Inside Mar-A-Lago: Melania Trump’s ‘gilded cage’ where the former First Lady spends most of her time

When Donald Trump lashed out at Manhattan prosecutors in a speech at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, most of his immediate family was present, with the exception of his wife.

Melania, 52, the former president’s wife of 18, was nowhere to be seen, and Trump made no mention of the Slovenian-born model when he thanked family members for their support.

She has not been seen in public since dining with the former president at their private residence in Palm Beach, Florida, when he was indicted by a New York grand jury on March 30.

Former US President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a New Year’s Eve at his home in Mar-a-Lago on December 31, 2022

Melania Trump on her wedding day en route in Mar-a-Lago

Many have wondered where she was, although her father, Viktor Knavs, appeared alongside the two sons of the real estate magnate, Donald Jr. and Eric.

She is thought to have hunkered down on the exclusive estate with her parents and her 17-year-old son Barron.

The beachfront property was built in the 1920s for grain heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who donated it to the U.S. government in 1973 for use as a “Winter White House.”

Completed in 1927 with a price tag of $8 million – an exorbitant sum at the time – its extravagant interior reflects Spanish, Venetian and Portuguese styles.

But in 1981, then-commander-in-chief Jimmy Carter returned it to the Post Foundation out of concerns about high maintenance costs and safety.

Trump would buy the sprawling 17-acre estate, designated a National Historic Landmark, in 1985 for about $10 million.

The former president has in the past described “the painstaking process” of restoring Mar-a-Lago to “its original grandeur.”

Mar-a-Lago’s ornate rooms and furnishings draw on influences from around the world

He acquired architectural plans and photographs from when it was first built and pumped millions into its renovations.

His Florida estate, his official residence since he left the White House, features 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and five tennis courts.

Yet all these lavish amenities can’t detract from the gaudy interiors, which appear to be modeled on European palaces.

There’s an ornate 20,000-square-foot ballroom, where Trump announced this third run for the White House, adorned with gold leaf and rare marble.

It is even named after the former president himself.

One of the bedrooms in the sprawling Trump residence features gold décor and a four-poster bed

Expensive furnishings are sourced from around the world to suit Trump’s gaudy tastes.

One is fully decorated with mahogany walls and floors and filled with baroque-style dining room chairs.

Persian style carpets are used throughout the property, with ceiling paintings and chandeliers illuminating the rooms.

One of the bedrooms has a luxurious four-poster bed dripping in gold with a matching dressing table and chair.

The main dining room mimics the Chigi Palace in Rome, with a marble-topped table for 34 people.

The ‘Spanish Room’ retains its tiled fireplace with niches decorated with porcelain ‘ladies-in-waiting’ figures.

The luxury resort has an eye-watering $200,000 entry fee, as well as an annual membership fee of $14,000

In 1995, Trump turned part of the lavish estate into a members-only club stump $200,000 to enter.

Uber wealthy customers also pay reported annual fees of $14,000, as well as guest suites, food and beverage.

The club, which has direct access to a private beach, includes a 40-by-15-meter pool, hot tub, and beachfront bistro.

There is also a 27-hole golf course where Trump often played rounds with visiting leaders and dignitaries.