Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has an outbreak in the coronavirus. But that does not mean that the parties stop.
On Sunday, the club is hosting a fundraiser for 500 people for children’s charities – complete with old cars, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and ‘everyone playing by the pool’, according to Valentina Aved, Palm Beach realtor, who helped host the event organize.
The $ 370-per-head party in favor of Place of Hope has been sold out, Aved said, and no one seems concerned about the outbreak.
‘It will be a very exciting event. The most beautiful cars, people, good friends, “she told The Daily Beast.
The charity’s Instagram’s Instagram also promises ‘hundreds of historic cars on display, live entertainment, a fashion show, brunch and more!’ It does not mention precautions for coronavirus. The party’s website once referred to “disinfection stations” and “space for social distance”.
The event is being held outdoors after the club’s dining room and beach room had to close. In an email to members, first reported by the Associated Press, Mar-a-Lago said: “Some of our staff have recently tested positive for COVID-19”, but promise that “all appropriate response measures have been taken” . The affected areas have been cleared and some workers have been quarantined, but banquet and event services remain open.
Aved, who goes through Valentina Deva on Instagram, told The Daily Beast that two kitchen staff tested positive. She was at Mar-a-Lago last week during two wild fundraising events hosted for a charity Big Dog Ranch Rescue, chaired by Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Usually, the annual gala – which is almost always held at Trump properties – attracts at least 800 people, but due to COVID-19, organizers split the event into two bases of about 500 people over two days.
Aved insisted that everyone wear masks and try their best to distance themselves socially – ‘maybe not six feet, but at least three feet apart’ – in the Grand Ballroom.
But dozens of photos and videos of the event show almost no participants wearing masks, and women screaming and crowding around to take photos.
In one video of the event that Angela Bird’s philanthropist posted in Miami, a topless male model walked down a treadmill while a woman without a mask shouted and cheered at nearby tables.
The event, complete with dog shows and an auction, reportedly raised $ 1.4 million. Neither Place of Hope, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, nor Mar-a-Lago responded to The Daily Beast’s request for comment on the precautions taken.
Lara Trump also attended the fundraiser. Donald Trump himself showed up halfway and told the crowd that he heard their loud noises from the golf course and according to Aved ‘go see what you do’.
Trump was seen hugging people while a crowd that was mostly maskless took pictures and said, “We love you, we love you.”
Other videos from the past week have shown Melania Trump joining her husband in a dining area tampered with by more mask-free customers.
The former first family moved permanently to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House in January. Donald and Melania were there preparing for their son Barron’s 15th birthday on Friday when the outbreak became public, according to CNN.
Aved said she examined her friends in light of the club’s positive affairs. Some returned to Miami, others to New York, where incoming travelers were supposed to be quarantined or provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result. None of them felt sick, she said.
Florida state Democrat Omari Hardy has called on Palm Beach County to close Mar-a-Lago in January after a New Year’s Eve party attracted hundreds of maskless partygoers. The province sent a stern letter to the club warning that the province’s codes had been violated and could face a $ 15,000 fine.
Hardy said the Florida House passed a COVID-19 bill that would grant immunity to businesses like Mar-a-Lago despite irresponsible behavior.
He tweeted Friday night: “The workers do not deserve it.”