[Global Focus] Global Political and Business Figures Lining Up at Mar-a-Lago, the 'Second White House'

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Palm Beach, Florida, USA is emerging as a new global political and economic hub. Since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, major figures from around the world’s political and business sectors, from big tech CEOs to prime ministers of key countries, have been visiting Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, to meet with him. During his first term, Trump frequently stayed at Mar-a-Lago, calling it the “Winter White House,” but its political significance is expected to increase even more in his second term.

The New York Times (NYT) likened this series of visits to a “pilgrimage,” stating, "Some political leaders are making a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to share and learn from Trump’s winning strategy."

Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, at his Mar-a-Lago residence. Photo by Getty Images, Yonhap News.

Even ‘Enemies’ Head to Mar-a-Lago... Global CEOs’ ‘Pilgrimage’ Continues

A prime example of the impact of visiting Mar-a-Lago is TikTok. Although no concrete relief measures have been announced yet, on the 22nd of this month (local time), one month before the so-called ‘TikTok Ban Act’ (a law protecting Americans from applications controlled by hostile countries) takes effect on January 19 next year, Trump said, "I thought I’d let this guy (TikTok) be for a while." During the election campaign, TikTok recorded billions of views and proved to be very effective. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, whose US business was at risk of shutting down due to the TikTok Ban Act, stayed at Mar-a-Lago for a while and after attempting to meet with Trump, finally had a meeting on the 16th.

The joint press conference on the 16th between Trump and Masayoshi Son (Japanese name: Son Masayoshi), Chairman of Japan’s SoftBank Group, clearly demonstrated Mar-a-Lago’s stature. Originally, it was supposed to be the occasion to announce Son’s $100 billion (about 145 trillion won) investment plan in the US, but Trump poured out the core policy blueprints of his next administration, including tariffs, the Ukraine war, diplomacy, and deregulation. Also, encouraged by the visits of Akie Abe, wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Son, Trump reversed his previous stance against pre-inauguration summit meetings and sent a message of communication to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, saying, "If they (Japan) want it, we will do it."

On the 16th (local time), Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, and Masayoshi Son, Chairman of Japan's SoftBank Group, held a joint press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Notably, CEOs of major companies who were once ‘enemies’ of Trump have been visiting Mar-a-Lago. This is to clear past grudges and create a reconciliation mood. According to the NYT, on the 18th, Trump had a triangular dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.

Bezos has had a tense relationship with Trump and Musk. During Trump’s first term, he quarreled over everything from headlines in The Washington Post (WP), owned by Bezos, to Amazon’s tax issues. Bezos and Musk have long been rivals, competing for large government contracts in the space development sector with Bezos’s Blue Origin and Musk’s SpaceX. However, the atmosphere changed during this election. Bezos unusually prevented WP from publicly endorsing Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and recently donated $1 million (about 150 million won) for Trump’s inauguration.

On the 17th, Trump reportedly met with Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. Sarandos is a longtime Democrat supporter, and his wife Nicole Avant served as ambassador to the Bahamas during the Obama administration. Reed Hastings, co-founder and chairman, also publicly supported Vice President Harris. However, they have begun improving relations.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, who is famously an adversary of Trump, also visited Mar-a-Lago on the 27th of last month and pledged to donate $1 million for the inauguration. Trump believed he lost the 2020 election due to Zuckerberg’s conspiracy and was hostile toward him. However, Zuckerberg reached out with a hand of reconciliation, having spoken with Trump by phone more than twice before the election.

Additionally, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, also met with Trump. From Korea, Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, visited Mar-a-Lago at the invitation of Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and met with Trump.

Trump said, "During my first term, everyone fought against me, but this time everyone wants to be my friend." The NYT noted, "People who once criticized or distanced themselves from him are now rushing to build relationships with him."

Strategy to Build Friendships at ‘Second White House’ Mar-a-Lago

Politicians have also joined the line of visitors to Mar-a-Lago. When Trump announced on the 25th of last month that he would impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada immediately after taking office, citing illegal immigration and drug issues, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hurried to Mar-a-Lago just four days later on the 29th. Trudeau was known as an adversary during Trump’s first term but rushed to Trump’s residence in response to the tariff threat.

The politician who visited Mar-a-Lago the most this year is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n, who visited three times. On the 9th, he met with Trump and Elon Musk. Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Reform Party and dubbed the ‘British Trump,’ also visited Mar-a-Lago and met with Musk.

Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada (left), met for a dinner meeting at Mar-a-Lago. Prime Minister Trudeau's ex-account.

The reason major figures keep coming to Mar-a-Lago is to build personal friendships ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Trump tends to value personal bonds over official relations. He prefers private interactions such as direct phone calls or shared meals rather than formal contacts.

A representative example is Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. During Trump’s first term, instead of sending lobbyists, Cook called and met Trump directly. He was also close to Trump’s family, including his daughter and son-in-law. Cook’s strategy proved effective in 2019 when Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports. Using his personal relationship, Cook explained directly to Trump that tariffs would raise iPhone prices and help foreign competitors like Samsung, leading to electronics being exempted from tariffs. On the night of the 13th, Cook visited Trump again, presumably to request help on Apple-related issues. Before the election, Cook also reportedly asked Trump to pay attention to the EU’s fine issues.

Mar-a-Lago’s status is expected to rise further in Trump’s second term. As famous figures from around the world flock to meet Trump, Mar-a-Lago is even being called the ‘Second White House.’ Typically, a president-elect operates a temporary office in Washington D.C. through the General Services Administration (GSA) during the transition, but Trump chose Mar-a-Lago as the headquarters of his next administration instead of receiving GSA support. Elon Musk, head of the influential government efficiency office (DOGE) in the second term, has also recently stayed at Mar-a-Lago.

Meanwhile, as Mar-a-Lago becomes the second White House, the area around Palm Beach is bustling. With high-ranking figures from around the world gathering, nearby hotels are already fully booked. Some have even bought homes in Palm Beach. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) evaluated that Palm Beach, traditionally a Democratic stronghold in Florida, has become the center of MAGA (Make America Great Again).