As Trump is about to return to the White House, many wealthy Americans are rushing to Washington to buy luxury homes. Jim Bell, executive vice president of TTR Sotheby's International Realty, revealed that since the U.S. election last year, many wealthy people have poured into Washington. Real estate agents have begun calling Washington clients to ask if they are interested in selling their properties to "New Washingtonians". Real estate agents also acknowledge that there are not many luxury homes left in Washington after Trump's victory.
Peter Baker, a White House reporter in the United States, compared the difference in the atmosphere before Trump's inauguration with last time that in an article. After Trump won the election, many technology giants, including Meta CEO Zuckerberg, went to Mar-a-Lago to visit Trump. And many wealthy people spent millions of dollars, asking for a ticket to the inauguration.
"But there are still some people who are resisting Trump." Republican political strategist Sarah Longwell said that some people are already thinking about how to spend the next four years.
In his farewell speech on the evening of January 15th, President Biden warned that the United States "is developing an oligarchy of extreme wealth, power and influence." According to reports, Trump won the US election as a defender of the "working class", but he appointed many billionaires to serve as cabinet members or senior positions in the government.
According to reports, one of the most direct impacts of Trump’s victory on Washington is the “explosive” growth of Washington’s luxury real estate industry.
It is reported that Howard Lutnick, Trump's nominee for Secretary of Commerce, just bought Fox anchor Bret Baier's house on Foxhall Road in Washington, DC, for US$25 million last month.
Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has targeted a $7 million home in Georgetown, Washington, DC.
In addition, a Georgetown home of the late well-known lawyer Boyden Gray was sold last month for $10.5 million.
Real estate agents would not disclose the buyer's information, but everyone acknowledged that with Trump about to return to the White House, the supply of luxury homes in Washington has exceeded the supply.
According to reports, it is currently unclear where Musk, the much-anticipated world’s richest man, will buy his home in Washington. However, there is news that he wants to buy the Line Hotel in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington and transform the hotel into a private club. A Musk spokesman has not yet commented on the relevant claims.
In addition to government workers, wealthy people with connections to the government are also moving closer to Washington. Rubins, co-founder of the American private equity investment giant Carlyle Group, believes that this trend is not surprising. “Rich people want better policies from the government, but also more government support and connections with government officials.”
Rubins added that in fact, compared to New York, housing prices in Washington are not expensive. “It may cost 100 million to buy a luxury home in New York, but spending 25 million US dollars to buy a house in Washington is considered expensive.”
Jamie Paiva, a real estate agent who has been engaged in the real estate industry in Washington for more than 30 years, also pointed out that in the past, most of the people who loved buying houses in Washington, DC were the traditional old-school political elites, but now the situation is different, and many technology leaders have begun to flock to Washington. .
Media analysis said that this may be because the technology industry is subject to increasing government scrutiny, and technology giants may buy homes in Washington to have timely access to the White House and Congress.
Trump’s two inauguration ceremonies had very different atmospheres
White House reporter Baker believes that compared with eight years ago, the atmosphere before Trump's inauguration this time was less resistance and anger and more compromise and compliance.
In the 2016 US election, Trump unexpectedly defeated Hillary. Dozens of riots broke out in Washington after the 2017 inauguration.
After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, people seemed not to be surprised. For Trump and his team, returning to the White House after losing the election and leaving office and being subject to multiple criminal investigations is a matter of great celebration.
According to reports, after Trump announced that he had won the election, technology giants donated money to show their goodwill, and even went to Mar-a-Lago to visit Trump, who is about to become president again. Some Democrats are also beginning to think of ways to cooperate with Trump on specific issues.
David Urban, a long-time Republican political strategist, concluded that after Trump takes office, he will find that he does not need to use any means to make his opponents surrender to him. He only needs to "be himself" to achieve his goal.
Baker said that while Trump is not perfect, he has captured something important.
