The New York Times has found a new, intrusive to personally attack Donald Trump's individual supporters. The long expose, “How Mar-a-Lago Became the Center of Gravity for the Hard Right,” was posted on Wednesday, from New York Times reporters Karen Yourish, Charlie Smart, and David Fahrenthold. That headline was apparently not slanted enough and now reads “At Mar-a-Lago, Extremism Is Good for Business.”
The ornate ballrooms and manicured lawns of Mar-a-Lago have hosted a variety of affairs for the wealthy and connected in the resort’s nearly 100-year history: philanthropic galas, lavish banquets, society lunches. During the presidency of Donald J. Trump, who has owned the property since 1985, the club drew a paying clientele of establishment Republicans and others currying favor from the president.
But since Mr. Trump left office in 2021, Mar-a-Lago has transformed into a White House in exile and the nerve center for some of the most extreme elements of the party’s MAGA wing. This includes a nearly steady stream of promoters of conspiracy theories that include lies that the 2020 election was stolen and that the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was a federal setup.
This portrait of the company Mr. Trump keeps was assembled from a New York Times analysis of people and groups that have spent significant time and money at the resort, which has been his primary residence since his presidency ended.
In other words, the paper rounded up publicly available photos of people who dared spend too much time at the resort and named and shamed them in an article that required the work of no less than nine reporters to reveal the news that….Trump fans hang out at Mar-a-Lago!
The analysis, built on a review of videos, photos and other evidence of attendance at Mar-a-Lago, found that events hosted by ultra-right organizations and political fundraisers now dominate Mar-a-Lago’s calendar, and even officially non-political events can feel like rallies. In this gilded echo chamber, Mr. Trump enjoys unwavering devotion -- and collects the staggering price of admission.
Click through to read the comments the Times found disturbing and you might be disappointed. A sample:
A compilation of date-stamped video clips filmed at Mar-a-Lago shows the following: Matt Gaetz, in Jan. 2023, saying “Mar-a-Lago is the touchstone, it is the bedrock of the America-first populist movement”; Sebastian Gorka, in Dec. 2023, saying “The headquarters for patriots, right here”; Donald J. Trump, in May 2022, saying “This group of people right here, these are the true patriots”; a crowd chanting “U.S.A.,” “U.S.A.,” as Mr. Trump greets members of a crowd; Forgiato Blow, in March 2024, singing “Party for Donald Trump, U.S.A.”; and Ryan Garcia, in April 2024, saying “Donald Trump 2024.”
At Mar-a-Lago, conspiracy theories and fearmongering take the ballroom stage. There, the “Pizzagate” hoax, centering on outlandish claims of a pedophilia ring among prominent Democrats, is real. The 2024 presidential election is more than a political contest -- it is a struggle between good and evil.
The reporters lamented that “It wasn’t always this way,” apparently preferring the club when it was more elitist.
Political events were rare….Traditional charities began peeling away from the club in August 2017, after then-President Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides” of a violent rally to save a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Va.
Didn’t the left-leaning “fact-checkers” at Snopes finally put that old falsehood to bed last month?
The crack team found even more damning video of event attendees flattering their host, Donald Trump -- actions truly unprecedented in American history: “They tell him they love him and sing songs in his honor.”
Singing songs in honor of a president? That sounds familiar.
Since Mr. Trump left office, and as he has increasingly aligned with the extreme fringe of the Republican Party, photos posted on social media of people and events at Mar-a-Lago reflect that right-wing personalities have become more woven into the tapestry of the club.
The story’s exhaustive methodology section provides insight on how rigorously the paper patrols the parameters of acceptable debate on the right.
….Visitors were categorized as questioning the results of the 2020 election if they voted to overturn its results, made statements in public or on social media alleging massive fraud or a “stolen” or “rigged” election, or used the hashtag “#stopthesteal.”
