IN MIAMI – Op Trump National Doral Golf Resort in Miami, it’s the gift shop that perhaps best captures Donald Trump’s trajectory from real estate mogul to political juggernaut.


A large black-and-white portrait of the Republican presidential candidate hangs above the entrance, with the finger pointed at the viewer, above signed copies of his 1987 book. The art of negotiationsold for $1,000 (£773) each.


Various covers of Time magazine with him on either side, including one that read: “The Apprentice is a television hit!” that was it turned out to be fake in 2017. Despite the publication requesting its removal – and it has several other real options to choose from – the fake version remains visible.


Among the vast collection of golf accessories, apparel and Maga merchandise, there are two things customers can’t get enough of. The first, a $45 putter cover featuring a leathery version of Trump’s face with a quiff of fake hair that the staff said regularly sells out.


The second, a black and gold Make America Great Again hat, worn by Elon Musk when he proclaimed himself “Dark maga” at a recent meeting in Butler, Pennsylvania. It was previously the site of an assassination attempt on Trump’s life.


It retails for $60, has already sold out three times and is currently out of stock, suggesting Musk is emerging as a powerful force in the Trump universe.


Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, speaks during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The best-selling hat in which Elon Musk declared himself ‘Dark Maga’ suggests he could become an even more powerful force in Trump’s campaign (Photo: Alex Brandon)

Trump is fake Time the cover appears next to authentic copies, despite requests to remove it. (Photo: Victoria Craw/i)

I’m at the Trump National Doral Resort to play golf — the 78-year-old’s favorite hobby and the cornerstone of his eponymous empire — ahead of Tuesday’s election, when he hopes to emerge victorious Kamala Harris and win a second term as president.


Despite once being a high-profile swing state, Florida always has been steadily moving in the right direction since 2016 and is now the center of gravity of Trump’s family and business affairs.


The shift south from New York has been hastened by Covid, his 2020 election loss and lawsuits against the magnate and his organization. He has been found guilty on misdemeanor charges for hush money payments, and his organization has been fined $450 million fraudulently inflating the value of real estate.


Trump’s South Florida resorts are the crown jewels of his business, alongside more diverse investments such as cryptocurrency and social media. A Reuters analysis of Trump’s court and tax records and other financial disclosures shows that they are becoming increasingly important to his total revenues.


The most important of these is his private home Mar-a-Lago, also known as the ‘Winter White House’. The private members club is expected to earn Trump $24 million in cash by 2024, according to Reuters analysis.


There are also members-only golf clubs in Jupiter and West Palm Beach — where Secret Service agents found the butt of a gun through the bushes in a second alleged attempt on Trump’s life in September by Ryan Routh. He denies the accusations. They are expected to bring in $8.4 million and $10.4 million respectively this year according to the same estimates.


And then there’s Doral, the only golf resort and hotel open to the public where visitors can get a piece of the Trump brand. Membership costs $100,000 for an “initiation fee” and $17,000 per year – an eye-watering sum, but by no means the highest by Florida standards. Trump is expected to make $10.5 million in cash this year.


Doral (Victoria Craw/inews)
Immaculate gardens and beautiful weather at Doral greet visitors wanting a piece of the Trump brand (Photo: Victoria Craw/inews)

DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 17: A building is seen on the grounds of the Trump National Doral golf resort, owned by US President Donald Trump's company, on October 17, 2019 in Doral, Florida. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney today announced that the resort will host the Group of Seven meeting between the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Italy and the EU, and that this will take place in June 2020. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The National Doral golf resort is the only place in Florida where the public can play Trump’s courses (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty)

A ‘unique’ swing and athletic style


“When you hit a golf ball for the first time, your heart is like”… my golf buddy from Florida imitates fireworks with his hands and pretends to melt.


As a novice, I’m intrigued. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m learning the basics of grip, stance and swing. A few “smells‘ later I connect with the ball with a satisfying thud that immediately shows what’s so addictive about the game.


It’s the complexity that makes golf so endlessly interesting and challenging, I’m told. The game teaches honesty, discipline and personal responsibility, according to former President George W. Bush.


It requires power, precision and a ‘golf IQ’. That plus a few hours of wandering around in the sultry Florida sun? There is no “very stable genius‘ to see the appeal.


Numerous presidents have played golf, with Bill Clinton even claiming to have improved his disability while in office. But Trump is synonymous with the sport. He played about the same number of rounds as Barack Obama did during his time in office – 300 to Obama’s 333 – but in half the time.


Immediately He is ranked with a handicap of 2.8 as the best golfer among presidents and is often depicted with his white polo tucked in and the red Maga hat on, zooming around his Florida properties in a buggy. Earlier this year, he was caught on video talking to locals about Joe Biden as a “broken pile of nonsenseand calling Kamala Harris “pathetic.”


Those who have seen him play say he has an athletic style with a “unique” swing and “unusual” putt. The consensus seems to be: it probably shouldn’t work, but it does.


DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 27: Former U.S. President Donald Trump plays a shot on the driving range during a pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 27, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
Donald Trump has an ‘unusual’ swing according to experts who analyzed it online (Photo: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty)

At Doral, the lush grounds are immaculate, with palm trees, manicured greens, lakes and four golf courses to choose from. But inside the resort, visitors get the full Trump experience.


This is luxury as envisioned by an ’80s real estate mogul with a penchant for Republican-style Americana.


The decor weaves Trump’s signature aesthetic—huge marble slabs, gilded fixtures and ornate gilt frames—with generous doses of the American flag and references to the Constitution. It combines the personal and the presidential in a way that makes it difficult to remember a time when Ethics experts urged Trump to divest his family businesses while running for high office.



In the lobby, a gold statue of an American eagle with a series of arrows in its beak sits atop a signed copy of the Constitution. Elsewhere hangs a portrait of Trump’s face made from bullet casings used by police and law enforcement by a Brazilian artist.


The Champions Bar, where Trump regularly visits to sign Maga hats, has the atmosphere of a gentlemen’s club and a sports bar. Chesterfield style chairs are covered in a fabric that may or may not be real leather. The menu includes Philly cheese steaks, Cuban sandwiches and a burger with Trump’s name on the bun.


Regular employees who say they enjoy working there play ESPN on the three TVs to keep the atmosphere light. Their name tag shows the country they come from, including Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Peru.


Majestic Hospitality CEO Chris Henry, whose company consults on new hotel developments, said it was a “bizarrely American situation” to have someone so intertwined with their business while also running for president.


He said a typical hotelier might have been able to put a little more distance between himself and the brand, but it showed that Trump’s business is “smart” as he is able to keep his clubs in the news by selling them as a private individual and public personality.


TOPSHOT - Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Doral, Florida, on July 9, 2024. (Photo by Giorgio Viera / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump has held rallies and rallies in Doral during his campaign (Photo: Giorgio Viera/AFP)

“It’s an interesting situation he’s put himself in,” Mr. Henry said, adding that his club appealed to people who loved Trump’s “cult of personality” as well as “affluent” loyalists and the “nouveau riche.”


He added: “It definitely cuts both ways. On the other hand, I think there are others who want nothing to do with it – they think it’s nonsense, ostentatious, despicable. It is a very unique situation.”


Trump Doral has been contacted for comment.



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