The brilliant New Year’s Eve celebration at the presidential resort of Mar-a-Lago in previous years was one of the highlights of the social season in Palm Beach, Florida. People paid hundreds of dollars for tickets. Celebrities like Sylvester Stallone, Rod Stewart and Woody Allen attended. Guests ate caviar and drank champagne.
But this year, the party didn’t even include President Trump. He had planned to attend, but without explanation left the tourist town on Thursday morning to return to Washington.
The streets around Mar-a-Lago were quiet at 8 pm. The dozens of police officers were present whenever the president was present. The barricade that blocks the city’s main road has disappeared, creating congestion. Trump supporters are already cheering him on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway in West Palm Beach.
The city of Palm Beach imposed a curfew at 1 am, limiting New Year’s Eve festivities, and the authorities at Mar-a-Lago declined to comment on the gala evening’s attendance, menu or entertainment. But when the full moon shone above the resort, guests drove through the front and rear gates in luxurious cars. The men wore tuxedos, women’s dresses and some masks.