President Donald Trump rang in the New Year with an amateur art auction at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where a freshly painted portrait of Jesus Christ sold for $2.75 million. He even shared his New Year’s resolution: “Peace on Earth.”
The painting was created on stage by Vanessa Horabuena, a self-described Christian “worship artist” whom the president described as “one of the greatest artists anywhere in the world”.
“To me, she’s one of the greatest. In fact, she did something last night that was incredible. She can paint, slowly, a beautiful portrait for the White House, or she can paint the most incredible painting in literally 10 minutes,” he said on video of the event broadcast on the right-wing media outlet Newsmax.
He carried this narration through the creation of Horabuena’s painting as a band played a slow rendition of “Hallelujah.” “Draw something really special. I don’t know what it is, but draw something really special,” he said to the artist, opening the bidding at $100,000 and explaining that half the proceeds would go to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital and half to the local sheriff’s department.
“These people are loaded with cash, just so you know,” he added. The painting ultimately sold for $2.75 million to a “woman in a top hat,” the Guardian reported. The Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party has been a Trump tradition for some two decades, with previous years’ guests including Martha Stewart, Serena Williams, and Tiger Woods. Attendees of the 2026 fete included Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, Brett Ratner, director of Amazon’s upcoming Melania Trump documentary; former adviser and New York mayor Rudy Giuliani; and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife, Sara.
Trump’s wish for world peace comes amid CIA-directed strikes on Venezuelan territory, and floundering peace talks between Russia and Ukraine; February will mark four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country.
