Mar-a-Lago's Post-Election Membership Fee Increase

2017-01-01

Mar-a-Lago's Post-Election Membership Fee Increase

unresolved

Promised: 2017-01-11At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.Open cited record · 2 sources
The record: 2017-01-01Mar-a-Lago raised its initiation fee after the election, restoring it to a level the club had charged before the recession.Open cited record · 1 source2017-01-26The club manager confirmed the fee history and cited strong demand, but the number of memberships sold at the new price was not reported.Open cited record · 1 source
Who gained: Mar-a-Lago Club
Mar-a-Lago Club
Who paid: United States public
New Mar-a-Lago members
Audit finding: unresolved
The post-election fee increase is documented and financially relevant to a Trump-owned club, but the record supports temporal association rather than a quantified office-derived profit.
Causal strength: temporal association

Evidence chronology

promise2017-01-11documented
At Trump's January 2017 press conference, counsel for the Trump Organization said the arrangement would isolate him from the business, bar new foreign deals and donate foreign-government hotel profits to the Treasury.
- Time: Read a Transcript of Donald Trump's Press Conference on Conflicts of Interest2017-01-11 · Sheri Dillon remarks: no new foreign deals, limited information rights, compliance counsel, and donation of foreign-government hotel profits
- U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Oversight Committee Requests Documents on Trump Organization's Treatment of Foreign Government Payments2017-04-21 · Bipartisan committee letter describing the January pledge and requesting implementation records
Open underlying ledger entry
action2017-01-01reported
Mar-a-Lago raised its initiation fee after the election, restoring it to a level the club had charged before the recession.
- CNN Money: Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago hikes prices as membership nears cap2017-01-26 · Club manager confirmation, fee history and effective date
Open underlying ledger entry
outcome2017-01-26reported
The club manager confirmed the fee history and cited strong demand, but the number of memberships sold at the new price was not reported.
- CNN Money: Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago hikes prices as membership nears cap2017-01-26 · Club manager confirmation, fee history and effective date
Open underlying ledger entry
limitation2017-01-26reported
The timing does not by itself establish how much revenue was attributable to Trump's office rather than market demand or restoration of a prior rate.
- CNN Money: Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago hikes prices as membership nears cap2017-01-26 · Club manager confirmation, fee history and effective date
Open underlying ledger entry

Responses, legal status, contrary evidence, and limitations

limitation
The timing does not by itself establish how much revenue was attributable to Trump's office rather than market demand or restoration of a prior rate.