Why People Are Unimpressed By Donald And Melania Trump's Lavish Dinnertime Habit
Whatever you think of Donald Trump, the one thing we can all agree on is that he certainly seems to like attention. One place where the former president gets an almost unlimited supply of it is at Mar-a-Lago, Donald's resort home in Palm Beach, Florida. However, the amount of attention that he gets and seems to enjoy getting while just heading for a meal there crosses the line for some people. "Why do Donnie and Melania make an entrance whenever they go to dinner in their own house? It's super cringe. I'm going to start lining up friends in my living room to applaud me making my way to the fridge," one person posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The writer was presumably responding to footage of Donald from Easter 2024 where he's walking into brunch alongside his wife, Melania Trump. Another person wrote, "Who do this in their own home? I guess it's what happens when your 'home' is actually a golf club filled w[sic] lots of strangers. I don't have a clue."
WATCH: President Trump and Melania spotted at Easter brunch yesterday at Mar-a-Lago pic.twitter.com/jG0ND1sHjR
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 10, 2023
Another clip from the same day shows Donald with his youngest son, Barron Trump, in which he's waving and dancing for the room full of people who are on their feet clapping along. Several X users noted that the teenager seemed uncomfortable with his dad's antics (Barron did look a bit listless at the Easter gathering).
Are Mar-a-Lago diners expected to applaud for Donald Trump?
It seems the Easter brunch wasn't a one-off either. In fact, making a grand entrance and being recognized by rounds of applause appears to very much be a part of Donald and Melania Trump's life at Mar-a-Lago. Or, at the very least, a part of his life. In 2022, footage of the controversial politician encouraging people at Mar-a-Lago to clap for him made the rounds on social media. In the clip, posted to X, Trump revs up the crowd and then gives a big thumbs up when they respond.
Trump asking for applause from the Mar-a-Lago brunch crowd. Sad. pic.twitter.com/VuL33c0eGp
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 23, 2022
Meidas Touch podcaster, and frequent Trump critic, Fred Wellman compared his post-presidency life to that of other presidents, quipping: "Jimmy Carter builds houses for the poor. Clinton has a foundation. Bush has a think tank and paints portraits of veterans. Obama has a foundation. Trump begs for applause at brunch at his gaudy golf club." Another user noted, "How pitiful do you have to be to invade a restaurant & demand to be acknowledged?" Yikes!
Granted, at this point, those who choose to dine at Mar-a-Lago know full well that Donald may be there and are probably hoping he will be. It seems highly unlikely that people who regularly go there aren't Trump fans, so the applause would make sense in that respect. But it doesn't sound like it's particularly spontaneous applause; rather, it's expected.
He definitely seems to enjoy the attention
British filmmaker Alex Holder, who made the Discovery+ docuseries "Unprecedented" about Donald Trump and the 2020 election, noticed how much the former president loved the Mar-a-Lago admiration while he was following him around. "He just walks around where people are having dinner just to get a round of applause," Holder confirmed on an episode of "The Bulwark Podcast," adding, "So he will just walk into the dinner area [...] there will be a cheer, and then he will go out, and then he'll go back in again, and go out. He just loves that admiration."
For some, that desire for attention echoes the sentiment that Donald expressed about Kim Jong Un in 2018. "He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same," the controversial politician said at the time (via PBS). Donald later clarified that it was a joke. However, it also matches what Mary Trump — clinical psychologist, Donald's niece, and longtime vocal critic of her uncle — wrote about him in her book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man." Mary described Donald as insecure and narcissistic.
It could also be that he simply got used to the attention he received as president since everyone stands when the president walks into a room. Likewise, considering Donald is facing criminal charges over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, he may simply be looking for some support and a distraction from his most loyal fans. So this tradition of Mar-a-Lago applause upon his entering the room seems unlikely to stop any time soon.