ProPublica Documents Reveal Trump Obtained Two Primary Residence Mortgages for Rental Properties
ProPublica documents reveal that Donald Trump obtained two mortgages in 1993-94 for adjacent properties on Woodbridge Road in Palm Beach, Florida, each pledged as his primary residence. However, the houses were leased as investments and marketed as rentals. A rental agent reported Trump never lived in these properties.
The mortgages totaled $525,000 and $1.2 million and included occupancy requirements mandating designation as principal residence within 60 days and living there for at least one year. Records indicate Trump was at Trump Tower in New York during this period and did not make Florida his permanent residence until 2019.
Both loans have since been paid off, and any potential violations would be outside the statute of limitations for mortgage fraud. There is no suggestion of illegality, with intent considered a key factor.
Trump criticized Lisa Cook’s mortgage-fraud case, describing two primary-residence mortgages as "deceitful and potentially criminal." Similar cases are being pursued by the administration against Letitia James, who was charged in October over a Virginia property designated as a second home before renting it out. Cook was fired after signing two primary-residence mortgages weeks apart, similarly to Trump.
The White House defended Trump’s transactions, stating both loans came from Merrill Lynch and called ProPublica’s reporting politically motivated. The statement affirmed that Trump has never broken the law.
