Eric Jay Sanders
Residents around Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida residence, said they did not want him to move here after leaving office.
Residents around Mar-a-Lago on December 15 sent a request letter to Palm Beach and the US Secret Service, saying that President Trump had lost his legal right to live in Mar-a-Lago because of the early 1990s.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania at the Mar-a-Lago resort on December 31, 2019 Photo: Reuters
This legal action could force the Palm Beach administration to publicly resolve whether Trump can make Mar-a-Lago a private home as well as a legal residence.
In the request letter, the attorney representing residents around Mar-a-Lago said the administration should notify Trump that he could not use the resort as a residence.
Over the years, residents near Mar-a-Lago have repeatedly complained about problems such as traffic congestion when the US President moves here frequently.
"There is absolutely no legal basis that would allow Trump to use that place as his home and club. He is basically losing. He cannot intimidate or deceive people because we will still be staying."
President Trump has been to Mar-a-Lago at least 30 times during his term and spent at least 130 days there.
During Trump's presidency, Palm Beach also showed respect for security issues by agreeing to let him build a helipad here.
Besides the agreement from the early 1990s, many other documents also raise doubts about whether President Trump can legally live in Mar-a-Lago.
The President signed a Mar-a-Lago development concession to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Washington-based non-profit organization that works to preserve historic sites across the country.
A White House spokesperson, Trump's local attorney and Mayor Palm Beach have not yet commented on the information.
The controversy over Trump's whereabouts in Mar-a-Lago could also complicate matters with the US Secret Service, as they still have to continue defending the President after he leaves office.
Although President Trump has not openly admitted defeat, even with the electoral college's voting results, his family is said to have been preparing for a new life.
