The Tamesis
President Donald Trump ushered in the New Year with an amateur art auction at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where a newly 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 called “one of the greatest artists in the world.”
“To me, she is one of the greatest people. In fact, she did something incredible last night. She could slowly paint a beautiful portrait of the White House, or she could paint the most incredible painting in just 10 minutes,” he said in a video of the event played by right-wing media Biggest news.
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He carried this narrative throughout the creation of the Joura Buena painting as the band slowly played “Hallelujah.” “Paint something very special. I don’t know what it is, but paint something very special,” he told the artist, who offered a starting bid of $100,000, explaining that half of the proceeds would go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and half to the local Sheriff’s Department.
“You know, these guys have cash on hand,” he added. The painting was eventually sold to a “woman in a top hat” for $2.75 million, guardian the report said. The New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago has been a Trump tradition for nearly two decades, with past guests including Martha Stewart, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods. Attendees at the 2026 celebration include Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani; Brett Ratner, director of Amazon’s upcoming Melania Trump documentary; former adviser and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara.
Trump’s desire for world peace comes amid CIA-directed attacks on Venezuelan territory and troubled peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. February will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
