The Mar-a-Lago Club (pictured here), Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach and Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter have been closed, a spokesperson said. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images Trump Org closes Mar-a-Lago as Hurricane Irma approaches

President Donald Trump’s properties in Florida have closed as Hurricane Irma nears landfall.

“Our teams at our four properties in Florida are taking all of the proper precautions and are following local and Florida State Advisories very closely to help ensure that everyone is kept safe and secure,” a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said in a statement on Friday.


The Mar-a-Lago Club, Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach and Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter have been closed, the spokesperson said.

“We strongly urge those guests currently holding reservations at Trump National Doral to make alternative lodging arrangements outside of the storm’s reach,” the statement continued. “We are no longer accepting any new reservations at this time and in the event that the city of Doral is included in any evacuation order, affected guests will be required to find alternate lodging outside of the evacuation zone or possibly relocate to an evacuation center. The hotel is waiving all cancellation penalties and change fees due to the storm and advising guests to visit the National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov for the latest updates as well.”

The president himself warned Floridians on Friday morning to avoid the path of the storm.

“Hurricane Irma is of epic proportion, perhaps bigger than we have ever seen,” Trump tweeted. “Be safe and get out of its way, if possible.”

Trump did not divest from his massive business empire but left his adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, in charge of the Trump Organization.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The National Hurricane Center has cast Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, as “potentially catastrophic.” It has already torn through islands in the Caribbean — including St. Martin, where Trump has a waterfront estate for sale.

“The damage in the Caribbean and beyond is absolutely devastating and we are still assessing the situation at our property in St. Martin,” a Trump Organization spokesperson told POLITICO in an email. “We are praying for all those that have been affected by Hurricane Irma and we know there will be much rebuilding to do on this beautiful island in the months and years ahead.”

Irma, which is expected to strike South Florida late Saturday night or early Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane before heading to the Florida peninsula, comes shortly after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana, and Hurricanes Jose and Katia are forming behind it.

The White House said this week that the president and first lady Melania Trump personally donated $1 million for Harvey relief efforts spread across a dozen organizations.

“We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to victims of Hurricane Harvey and are praying for those that are in the path of Hurricane Irma,” the spokesperson said.

Darren Samuelsohn contributed to this report.