MAR-A-LAGO – On Saturday afternoon in the Grand Ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, more than 400 people gathered to hear former President Donald Trump, along with supporters Congressman Byron Donalds, Congressman Wesley Hunt, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The event raised $2 million for Trump’s presidential campaign.
Spotted at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday was Alaska congressional candidate Nick Begich, running against Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat who now represents Alaska. Begich endorsed Trump in the fall, far before the Iowa primary.
Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump introduced Trump, who was greeted by an enthusiastic standing ovation as he strode to the stage. She presented Trump with a Billboard Music award for the No. 1 song “Justice for All.”
Trump spoke about the new RNC leadership and asked Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump to join him on stage, where he talked about the America First Agenda and the newly invigorated RNC fundraising operation.
Begich is an “America First” candidate endorsed by Reps. Bryon Donalds of Florida and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, as well as Ramaswamy.
Trump held forth without notes for approximately 90 minutes on a range of topics from the state of the presidential campaign, election integrity, the economy, the border, and the Biden protests at college campuses around the nation.
Trump cataloged Biden’s failures, including his weakness and dishonesty, and touched on the the weaponized, justice system, although not specifically about his current court case in Manhattan.
He highlighted poll after poll showing steady and consistent campaign trail dominance, and reminisced with the crowd about the Election Night in 2016 and the joy in proving the pundits and media wrong.
Trump brought featured speakers up on stage, including Rep. Jim Banks, Rep. Donalds, Rep. Hunt, and Rep. Michael Waltz. He also brought to the stage, Senators Marsha Blackburn, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott. JD Vance, and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
President Trump closed the event by thanking Republican leaders and donors, and raising an additional $2 million right from the podium at the event.
The event then turned into a birthday party for Dr. and Congressman Ronny Jackson of Texas, who was the White House physician in the Obama and Trump administrations. In March of 2018, Trump nominated him as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and later as chief medical advisor and assistant to the president.
