Hurricane Irma is barreling towards some of Donald Trump’s most lavish properties
Hurricane Irma could prove personally costly for Donald Trump as a number of his luxury properties are in its devastating path - including one of his favourites, Mar-a-Lago.
The storm has already left at least 10 dead and is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean as it heads towards Cuba and America.
The President’s Caribbean mansion, Le Chateau des Palmiers, is based on the Island of St Martin, which has already suffered significant damage.
Officials on the small island said 95 per cent of it had been flattened as Irma hit this morning, including its airport. However the status of Mr Trump’s 11-bedroom property is currently unknown.
Mr Trump purchased the beach-sided Le Chateau des Palmiers in 2013 and it is currently held by a trust to avoid conflict of interest while he is in office.
While it was initially a popular destination for the Trump family, in more recent years the billionaire has rented it out. The property is currently up for sale and the asking price was dropped earlier this year from $28m (£21.4m) to $17m (£13m).
Meanwhile Irma is currently barreling towards Florida, where Mr Trump has other significant property holdings, principally his $200m (£153m) opulent private resort, Mar-a-Lago.
The sprawling Palm Beach residence is one of the jewels in Trump property empire and he has visited it frequently since taking office. It was originally built by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather, who bequeathed it to the US Government as a 'winter Whitehouse' after her death in 1973. Mr Trump purchased the estate from the Reagan administration in 1985 for $10m.
Since then the 17-acre country club has been renovated into an extravagant baroque private members club and spa. Financial returns show Mr Trump made over $15m (£11.4m) in 2015 from Mar-a-Lago and that number will have likely increased since his election, due to the pulling-power of proximity to the President.
Other lavish Trump properties at risk from Irma include Trump Towers, three 45-storey condo towers on Sunny Isles Beach. Some of the high-end flats in the development have gone for as much as $3m (£2.2m).
Mr Trump also owns three luxury golf courses in Florida: Trump National Golf Club, in Jupiter, Trump International Golf Course, in West Palm Beach, and Trump National Doral Miami.
Map: Trump resorts in Hurricane Irma's path
President Trump is not the only wealthy individual with substantial property at risk in the storm. Richard Branson rode out the hurricane on his private Necker Island resort. The British billionaire hunkered down in is wine cellar as Irma passed. His son Sam confirmed that no one on the island was hurt but many buildings were damaged.
Other celebrities potentially affected include Oprah Winfrey, who has a mansion on Antigua, Bruce Willis, who has a home on Turks and Caicos as well as Eddie Murphy, Johnny Depp and illusionist David Copperfield, who all own private islands in the Bahamas.
Hurricane Irma batters the Caribbean, in pictures
