| George Norcross (left) and Bruce Toll are paying members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., |
Julie Shaw reports for Philly.com
George E. Norcross III, the South Jersey Democratic power broker and insurance tycoon, and Bruce E. Toll, co-founder of Horsham-based luxury home-builder Toll Bros., are among the nearly 500 members of President Trump's posh Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., the New York Times reported Saturday.
It now costs $200,000 to be a member, a price tag that was doubled shortly after Trump took office.
Trump is there this weekend, his third weekend in a row. Last week, he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the club, the so-called winter White House.
The Times reviewed membership lists and found that most of the paying members were part of the club before Trump's presidential campaign. A few memberships are still available, it says.
Norcross, 60, who chairs insurance firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, and Trump are longtime friends.
When Norcross and his wife bought a $10.9 million home on luxurious Everglades Island in Palm Beach more than a decade ago, he had asked Trump for his opinion on the purchase, according to an article in the Palm Beach Daily News.
"I wanted lakefront and deepwater, and Everglades Island has great views," Norcross told the newspaper. "I took Donald to this house; we walked through three properties. He said it was spectacular, an exquisite location."
Toll, 73, retired from the Toll Bros. board of directors last year. He is a principal at Horsham-based BET Investments, which owns, manages, and develops office buildings, retail complexes, and apartment buildings.
He told the Times for its article that he owns a home near the Mar-a-Lago Club and often sees Trump at the club. The two have talked about national issues, such as Trump’s plans to increase spending on highways and other infrastructure projects, Toll said.
"Maybe you ought to do this or that,” Toll said of the type of advice Trump received from club members.
Neither Toll nor Norcross could be reached Saturday by the Inquirer for comment.
For his part, the president on Saturday called Mar-a-Lago his Southern White House.
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