PALM BEACH, Fla.—Only hours after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump had transformed into a party host, speaking into a wireless microphone as a yacht-rock band warmed up on the stage behind him.
PREMIUM President Trump mingling with guests during a New Year’s Eve event at his Mar-a-Lago home.
“We have a man here, a special man. He is the brother of the pope,” Trump said Sunday, calling out Louis Prevost, a Florida resident and elder sibling of Pope Leo XIV.
Geopolitics were back on the agenda Monday as the president sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the stalled Gaza cease-fire and new tension with Iran. Trump spent Tuesday at his nearby golf course and Wednesday put on a tuxedo for a New Year’s Eve gala where an artist live-painted a portrait of Jesus that the president auctioned off. Winning bid: $2.75 million.
Such are the rhythms of Trump’s two-week getaway at Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private club. Trump made regular visits during his first presidency but following his dramatic 2024 comeback, he has more fully embraced the estate as the so-called Winter White House, aides and friends say. It is his happy place, and Trump reveled in the comfort of longtime friends, business associates and MAGA disciples.
“We’re back, we’re strong—I didn’t think it could happen this fast,” Trump said Wednesday night, touting the recent, stronger-than-expected, economic growth report. Hundreds of people filled the Mar-a-Lago ballroom to celebrate the new year and take part in some own-the-libs fun. Stephen Miller, architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown, bopped his head as Vanilla Ice performed “Ice Ice Baby.”
The mood belied the challenges that await Trump when he gets back to work in Washington on Monday. His approval ratings have fallen over the past year as voters grow increasingly dissatisfied with their economic standing and millions of people face jumping health-insurance costs. The war in Ukraine, which Trump vowed to end quickly, grinds on, and the Middle East faces new tumult. Meanwhile, Republican unity is showing cracks, and files in the Jeffrey Epstein case continue to be released.
The new year also puts the midterm elections into full focus, threatening GOP control of Congress and raising the prospects of Democratic investigations into Trump’s actions. Democrats have had success attacking Trump and the GOP over affordability issues, and critics say Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project and Mar-a-Lago-inspired golden makeover of the Oval Office shows him as out of touch.
“Trump was elected largely on the promise to bring down costs, and most Americans believe that things are worse now than when he took office,” said Democratic strategist David Axelrod. “They voted for a populist president and instead are getting Marie Antoinette.”
“President Trump has been focused on turning Biden’s economic disaster around since Day One—while Democrats continue to lie and gaslight Americans about the problem they created in the first place,” a White House spokesman said.
In between meetings and golf, Trump tended to his projects.
The day after Christmas he was reviewing marble handrests that could be installed at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, a change facing legal challenge. While Netayhahu visited Monday, Trump veered off on the ballroom, telling reporters it would have bulletproof glass and a “drone-free” roof. “It’s a big, beautiful, safe building,” he said.
Allies say Trump is able to toggle between his various roles. “It’s a talent Geminis have,” said Toni Holt Kramer, a Mar-a-Lago member and founder of the Trumpettes, a group of women who support the president, referring to Trump’s zodiac sign. “It’s not a vacation—maybe when he’s on the golf course. The rest of the time he’s focused.”
Trump during his stay announced that the Navy would build a “Trump-class” battleship and a new aircraft carrier. His team has also been working on proposals to address high prices, including a forthcoming housing policy.
Trump was active on social media too. Ahead of the New Year’s party, he attacked Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado as a “scumbag” and mocked “average guy” George Clooney after the actor’s family was granted French citizenship.
He also fit in plenty of golf at his nearby club in West Palm Beach. Earlier this week Trump was joined by a group that included Brian Harman, winner of the 2024 British Open, according to a person who was there. His son Eric was ambling around the clubhouse. Trump was more upbeat than he had been recently, said another person who spoke to him, though the president complained about news coverage.
Nonetheless, Trump took the opportunity to charm the press and show off his digs during the trip, offering lunch to reporters while Zelensky visited. That surprised aides and wait staff, who brought out to the patio sliced steak, coconut shrimp, pigs in a blanket, fries and Trump-branded water.
Negotiators inside were treated to more formal fare. “I hope you enjoyed the food,” Trump told Zelensky during a joint news conference. “Your people enjoyed the food, I can tell you that. Your big, strong people. Your general over there looks like central casting.”
Minutes before Zelensky’s motorcade arrived club members splashed in a pool at the edge of the property. The Secret Service redirected a family down a different path to the tennis courts.
Mar-a-Lago, meaning “sea to lake: in Spanish, was built by breakfast cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in the 1920s, and in her late years she envisioned it as a winter retreat for presidents. But the U.S. government relinquished the property in 1981. Trump bought it in 1985 for $10 million and a decade later opened it as a members-only club, clashing often with the old guard of Palm Beach. A membership initially cost $25,000 and has increased as Trump gained power, reaching $1 million last year, up from $700,000.
As Trump and Zelensky wrapped up a news conference Sunday, Trump jokingly suggested the Florida trappings were so grand that Zelensky wouldn’t want to visit Washington again.
“I’m ready to go to the White House,” Zelensky said to laughter.
“I know, the White House is a very special place,” Trump said. “And so is this. I hope you enjoyed it.”
A while later, Trump was on the move again, making an early evening visit to his golf club.
Write to Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com
