donald Trump Jr. showed most of the 500 guests present did not wear masks, while rapper Vanilla Ice, Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love, and singer Taylor Dayne performed. The club was warned that future violations would result in fines of $15,000.
"I worried about the workers. They deserve to work in a safe environment,” Hardy said, adding that "there is a break down at Mar-a-Lago" when it comes to pandemic precautions. "The staff members wear masks and wash their hands, but the club management not requiring guests to observe CDC guidelines is troubling," he said. "They are basically allowing guests to endanger the health of workers."