PALM BEACH, Florida — On President Donald Trump’s 14th consecutive day at Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private club here, his motorcade veered from the familiar route to his golf club and pulled into an industrial shopping center on the side of the highway.
The leader of the free world had some shopping to do. As helicopters flew overhead, Secret Service sealed off the parking lot of Arc Stone & Tile so that the president could review samples of marble and onyx for a proposed White House ballroom project.
Trump will pay for the materials “at his own expense,” according to a White House official who declined to say what he bought or how much he spent. The stop, focused on a long-standing signature initiative, reflected a pattern in which Trump has pursued private interests alongside the work of governing while operating remotely from Florida.
The White House declined to explain the timing of the purchase, as administration officials argue in court that construction will not begin on the project until it receives a green light from a federal review panel. Trump appears to be a repeat customer, according to a review on the store’s website that indicates his properties have used the company for more than a decade.
Since arriving in Palm Beach early on the morning of Dec. 20, Trump has shifted much of his governing to what supporters call the “winter White House,” hosting foreign leaders and advisers at the estate while also maintaining his regular golf schedule and social calendar. He has visited his nearby golf club 12 times in two weeks and hosted a New Year’s Eve party where guests bid $2.75 million on a live-painted portrait of Jesus. He has also conducted international diplomacy, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the club.
The arrangement reflects a governing style that collapses the boundaries of the presidency, Trump’s private business interests and his personal life, placing key moments of diplomacy and decision-making in a setting defined by access and loyalty rather than formal protocol. The scene recalls Trump’s transition period a year ago, when world leaders, business executives and supporters vying for a position in the administration made pilgrimages to the social club that emergedas the center of the political universe after his election victory.
Trump’s political opponents have seized on these displays of opulence, highlighting the stark contrast between the president’s holiday celebrations and the impact of the administration’s policies on American voters. As the new year began, the enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired.
“Trump is kicking poor kids off food aid and is throwing millions off their health care this month, but he and his billionaires get caviar and ice sculptures,” wrote Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) on X, reposting a video of a caviar station adorned with a “2026” ice sculpture recorded at Trump’s New Year’s Eve party.
The press office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared the same video on social media, noting that an estimated 17 million Americans would start getting kicked off their health insurance this year — punctuated with a party face emoji. The post appeared to reference Congressional Budget Office estimates released last summer about the impact Trump’s signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill, is expected to have through 2034 as Affordable Care Act credits are allowed to expire.
The White House responded by critiquing Joe Biden’s vacations, accusing the former president of “napping at Rehoboth Beach” as inflation rose.
“Although much work remains, 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,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
The posts illustrate how Democrats have begun pointing to Mar-a-Lago itself — and the events held there — as shorthand evidence for a governing approach that intertwines wealth, access and official decision-making, themes they argue resonate with voters focused on health care and the cost of living.
Health care has emerged as one of Trump’s weakest issues, as 33 percent of voters said they approve of his handling of the issue in a recent YouGov survey. In the same poll, 80 percent of people said they believe the wealthy have captured political institutions.
Last year, Democrats made similar critiques of a “Great Gatsby”-themed Halloween party that Trump also hosted at Mar-a-Lago during the government shutdown as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were expected to expire. Democrats have also opened an investigation into the White House ballroom project, probingwhether private patrons — many of whom have not disclosed their contributions — behind the $400 million project will receive any benefits in return. Many of the donors the White House has identified — including Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Palantir — have business before the administration, such as seeking future federal contracts or eyeing potential acquisitions. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
But these political conditions have not appeared to deter Trump from displaying his largesse. On New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago, musicians played patriotic anthems from black pedestals as political donors and Trump allies walked down a carpet to the party. Businessman Phil Ruffin and Brett Ratner, the director of an upcoming Amazon documentary about first lady Melania Trump, were among the guests spotted walking toward a ballroom blaring party classics like “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
Unlike official White House events, gatherings at Mar-a-Lago operate with fewer formal guardrails around disclosure, records and access, even as policy discussions and diplomatic encounters unfold there. The New Year’s Eve event convened top administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, alongside Hussain Sajwani, the Emirati businessman who has worked with Trump in the Middle East for years. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, Trump’s sons who lead the family’s businesses, were also in attendance.
Trump entered the party wearing a black tuxedo and made his way to the stage to tout the accomplishments of his first year and recognize VIPs in attendance. He praised Rep. Tom Emmer for his TV appearances, days after the Minnesota Republican called for the deportation of Somali Americans accused of fraud. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani looked on from a table in the back of the room under a ceiling installment of white flowers as the president recognized Christian speed artist Vanessa Horabuena.
As Christian worship music filled the ballroom, Horabuena danced and began painting a cross that ultimately morphed into a portrait of Jesus. When the painting was completed, Trump returned the stage and began to auction the artwork off for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a sheriff’s department, starting with his own offer of $100,000. Trump touted the business accomplishments of the auction participants as he sought to drive the price up, at one point calling a $2 million bid “peanuts.” The artwork was ultimately auctioned for $2.75 million. Trump and White House officials did not identify the winner, a woman who wore a top hat and a bow tie.
Before 10 the next morning, he was back at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
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