Trump’s Mar-A-Lago New Year’s Celebration Overshadowed by Legal Battles and Public Scrutiny
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, attends a New Year’s Eve event at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 31, 2024. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)
Donald Trump and wife Melania appeared to struggle to maintain a picture of unity as they arrived at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, for a black-tie New Year’s Eve celebration. The event was held ahead of Trump’s January 20 inauguration as the incoming US president.
Trump wore a bow tie and three-piece suit for the occasion, while Melania chose an elegant asymmetrical black dress, with a thigh-high slit, paired with pointed stilettos that highlighted her toned legs.
However, as the couple prepared to enter the club, they seemed to stand awkwardly apart, with Melania failing to show any sign of affection toward her husband. The two walked side by side but appeared somewhat distant, with Melania remaining stoic during the brief public appearance.
According to the Daily Mail, Among the high-profile guests at the celebration was Trump’s close friend, Elon Musk. Musk, in good spirits, was seen carrying his son, X AE A-Xii, who wore a nearly identical suit to his father. The father-son duo waved to photographers as Musk smiled, with his son playfully clutching his face for support while perched on his shoulders.
Trump’s New Year’s Eve party, however, came at a turbulent time in his legal battles. Just before the celebration, Trump lost an appeal against E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse verdict, forcing him to pay millions in damages.
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $5 million (£4 million) award granted to Carroll, a longtime magazine columnist who had accused Trump of defamation and sexual abuse during a 2023 trial.
Carroll testified that Trump attacked her in a dressing room in 1996, a claim Trump has repeatedly denied. Trump did not attend the trial, but he did testify briefly at a follow-up defamation trial earlier this year, which resulted in an $83.3 million (£66.4 million) award.
The appeals court rejected Trump’s claims that the trial was flawed, including the admission of testimony from two other women who had accused Trump of sexual misconduct and the airing of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape from 2005.
In response to the ruling, Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung issued a statement arguing that Trump was elected by voters and called for an end to what he described as the “political weaponization” of the justice system. Meanwhile, Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, expressed gratitude for the decision, thanking the court for its careful consideration.
