Gale Brophy, a Palm Beach socialite who stars in Members Only: Palm Beachwas almost escorted out of Mar-a-Lago because she approached President Donald Trump, according to fellow student Taja Abitbol.
Trump is not featured on the Netflix reality show and viewers will not see the inside of his exclusive club. But the women on the show don’t go long without referencing the president and his Mar-a-Lago estate, using it as a form of social currency to highlight their position in the community.
In a recent episode, Brophy tells her classmates at a boat party that she has a long history with the Trump family. She said she bid against Donald to become the owner of Mar-a-Lago and was given a free membership when the club opened. She also noted that Ivana Trump, the president’s late first wife, was one of her “best friends.”
In a confessional interview, Abitbol, one of the show’s main cast members, said she wasn’t “100 percent sure” that Brophy’s story about his ties to the Trumps was true.
“All I know is that Gale almost got a Secret Service escort because we saw Trump walking by and she walked up to him and she said, ‘Do you remember me?'” Abitbol said. “Clearly he didn’t remember her, even though she claims she was bidding against him for Mar-a-Lago. »
Abitbol said News week the incident she is referring to occurred at Rosalyn Yellin’s birthday party, which took place at Mar-a-Lago. She said the president arrived as the women were leaving, and Brophy said, “This is my friend Donald Trump” and told the women they had both bid on Mar-a-Lago at the same time.
“The secret services had to push her away and it was very embarrassing,” Abitbol said. “Simply incredible. Unreal.”
Brophy, a Palm Beach socialite, has decades-long ties to the Trump family and has denied that the president failed to recognize her. Brophy shared a letter of recommendation from Donald with News week. In the letter written in 2008, Donald said he had known Brophy for more than 20 years and praised his integrity.
“As a personal friend, I am comfortable giving Gale an unqualified recommendation on every level,” Donald wrote.
Brophy added that Tiffany Trump, Donald’s youngest daughter, went to school with her son and called Abitbol “jealous” of her.
Aleta Sliwa St. James, one of Brophy’s friends, said News week that she “personally witnessed” the longtime friendship between the Trumps and Brophy.
“On numerous occasions, Mr. Trump has publicly recognized Gale and approached his table at these events. I have also personally dined with Gale and Ivana Trump at Mar-a-Lago,” St. James said.
Brophy chaired the Red Cross Polo Luncheon from 1991 to 1999 and is seen in photos with Donald Trump, his second wife, Marla Maples, and their daughter Tiffany, at the event.
In 2015, Brophy shared a photo of her and Donald Trump on Facebook during the ADT LPGA golf tournament at Trump International Golf Course. Brophy was president and Donald was honorary president.
During a lunch with Hilary Musser, another main cast member, after the party, Abitbol and Musser agreed that Brophy is “very nice” but that she could tone it down by “lowering the name.” Abitbol later said that Brophy didn’t need to keep naming people if she was truly that accomplished.
“In the circles I’m in, no one names names. It’s such a faux pas. So how is that good etiquette?” Abitbol said on the show.
Brophy told Abitbol that she wasn’t giving names, she was just talking about her “friends” and offered to send him dozens of pages of information about the companies she worked for and the circles in which she moved.
Updated 12/30/25 at 5:06 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Brophy and Aleta Sliwa St. James.
