President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida threatened with $15,000-per-violation coronavirus fines after New Year's Eve party videos show unmasked crowd on dance floor as rapper Vanilla Ice performs
President Donald Trump's luxury Mar-a-Lago resort has been slapped with a warning from Palm Beach County after a viral New Year's Eve video showed a mostly unmasked crowd partying on the dance-floor.
County officials sent a letter addressed to Bernd Lembcke, Mar-a-Lago's executive vice president and managing director, on Tuesday that cited 'a breakdown in enforcement of the mask orders that led to almost the entire room of guests being without masks during the later evening activities.'
The fines, if violations are found in the future, could reach $15,000 per infraction, the county warned in the letter.
The New Year's Eve video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed around 500 guests at the $1000 ticket event, including the president's sons Eric and Don Jr., partying to musical guests including 90s rapper Vanilla Ice, Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love and singer Taylor Dayne.
President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, pictured in 2019, has been warned by Palm Beach County that is could be fined $15,000 per Covid violation after it hosted a New Year's Eve party for 500 guests where few wore masks
A video of the New Year's Eve party went viral and showed a crowded dance floor as well as unmasked guests, like Rudy Giuliani, pictured, slow dancing with a woman to Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York'
The video showed '90s rapper Vanilla Ice give a birthday shoutout to Don Trump Jr. as he performed to hundreds of mostly mask-less partygoers
Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., shared a video of himself to Facebook during Vanilla Ice's performance at the party, which included renditions of his hit song ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ and a cover of Wild Cherry’s ‘Play that Funky Music’
The man filming the video captured the large crowd, including Don Jr. President Trump was due to attend the event, but bowed out following his defeat by Joe Biden in the election
Todd Bonlarron, the county’s assistant administrator, said that further violations of the mandate could result in 'potential fines', up to $15,000 per offence, as reported by NBC's West Palm Beach TV, which obtained a copy of the letter.
He said Lembcke promised to enforce the ordinance in the future.
'Your acknowledgment and commitment to enforce these laws was evident in our visit,' he wrote.
Palm Beach County has been hard hit by the virus, with more than 90,000 cases reported and nearly 2,000 deaths. It has a population of 1.5 million.
The county has a mask mandate that requires anyone in the area to wear a face covering when in 'all businesses and establishments and in outdoor public spaces where social distancing is not possible', amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Don Jr and girlfriend Kimberley Guilfoyle appeared, mask-less, in a Facebook live video from the bash, wishing people a Happy New Year
He posted online how 'awesome' it was that rapper Vanilla Ice was playing at the party
The Trumps: The president's children and their significant others gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate for his annual New Year's Eve gala
Guests paid $1000 a ticket to attend the black tie event, where nearly everyone did not wear masks
Although Trump did not attend, as intended, high-profile guests like Rudy Giuliani glad-handed the guests during the night
Trump had been scheduled to attend the $1,000 per ticket party, but he left Mar-a-Lago a few hours before it began as he spent that weekend trying to overturn his election defeat to President-elect Joe Biden.
His sons Don Jr. and Eric attended, along with his attorney Rudy Giuliani, Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who is one of the president’s staunchest supporters.
'This is amazing. Vanilla Ice is playing the Mar-a-Lago New Years Eve party. As a child of the 90s you can’t fathom how awesome that is,' Donald Trump Jr. wrote on a Facebook post that included a video of the party.
The video showed tightly-packed attendees bouncing and singing along as the rapper performed his decades-old hit, 'Ice Ice Baby.'
Photos from guests' social media showed a lavishly decorated ballroom for around 500 partygoers
Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, pictured in 2018, has been his official base since 2019
Trump, pictured as he steps off Marine One to board Air Force One before departing Harlingen, Texas on January 12, was due to attend the party but instead left a few hours before
Last month, Democratic State Rep. Omari Hardy filed a complaint with the Town of Palm Beach challenging Trump’s possible move to the resort after he leaves office on Wednesday.
A mask order in Palm Beach, which was recently extended by county officials through January 20, requires the wearing of masks in public spaces when social distancing is not possible and while a person is working in or patronizing a business.
Hardy said the event had the potential to be a ‘super-spreader’ and that the resort should not be allowed to flagrantly disregard the mandate.
Rep. Omari Hardy, a Democrat from Palm Beach, posted a series of tweets calling for Mar-A-Lago to be fined and closed after the New Year's Eve party
In a second tweet, sharing footage captured by Don Jr. of the event, Hardy wrote: ‘My constituents live here. This is their home, and they’re going to have to deal with the consequences of a potential super-spreader party at Mar-a-Lago long after Junior [Donald J. Trump Jr.] and wife leave here on their private jet.’
Hardy, who represents a district near Mar-a-Lago, said last week that he finds it 'offensive and disrespectful' that 'these out-of-towners for one night couldn’t wear a mask'.
He added that they endangered the club’s staff and the community.
When the town agreed in 1993 to convert the private residence into a club, Trump's attorney at the time said he wouldn't live there.
The town has said it will consider the state lawmaker's complaint if Trump moves to the resort, which he made his official residence in 2019.
Today it emerged that Trump has planned to hold an unprecedented farewell event at Joint Base Andrews the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration and then leave town for Mar-a-Lago before his successor takes the oath of office.
Trump's farewell is supposed take place at the base outside Washington where Air Force One is headquartered. No recent president has had his own sendoff ceremony at JBA.
White House officials said they are considering an elaborate event that would have the feel of a state visit, with a red carpet, color guard, military band and 21-gun salute all being discussed, the Associated Press reported.
He then plans to fly to his Mar-a-Lago residence before Biden takes the oath of office at noon, which is when Biden will become the nation's 46th president.
The timing makes it unlikely Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host Joe and Jill Biden for coffee - a tradition by the outgoing first couple for their replacements on the morning of inauguration.
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