In years past, the Mar-a-Lago Club's White and Gold Ballroom hosted some of the finest events of Palm Beach's gilded winter season. $750-a-plate (£566) charity luncheons. Quartets playing Mozart. Ambassadors in white tie and tails at the Red Cross Ball.

In years past.

Last week - as a new season began at the private club in Florida owned by President Donald Trump - a speaker on the ballroom stage was talking up far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

"I'm watching Alex Jones non-stop!" Joy Villa said, according to a video she posted of the event.

Ms Villa - a pro-Trump internet celebrity - was speaking to a group of Young Republicans. "We are populist. We are nationalist," she said, as waiters served brunch. "We put America first and we're not afraid!"

This week, Mr Trump returns to Mar-a-Lago for the first time since April. He will confront a changed social scene.

During the summer, 19 charities that had events scheduled this season at Mar-a-Lago abruptly quit after Mr Trump defended participants in a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, organised by white supremacists.

In their place, the club is turning to a different kind of customer.

Republican groups. Televangelist Pat Robertson, who started a gala in order to hold it at Mar-a-Lago. And a group called "Trumpettes USA", which is planning a dinner in January that costs $300 per person. They intend for Mar-a-Lago to keep most - or all - of the money they take in.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: “Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: “There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?” Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldn’t help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of “The Apprentice” — which buoyed Trump’s celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the “worst call” he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trump’s travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administration’s argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be “little Rocket Man” as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was “no reason to be alarmed” after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to “join” him. He noted that she was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of “fake news” Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trump’s White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didn’t mention “jews” or even the word “jewish” in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trump’s inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didn’t, the day was very dreary Reuters

Once a retreat from the divisive business of politics, the Palm Beach, Florida, landmark is now a place defined by those divisions - a dynamic the club is monetising by booking events with Mr Trump's political allies.

Mar-a-Lago is still hosting weddings and members for meals on the dining terrace. But the centre of Palm Beach's traditional social scene has shifted to The Breakers, a club that Mr Trump once mocked for getting his "leftovers".

"People will still put on their dancing shoes, and pay big money for their tickets, and go out of the night. [But] instead of going to Mar-a-Lago, they'll be going to The Breakers," said Shannon Donnelly, the society editor for the Palm Beach Daily News.

Before now, Ms Donnelly said, Mar-a-Lago "wasn't political".

"Now," she said, "Donald is political."

Officials with Mar-a-Lago and the Trump Organisation did not respond to questions about the new season. Last month, the club's general manager told the Palm Beach Post: "We are really doing fine. It will be a good season."

The Washington Post asked the White House if Mr Trump himself had any contact with those now flocking to hold events at Mar-a-Lago.

"We have nothing to do with coordinating events. The idea that the President has time for event planning at [Mar-a-Lago] is insulting," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote in an email.

Mr Trump has given up day-to-day control of his real estate and hotel businesses. But he still owns them, including Mar-a-Lago - an old estate that Mr Trump transformed into a private club in the 1990s. Back then, Mar-a-Lago was Palm Beach's progressive club. It was open to Jewish members.

This year, in Mr Trump's words, it became the "winter White House".

For a few months this spring, it was a splendid sort of bubble. The glamour of the presidency flowed in, but the country's curdled politics did not.

Mr Trump visited seven times. Initiation fees doubled, according to a CNBC report. Charities held galas and couples held weddings, and Mr Trump dropped in on both. He mixed his new job with his old job - the table-hopping host of Palm Beach's elite.

"Big night, Shannon. Big night," Mr Trump said one evening in April, when he stopped by Ms Donnelly's table to chat.

Ms Donnelly didn't understand. She only knew it was prime rib night. Later, she learned Mr Trump was talking about launching cruise-missile strikes against Syria.

There were some warnings this winter season could be disrupted by the presidency. Earlier this year, seven charities decided to move their events, some blaming the security delays that came with a party in the President's house.

But there were still 25 big events on the schedule.

Then: Charlottesville, and the President's comments that there were "very fine people" in the crowd. In Palm Beach and around the country, his remarks roused a backlash.

Suddenly, Mr Trump's charity clients found themselves under pressure from donors and strangers alike. Online, anti-Trump groups asked their members to contact charities and urge them to move. Even local Palm Beach officials jumped into the fray.

"Can you honestly say having an event at Mar-a-Lago, given all that has transpired, is the best stewardship of your efforts?" Laurel Baker, executive director of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, said in August. "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." [Days later, another chamber official apologised to Mar-a-Lago for her remarks].

Some members of Mar-a-Lago found that their friends didn't want to be invited to galas there anymore.

"'If it's at Mar-a-Lago, then we're not going," one former Mar-a-Lago member said he was recently told by a friend. The member quit recently, and asked that his name not be used, to protect his friendships in Palm Beach. "It's not the charity that matters anymore. It's the venue."

​Mar-a-Lago's 25 previously identified bookings fell to six, according to a Post survey of town-issued permits, public social calendars and interviews with charities. One of the groups that stuck with Mr Trump was the Palm Beach County GOP, which has held its Lincoln Day dinner at Mar-a-Lago since 2013. Before this year, it appeared to be the club's only overtly partisan gala.

Among those that left: the Red Cross, which cancelled its Palm Beach gala outright, ending a 60-year tradition.

Another charity, Leaders in Furthering Education, switched to a new date at the Breakers resort, and wound up in a fight with crooner Paul Anka, who couldn't make the new day and wouldn't return their $75,000 deposit.

"They need to eat it," Mr Anka, who sang the 1959 hit "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", told the New York Post.

The news was better for the Bethesda Hospital Foundation, which moved its 9 November luncheon to a club in Boca Raton and had room for 100 more guests than it could fit at Mar-a-Lago. The lunch raised enough to buy a new physician-training tool: the Victoria S2200, a $60,000 robot woman who gives birth to a robot baby.

At the same time, Mar-a-Lago's calendar has also begun to refill.

The Republican Attorneys General Association booked Mar-a-Lago's Teahouse dining room last weekend, for a dinner where some state attorneys general dined with top donors.

How did they choose the President's club, out of all the dining rooms in south Florida?

"It is a historic venue very close to where the AGs were staying," said spokesman Zack Roday. He said the group did not get a discount for being Republicans.

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

The Young Republican National Federation, which hosted Villa in the White and Gold Ballroom, had never held an event at Mar-a-Lago before. Why now? "He's the leader of the Republican Party," said Matthew Thomas Oberly, press secretary for the Young Republican National Federation.

The Christian Broadcasting Network - whose chairman is Pat Robertson, a strong supporter of Mr Trump - decided earlier this year to hold its first Palm Beach fundraiser gala for its charity Orphan's Promise.

And not just anywhere in Palm Beach. This event was meant for Trump's club.

"Secure event date at private, exclusive Palm Beach 'winter White House'," the charity instructed its event planner, according to documents filed with the town of Palm Beach. This event will be one of the biggest of any season at Mar-a-Lago: The town was told to expect 700 people.

The network said "a group of major donors" chose Mar-a-Lago as a venue. Through a spokesman, Mr Robertson declined to be interviewed.

In two other cases, individual Trump supporters have come up with their own new events for Mar-a-Lago, with an aim of benefiting Mr Trump.

Florida conservative activist Steven M Alembik, for instance, is planning a 700-person "Truth About Israel Gala" at Mar-a-Lago in February. He plans to charge $600 a seat. He expects Mar-a-Lago will keep most of it, and that's fine.

"We're supporting our President, who supports Israel," Mr Alembik said.

Trump 'feels great' about Mar-a-Lago trips

The "Trumpettes USA" - they add the "USA" because "Trumpette" is a brand of baby socks - are led by Toni Holt Kramer, a Mar-a-Lago member who has turned part of her home into a sort of shrine to Mr Trump.

She has planned a dinner for 18 January. First, it was 700 people. Now, it's 800, she says. Two ballrooms. $300 per seat.

If there's money left over, Ms Kramer says, it will go to a police charity. But she doesn't expect to have money left over, after paying Mar-a-Lago for the room and the food. And that's fine.

"I don't think any president has ever had such a rough nine months," Ms Kramer said. She said the event, called "A Red, White, and Blue Celebration for We the People", is drawing Trump fans from around the country and the world. When they sold out the first ballroom, she posted a photo of herself hugging the group's mascot: her poodle, Caviar Deux.

In recent days, Mar-a-Lago got another bit of good news.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue - an animal charity that had cancelled its Mar-a-Lago booking in August - decided to come back to the venue. One of the co-chairs of the event is Lara Trump, Eric Trump's wife.

To explain its reversal, the charity published a letter in the Palm Beach Daily News. It detailed how the politicisation of Mar-a-Lago had torn its members apart.

The letter was written in the voice of a dog.

"My furry companions loved . . . The Mar-a-Lago Club and said they would only support us if we returned to our favorite yard," the fake dog wrote.

The fake dog called for a return to more tranquil times at Mar-a-Lago, when charities that did business with Mr Trump's club didn't have to answer for Mr Trump's politics.

"Arrffturall," the fake dog wrote, "charity and politics should never be mixed."