President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago will host its black-tie New Year’s Eve gala, welcoming hundreds of guests to its ballroom as coronavirus cases are on the rise in Florida.
Tickets for the event are going for $1,000 each, one person attending the gala told DailyMail.com. A person has to be a member of Mar-a-Lago or a guest of a member in order to attend.
It’s unclear how ringing in the year 2021 will play out inside the walls of Trump’s Winter White House. December has been the deadliest month of the COVID pandemic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people to celebrate within their households.
President Donald Trump will host his annual New Year’s Eve party this year – he’s seen at last year’s event with first lady Melania Trump
President Trump on his golf course on Wednesday – his sixth day of playing golf
Palm Beach County has a mask mandate for public spaces – several hotels, restaurants and shops around coastal community have signs reminding people to wear face coverings.
In Palm Beach, where the sun is shining and the weather averages 70 degrees, people still go to the beach, dine and shop. There have been some changes. There was a line outside the Chanel store on posh Worth Avenue this weekend as the shop limited the number of customers inside.
At an outdoor street fair on Saturday in West Palm Beach, protesters shouted reminders that officials cannot force people to wear masks. Restaurants and bars were packed with people – few wearing face coverings.
The coronavirus has infected more than 19.6 million Americans and killed more than 339,000 people. The death rate is averaging more than 3,000 people per day.
It’s unclear how many people will attend this year’s New Year’s Eve gathering with the president. At least 500 people have reserved tickets so far, CNN reported. Hundreds of people typically attend. The main ballroom can hold 700 people and there are smaller ballrooms available to add to the crowd size.
President Trump has not been very visible during his time in Florida – he’s seen in his motorcade heading to his golf course on Wednesday
Tickets to this year’s New Year Eve gala cost $1,000 each, one person attending told DailyMail.com
Photos posted on social media show there were few masks and little social distancing at the Turning Point Gala held at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month
Trump himself has not been very visible during the seven days he’s been in Florida.
He’s gone to his golf course on six of them and glimpses have been seen of him in the motorcade, waving to supporters that line the street. He’s also been captured by photographers playing a round and driving his golf court.
But he and Melania Trump didn’t go to Christmas Eve church service as they have done in the past. Additionally, the president signed a legislative package funding the government and offering COVID relief behind the walls of Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.
He didn’t invite the media in to view that or to watch his call with the troops on Christmas Eve.
He’s been most visible online, sending tweet after tweet about the election and demanding Congress increase the amount of stimulus checks to Americans from $600 to $2,000 – despite sitting on the sidelines while such negotiations were taking place.
He’s spending the holiday season in Mar-a-Lago, which is a sanctuary for the president, where he can dine with club members who pump him up. He’s kept to his usual routine of morning golf games and Sunday evening dinner at his golf club. His daily public schedule includes the reminder he is in calls and meetings as he works for the American people.
It’s unclear what kind of COVID restrictions the New Year’s Eve gala will have. Turning Point USA, a group of conservative students that supports the president, held a gala at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month that featured a packed ballroom and not a face mask in sight, according to the many photos of the event posted on social media.
The party comes as Florida officials, on Tuesday, announced the highest positivity rate the state has ever seen: 26.29 per cent.
The New Year’s Eve gala is an annual tradition that pre-dates Trump’s time in the White House.
Ivanka Trump walked into the party holding the hang of her daughter Arabella, while Jared Kushner escorted their sons at last year’s New Year’s Eve party
Tiffany Trump attended the party with her boyfriend Michael Boulos at last year’s event
Typically the president’s family attends. Last year, Trump walked the red carpet with his wife Melania and their son Barron.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner also attended with their children. Donald Trump Jr. was accompanied by one of his sons and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle. Eric Trump and Lara Trump were also there as were Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos.
Prominent Trump friends like Rudy Giuliani also made an appearance.
But the president also has missed the event, such as he did at the opening of 2019 because he was stuck in Washington thanks to the government shutdown.