Whether Donald Trump will be an effective president is unknown but there is no doubt now that he is an audacious real estate promoter. Suppose you were to buy a run down property with historical interest in Florida in 1985 and invest a bundle of money in renovating it to become an “exclusive club”. The local high society has no interest in joining and you must open the club to whoever is attracted to it. A hurricane in 2005 causes minor damage and the rising sea level makes it clear that the property on a spit on the Florida Palm Beach coast is ultimately going under water. How would you promote the property for a favorable sale?
The president- real estate promoter has options unavailable to the average developer: Spend 25 of your first 100 days there (during the Winter season when it is habitable) identifying it as the “Southern White House” for historical value. Invite world leaders from China and Japan to confer there instead of the actual White House in DC. Since local Florida investors and northeastern US investors are unlikely to be interested, investors from China or Japan are the most likely buyers. But what about the rising sea level? Just declare that “climate change is a myth”, take it out of government websites and assure potential buyers that there is nothing to worry about! What an audacious marketing strategy for an ultimately doomed property. When did President Trump realize that the rising sea level would destroy the value of the property? He started denying climate change in 2012, when the Palm Beach community was increasing funding to protect itself from rising water. So he has been anticipating this for some time. And none of this is illegal! He is entitled to own property and to visit it as other presidents have. He is entitled to entertain foreign visitors there, as Nixon did at San Clemente. And ultimately he is entitled to sell it for whatever price he can accomplish! Brilliant!
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