After skipping the gala last year, Donald and Melania Trump were photographed at the black-tie New Year’s Eve event in Mar-a-Lago among several other prominent Republicans who have aligned themselves closely with the former President.

These include Trump’s attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who attended with his wife Ginger Luckey amid his ongoing Department of Justice investigation addressing allegations of sex trafficking minors against him.

Last year, Trump decided to return to Washington D.C. on December 31 2020 as part of his efforts to delegitimize Joe Biden‘s recent Presidential election victory. This culminated in the Jan 6 Capitol riots, which began at a pro-Trump “Save America” rally where he made statements like calling Biden an “illegitimate President.”

While infectious disease experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have recommended against attending large New Year’s gatherings, the state of Florida has very few Covid-19 restrictions in place due to a May 3 executive order by its Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

The Mar-a-Lago event was heavily attended, and very few guests or staff elected to wear a mask that evening, as it is not required indoors.

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