The inside story of how President Donald Trump became king of Palm Beach, and how Palm Beach, and the resort Mar-a-Lago, continue to be his spiritual home even as president. "To know Donald J. Trump it is best to start in his natural habitat: Palm Beach, Florida. It is here he learned the techniques that took him all the way to the White House. Painstakingly, over decades, he has created a world in this exclusive tropical enclave where he is not just a president but a king. The vehicle for his triumph is Mar-a-Lago, one of the greatest mansions ever built in the United States. The inside story of how he became King of Palm Beach--and how Palm Beach continues to be his spiritual home even as president--is rollicking, troubling, and told with unrivaled access and understanding by Laurence Leamer. In [this book], the reader will learn: * How Donald Trump bought a property now valued by some at as much as $500 million for less than three thousand dollars of his own money. * Why Trump was blackballed by the WASP grandees of the island and how he got his revenge. * How Trump joined forces with the National Enquirer, which was headquartered nearby, and engineered his own divorce. * How by turning Mar-a-Lago into a private club, Trump was the unlikely man to integrate Palm Beach's restricted country club scene, and what his real motives were. * What transpires behind the gates of today's Mar-a-Lago during "the season," when President Trump and assorted D.C. power players fly down each weekend. In addition to copious interviews and reporting from inside Mar-a-Lago, Laurence Leamer brings an acute and unparalleled understanding of the society of Palm Beach, where he has lived for twenty-five years. He has written an essential book for understanding Donald Trump's inner character."--Dust jacket.

Trump's Palm Beach -- Fantasy Island -- Estate sale -- Tabloid prince -- "Is that all there is?" -- The forbidden city -- "A t-bone in a kennel" -- The promises of life -- The contest -- A proper president -- The apprentice -- Trumped again -- The candidate -- The Sun King -- Games of chaos -- "The president!!! The great president!!!"