WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) – Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump appeared to be wrapping up a victory speech at his sprawling Mar-a-Lago club earlier this week when he turned to the negative ads flooding the airwaves against him.
Trump recalled being at a professional golf tournament held at his Miami golf course recently. Everything was going smoothly, he said, until one of the ads started playing on TV as he schmoozed with tournament sponsors.
“I’m with these wonderful people from Cadillac and all these top executives, and I’m saying, ‘Look over there! Look! Don’t watch it! No, you don’t want to watch it!’ ” Trump said, re-enacting how he tried to distract them. “I’m saying, ‘Isn’t the grass beautiful? Look, look. Don’t watch!’ “
It was a rare light moment in an often-heated campaign that offered a glimpse into the way the billionaire businessman’s campaign has transformed his day-to-day life. But it also underscored something deeper: As he crisscrosses the country delivering speeches at rallies and calling into cable news shows, Trump’s business ventures are never far from his mind and have been playing an increasingly prominent role in his campaign.
In recent weeks, Trump has held election night parties at three of his Florida properties: golf clubs in Jupiter and West Palm Beach, Florida, and twice at his sprawling Mar-a-Lago club nearby. Each evening, members of Trump’s clubs have been invited to observe the festivities, followed or preceded by lavish dinners or cocktail parties. Reporters have also been invited to transmit images of Trump’s particular brand of opulence to the world.