What Is Mar-A-Lago? Trump’s ‘Southern White House,’ His Private Florida Estate Where He Plans Interviews, Holds Meetings Despite Criticism

President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida has been dubbed the “Winter White House” by the media since his election but Trump went a step ahead to call it the “Southern White House” in a tweet Saturday, revealing that he has a number of important meetings lined up at the private resort over the weekend.

Far from being a distant relative of the actual White House in Washington, D.C., Mar-a-Lago is actually a members-only resort that the president owns in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump bought the property for $5 million in 1985, reports say, a decade after which he turned it into the private club. The estate may have also benefited from Trump’s presidential victory as the entry fee has now doubled to $200,000.

This is the third consecutive weekend that Trump is spending at the property after he was sworn in as president Jan. 20. He has also hosted world leaders like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the estate. Many, however, have raised concerns about possible security breaches after an audiotape recorded in November last year at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, was released by Politico on Saturday.

“We’re doing a lot of interviews tomorrow — generals, dictators,” Trump was reportedly heard saying in the secretly recorded tape. “You may wanna come around. It’ll be fun… We have meetings every 15, 20 minutes with different people that will form our government.”

The president also faced flak for allegedly discussing North Korea’s ballistic missile test while on a patio at Mar-a-Lago and critics argue that such slip-ups could pose threats to the national security.

Trump is reportedly interviewing candidates shortlisted for the position of national security adviser on the property over the weekend. These include former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, acting National Security Adviser retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

The president’s trips have also raised eyebrows after recent reports claimed his trips to Mar-a-Lago could be costing taxpayers almost $3 million. Ironically, Trump had criticized former President Barack Obama’s travel plans in the past, as the Air Force One costs the exchequer more than $200,000 per flying hour, according to Politico.