Trump's Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve Gala Features Live Art Auction Benefiting Charity
On January 1, 2026, Donald Trump hosted his traditional New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach to welcome the new year. The event featured a live art auction, where a portrait of Jesus Christ painted onstage by Vanessa Horabuena was sold for $2.75 million after bidding began at $100,000. The buyer was a woman wearing a top hat. Half of the auction proceeds were donated to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, with the other half going to the local sheriff’s department. Trump praised Horabuena as one of the greatest artists and highlighted the speed with which she completed the painting. During the event, Trump revealed his New Year’s resolution for peace on Earth. The gala was attended by notable figures including Rudy Giuliani, Kristi Noem, Benjamin Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu, Hussain Sajwani, Brett Ratner, Tom Emmer, and Jeanine Pirro. The event coincided with reporters questioning Trump about a reported CIA-directed strike on a dock in Venezuela. Tickets to Mar-a-Lago’s New Year’s Eve party were priced at $1,450.
