Former Houston mayor rejects visiting Trump's Mar-a-Lago after report

Former Houston Mayor Bill White denied having visited Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, rejecting a recent New York Times article that included him in a list featuring high-profile right wing figures who have gone to the resort.

White, who served as the Texas city mayor between 2004 and 2010, said he and his wife received several calls after the piece was ran last month. Titled "At Mar-a-Lago, Extremism if Good for Business," it claimed the estate has transformed "into a White House in exile and the nerve center for some of the most extreme elements of the party's MAGA wing."

"This includes a nearly steady stream of promoters of conspiracy theories that include lies that the 2020 election was stolen and that the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was a federal setup," reads a passage of the piece.

White's picture was included in a long list of people who fit the article's description. However, it was seemingly a mistake, as he was incorrectly identified instead of Bill White of Atlanta, a prominent conservative figure in the city, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I do not have much respect for Mr. Trump because he disrespected the office of the presidency. ... I was worried that many people in both parties who share my views on Mr. Trump would think that somehow I had gone to the dark side," White said on Sunday. He added that he has contacted the New York Times for a correction.

The outlet has issued a correction in its online report, saying "An image with an earlier version of this article was published in error. The photo showed Bill White of Houston, not the man who has appeared at Mar-a-Lago. The image has been replaced."