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Invite-only Executive Branch is set to open in Georgetown soon
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D.C.’s latest private membership club, perhaps its priciest one ever, is co-founded by Donald Trump Jr. — and chances are, you’re not getting in. Entrance fees are a whopping $500,000, plus yearly dues.
The invite-only club called Executive Branch will open “sometime in the next month or so at a location in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.,” sources tell CNBC. No food and beverage details are available — and the location itself is a big mystery so far. One likely pick would have been City Tavern Club, which went on the market last year and is as old-school Washington as it gets. (Soon after opening in 1796, the historic brick building off M Street NW counted founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams as guests.) But now we know where Executive Branch is actually going: A source tells Eater the team took over the subterranean space that most recently housed Clubhouse — a slanted, window-less bar tucked under Georgetown Park’s garage that’s accessed via a long set of stairs.
“Membership of Executive Branch is invitation-only,” per the club’s minimalist homepage. “The waiting list for new Members is now closed and is subject to annual review.”
The president’s son co-founded the club with business partners from his 1789 Capital investment group and sons of Trump’s chief peace broker and real estate tycoon Steve Witkoff.
Executive Branch’s founding members include Trump-appointed “AI and crypto czar” David Sacks, crypto kings Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — yes, those preppy twin rowers portrayed by Armie Hammer in the Social Network — and tech investor Chamath Palihapitiya, sources told CNBC. They can clearly all cover the price tag to join, which is half of what Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club costs.
Touting a half-million-dollar meeting ground for the mega-wealthy at a time of U.S. economic turmoil, tariffs, and mass federal layoffs has Trump hypocrisy written all over it. The club’s announcement comes just as Don Jr.’s dad wraps up the worst 100-day start to a U.S. presidency in eight decades.
The club timed its launch over White House Correspondents’ weekend, better known as D.C.’s “nerd prom.” Politico snagged an invite to Executive Branch’s Saturday night preview party held at the Willard, where several members of the Trump administration mixed and mingled with deep-pocketed CEOs, tech execs, and policy pros. As the name implies, Executive Branch members will have ample access to the upper echelons of the White House.
Congrats to my friends @RealOmeedMalik @DonaldJTrumpJr @thechrisbuskirk @ZachWitkoff @Alex_Witkoff on launching the new private membership club Executive Branch! https://t.co/aED5GumWye
And now there’s a new Trump big wig to impress in town. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Houston’s billionaire steakhouse titan Tilman Fertitta as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy and San Marino. Eater first spotted his superyacht at the Wharf this spring, and he stayed docked in D.C. for weeks. Under his new government job, Fertitta is willing to give up his more than 600 businesses and restaurants that include Landry’s, Morton’s the Steakhouse, and the Palm (he does get to keep his NBA Houston Rockets, however).
Executive Branch is just one of many high-priced clubs popping up all over the city as of late. Soho House’s elite new sibling Ned’s Club Washington D.C. debuted in January directly across from the White House with four distinctive dining establishments serving the likes of sushi, wagyu steaks, pricey Champagne, and caviar under hospitality pros who formerly worked at the Bazaar and Silver Lyan. Ned’s Club members pay $5,000 upfront and $5,000 per year, but its “founding global members” tier comes with a whopping $125,000 initiation fee and $25,000 in monthly dues. About 30 percent of its current members are under 40, and the gender split is about 50/50 — “which is rare for private clubs,” a Ned’s Club rep tells Eater.
And that’s not the only new game in town. This spring, Penn Quarter welcomed the Clayton — a sexy social club and cigar bar out of Chicago with a $50,000 initiation fee and $1,000 monthly dues. The 8,000-square-foot newcomer framed in mod D.C.-themed artwork features three puff-friendly floors.
Manhattan is experiencing a high-end members club boom, too, from downtown mainstays like Zero Bond and Casa Cipriani to newer hangouts like Aman, the Ned, and Casa Cruz.
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