Former President Donald Trump was mocked after he had rapper Vanilla Ice and someone dressed as Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles perform for a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago estate, marking the first musical act to trend on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2024.
Videos captured Trump present in the room as Vanilla Ice entertained the crowd, while an Elvis impersonator performed in another part of the venue.
But it was of course Vanilla Ice and that Ninja Turtle that really captured people's attention and video footage shows many supporters as well as members of Trump's inner circle rocking out during the '90s-themed event.
You can see the performance below.
In his speech to attendees, Trump mentioned his wife Melania Trump's absence, noting her stay at a Miami hospital to be with her mother. He lightened the mood, humorously suggesting Mar-a-Lago members were “scalping tickets” before briefly shifting to politics, mentioning the imminent Iowa GOP caucuses set to begin.
An optimistic Trump—currently the subject of multiple state and federal investigations related to his financial malfeasance and efforts to overturn the 2020 general election—declared that the United States "has gone to hell but we’re going to turn it around, we’re going to turn it around quickly."
But critics couldn't take what he said seriously—not after those performances.
This wasn’t Vanilla Ice's first appearance at Mar-a-Lago, as he previously made headlines for a New Year's Eve performance at the same venue three years prior.
Responding to critics of his 2020/2021 New Year's Eve performance, he defended his presence, emphasizing that the event was a celebration disconnected from politics. He highlighted the cleared Covid tests for attendees, focusing on the desire for people to simply "dance and have fun" after enduring pandemic restrictions.
At the time, the rapper said what he'd participated in "was a very classy event at a beautiful Palm Beach landmark."
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