The president then presided over a $2.75 million auction of a painting of the face of Jesus Christ by artist Vanessa Horabuena.
President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago era: Palm Beach history, headlines, and legacy
Discover President Trump’s transformative legacy at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach through rare photos and behind-the-scenes stories in this collector’s edition book.
A wish for “world peace,” support for tariffs and a $2.75 million donation for a painting of Jesus capped off President Donald Trump’s extravagant New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago.
The president arrived just before 9 p.m., accompanied by first lady Melania Trump in a sparkling silver full-length dress, to the aptly named Donald J. Trump ballroom at the Palm Beach club he has owned for 40 years. The first couple walked on a black carpet with the words “Happy New Year, Mar-a-Lago” written in gold letters and stopped in front of reporters.
Asked what his New Year’s resolution was, the president said “world peace,” but then ignored questions about the CIA attack on a coastal facility in Venezuela that was reported earlier this week and possible U.S. military involvement in Ukraine.
On stage, the president praised the country’s management during the first 11 months of his nonconsecutive second term.
“We’re receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in tariffs,” the president said, reiterating his promise to provide $1,776 checks to military personnel. “We’re doing well as a country. We’re back. We’re strong. I didn’t think it would happen this quickly. It’s happening faster than anyone thought.”
President Trump’s former legal adviser Rudy Giuliani and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were in attendance.
The president then presided over an auction of a painting of the face of Jesus Christ by artist Vanessa Horabuena. President Trump said the proceeds would go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the sheriff’s department, but he did not say whether it was the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department.
The president started bidding at $100,000, but no bids were subsequently made.
When one bidder offered $1 million, Trump responded, “He’s the biggest guy on Wall Street.”
The painting sold for $2.75 million.
The night featured an eclectic, if not random, stream of consciousness conversation after President Trump’s active day on social media.
The president fired more than a dozen posts, including one that called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “crooked” and claimed that 90% of the alleged fraud in the state was committed by “people who entered the country illegally from Somalia.” Still, Trump also predicted that there would be “more fraud in California” than in Minnesota.
Regarding the Golden State, the president also claimed that “California and Colorado are two of the most popular states in 2025” for people looking to move to other states.
President Trump accused Democrats of being “a bunch of crooks and thieves” in a post calling for voter identification. And he called on Republican lawmakers to “defund Fat Cat Insurance Company no more.”
The president also said that his administration’s tariff policies have “uniquely” set a “world record for investment,” totaling “trillions of dollars more” than what China has earned.
President Trump praised the “great job” of the Border Patrol and said he was “very proud that more than half of them are Hispanic.”
“There is no organization I am more proud of than Border Patrol and ICE, and no one understands the border more than our amazing Hispanic people who want to make America great again,” Trump wrote.
The president also posted that he would “remove the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland.”
“We will be back when crime starts surging again, perhaps in a much different and more powerful form – it’s only a matter of time!” he wrote.
Antonio Fins is the politics and business editor for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. Please contact us at afins@pbpost.com. Please support our journalism. Subscribe now.
