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Reporter's Notebook: The surreal deal
Holy smokes! I think I took part in my very first media circus.You'd think doing this journalism thing for five years, I'd have experienced at least one of these frenzied gaggles of television cameras, notepads and microphones. But alas, interchange ribbon-cuttings and land-use committee meetings rarely generate the fervor that only the uniquely coiffed Donald can.
Donald Trump, along with a bevy of leggy handlers, was in Sterling April 30 to, among other things, publicly pitch his plans to turn the former Lowes Island Club (already pretty posh, in my opinion) into something the Donald himself might join.
Not sure what the Lowes Island Club is? I wasn't either until about three months ago when word of Trump's desire to buy the private club started surfacing.
The club, now called Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C., sits on 600 beautifully wooded acres in Sterling near Algonkian Regional Park and along the Potomac River. It has two courses and an already elegant-looking and stately clubhouse adorned in white trim and brown shakes. I could picture the Kennedy clan darting through the property on golf carts even before Trump sinks his first dollar into renovating it.
Trump's plans include enlarging the clubhouse by expanding the dining facility and building a ballroom to host club and, maybe, community events -- not for free, of course. He also wants to lengthen the courses and build more tennis courts, including some indoors.
With his son, Eric, by his side, Trump unveiled his plans at the club over a lunch of miniature sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. As if President Obama were walking in, Trump's immediate presence in the room was as thick as the gel in his hair. He commands attention -- at least I think so. Remember, things like this don't happen much in Loudoun.
As for what was said, Trump opened the afternoon by promising that the newly minted Trump National (some golf carts parked outside the clubhouse already bore the new name) would challenge the best clubs in the world in terms of opulence and golfing challenges.
The local Channel 7 reporter led off the show by asking Trump if he would try to persuade a tournament to relocate to Trump National, such as the one Tiger Woods hosts each summer across the Potomac at Congressional Country Club.
"I don't go to tournaments," Trump answered with typical Trump hubris. "Tournaments come to me."
Another reporter asked why Trump bought the club. "I liked a photo I saw of it," he replied, adding he "paid cash for the property."
Still, another reporter, with his voice cracking -- apparently due to surprise at being called on by Trump -- asked what the membership fees would be at Trump National. Currently, Trump said, it costs a jaw-dropping $75,000 to join. But, he hinted, that number is expected to go up much higher.
"At my club in West Palm Beach [Fla.]," he said, "it costs $450,000 to join."
Other interesting tidbits from the press conference included a teaser by Trump that a segment of "The Apprentice" could someday be shot in Loudoun and that he intends to make frequent stops at the club once work is complete. "It's halfway between my homes in New York and Florida," he said.
But the one point of the Trump show that I found most interesting what not a question or a comment, but a wink.
It was playfully cast by Trump toward Loudoun Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York when Trump suggested he may "need the help" of the county to make his vision come true. Previously, York, who had lunch with Trump earlier this spring to discuss the club, had said it was still unclear whether the county would need to approve any of the celebrity developer's plans.
Just imagine, though, if supervisors had to vote on Trump National. "Hey you, Mr. Delgaudio," I can imagine Trump saying at a public hearing. "You're a fellow New Yorker. Can I count on you for your support?"
Also, would Omarosa make an appearance? Would Access Hollywood be there to cover the minutiae of environmental impact studies and required building setbacks?
If Trump's plans do start to draw criticism from citizens and county leaders, don't be surprised if the media circus makes a return trip to Loudoun.
I already claim the seat next to Billy Bush.
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