A live-painted portrait of Jesus Christ that sold for $2.75 million set the backdrop for US President Donald Trump's New Year's Eve remarks, in which he said his resolution for 2026 was a wish for "peace on Earth," during a gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife.
Trump's comments came as reporters questioned him about a reported CIA-directed strike on a dock in Venezuela, according to The Guardian, with surveys showing a majority of Americans do not understand his aggressive stance and apparent push for military action in Venezuela.
The portrait was created onstage by artist Vanessa Horabuena, whom Trump praised as "one of the greatest artists anywhere in the world." Opening the bidding at $100,000, Trump asked her to "draw something really special," adding that the proceeds would be split between St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the local sheriff's department.
"These people are loaded with cash, just so you know," he added.
Trump's New York-based charity, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, formed in 1988, was dissolved by court order in 2018 after various legal violations came to light, including self-dealing, and was forced to pay more than $2 million in damages to eight different charities for illegally misusing charitable funds for political purposes.
Over the decades, both before and during his political career, Trump has been dogged by charges of soliciting money for charitable causes but failing to distribute them.
The New Year's gala drew senior political and business figures, including Trump's former adviser Rudy Giuliani, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, filmmaker Brett Ratner, US House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Jeanine Pirro, the District of Columbia's attorney general.
