Multiple former White House officials said that Trump is much more comfortable when he is relaxing down at Mar-a-Lago and is surrounded by many fewer staffers who try to keep out shady individuals when he’s in the White House. One of those former White House officials described Trump as feeling “liberated” and at home when he’s at Mar-a-Lago.

“He doesn’t have the infrastructure of the White House to really deal with — you know how difficult it is to get somebody cleared into the [White House] complex,” said the former official. “You don’t have those same concerns at Mar-a-Lago.”

When he’s not golfing at his nearby course or entertaining guests during meals, Trump spends his time in quarters that are right off the club's main building and terrace and only steps away from where members are eating dinner. Trump loves to be around people while at the resort, said several people familiar with the president’s time there.

“He naturally interacts with club members and visitors who would never have access to him at the White House,” said another former official. “There’s less staff around and he does as he sees fit. It’s a completely different environment and some people trying to meet him have figured out how to exploit that.”

In the early days, there was some consternation among White House officials about the lax situation. The Secret Service was “never happy,” according to the first former White House official.

“It was a bunch of hangers-on,” that official said. “You just don’t want to put the president in the same room with some folks ... who were maybe closer to him when he was a developer or living in New York than you’d want, who were controversial in their own right, whether they were involved in lawsuits or other things.”

Back then, “every guy would bring a friend and the friend was some guy from some country or [a] lobbyist,” said a person close to the White House. “I think they put the kibosh on that and became a lot tougher on screening and who members were bringing as guests.”