Where will Donald Trump spend Thanksgiving? Odds are he'll be in Florida
For President-elect Donald Trump, who has many options when it comes to where to spend a major holiday, there is really only one choice for Thanksgiving: his beloved Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.
Trump has long made Mar-a-Lago his Thanksgiving destination.
Thanksgiving week traditionally marked his first extended stay at the beginning of Palm Beach's social season, though he has spent increasingly more time at Mar-a-Lago year-round since he and Melania Trump declared Palm Beach their permanent residence in 2019. Before that, their permanent residence was in Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Emails to Trump's team seeking confirmation of the president-elect's Thanksgiving plans were not returned by Tuesday morning. But all indicators point to Trump staying at Mar-a-Lago through at least this weekend.
Trump diverted from his record of celebrating Thanksgiving Day at his estate twice during his presidency — first in 2019. While he spent some of Thanksgiving week at Mar-a-Lago that year, he traveled on Thanksgiving Day to make a surprise visit to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where he spoke to service members, served Thanksgiving dinner and sat to eat with members of the military, according to news reports at that time.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and on the heels of his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump opted to remain at the White House for Thanksgiving. That year, he began his Thanksgiving Day by playing golf at his Virginia club and then calling members of the military serving overseas.
Following his departure from the White House, Trump returned to his Thanksgiving tradition of spending the week at Mar-a-Lago. In the past, he has been joined by his children and grandchildren.
What does Mar-a-Lago serve for Thanksgiving?
While it's not known exactly what Mar-a-Lago will serve for Thanksgiving dinner this year, past years can shed some light on the menu.
In 2016, press reports said that Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago included 24 dishes, with turkey and pumpkin pie alongside leg of lamb and grilled scallops.
In 2017, the Trumps' Thanksgiving Day meal included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, baked goods, local produce and cheeses, red snapper, Florida stone crab, and desserts including cakes and pies, a White House spokesperson said at the time.
Mar-a-Lago in 2018 served a mix of traditional dishes and those with a more Florida feel: turkey, beef tenderloin, lamb, salmon, Chilean sea bass, red snapper, braised short ribs, whipped and sweet potatoes, stuffing, salad, deviled eggs, duck prosciutto, melon, Florida stone crab, oysters, jumbo shrimp and clams, news reports said.
How did Trump spend his Thanksgivings in Palm Beach?
Before his first term, those close to Trump have said he would spend part of the day at his Trump International Golf Club near Mar-a-Lago in suburban West Palm Beach, where he would play a round of golf before heading back to Mar-a-Lago for dinner and time with his family.
The three Thanksgivings Trump spent in Palm Beach as president-elect and then president also included some official business.
Trump's Thanksgiving as president-elect in 2016 included the news that Fidel Castro, the former revolutionary leader of Cuba, had died.
Trump's first Thanksgiving as president the following year included calls to U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. He also visited a local U.S. Coast Guard station.
During Trump's 2018 Thanksgiving visit to Mar-a-Lago, he threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico because of the expected of arrival of a caravan of immigrants.
While his Thanksgiving Day in 2019 was spent abroad, Trump did spend time that week in Palm Beach as he faced impeachment by House Democrats who said Trump tried to extort Ukrainian officials by withholding aid in exchange for helping to undermine Biden's candidacy. Trump held a rally in Broward County that week before leaving for Afghanistan.
Which other holidays does Trump spend at Mar-a-Lago?
Trump is known for traveling to Mar-a-Lago to celebrate three other key holidays that fall during Palm Beach's social season: Christmas, New Year's and Easter.
How long has Trump owned Mar-a-Lago?
Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985 for an estimated $10 million.
Mar-a-Lago's name means "sea to lake," representing the estate's position between the Intracoastal Waterway to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
Construction of the 17-acre estate was completed in 1927 by cereal heiress Marjorie Meriweather Post, who deeded the property to the National Park Service upon her death in 1973, with the intent that Mar-a-Lago be used as a retreat for presidents and visiting dignitaries.
However, the government gave Mar-a-Lago back to the Marjorie Meriweather Post Foundation in 1981, citing the costs of upkeep.
Also, the Secret Service and State Department did not want Mar-a-Lago to be used as lodging for presidents and dignitaries because the property was too large to properly secure. The agencies also said the estate's position under the flight path to Palm Beach International Airport made it vulnerable, according to news reports from that time.
Today, Mar-a-Lago is both a private club and Trump's home. He has made it the centerpiece of his real estate portfolio and maintained it as a National Historic Landmark, while expanding its facilities to allow more room to host weddings, fundraisers and galas.
Palm Beach Post Politics and Business Editor Antonio Fins contributed to this report.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the Paste BN Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.