Iran reportedly vowed to carry out “devastating strikes” after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike. US President Donald Trump is working in a different kind of room, greeting tuxedoed donors under Mar-a-Lago’s gilded ceiling.A video posted on Instagram appeared to show Trump greeting wealthy visitors at his West Palm Beach club that night as Tehran vowed to launch a “devastating strike” in retaliation for the airstrike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump admitted in a 2 a.m. Truth Society post on Saturday that he expected American citizens to die in the war he had just started, but that did not affect the party schedule at Trump’s private beach resort.The Daily Beast reported that Carolyn Leavitt confirmed to White House reporters on Saturday afternoon that the president would take time out from a wave of missile attacks on Iran to attend a Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago with millionaires.On Saturday night, Florida vaping magnate Shlomi Evgi posted a photo on Instagram posing with Trump’s top foreign policy advisers, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff. He also posted video clips of Trump wearing a gold tie and shaking hands with VIPs who paid top dollar to attend fundraisers in a gilded room.Evgi, who received a written warning from the FDA in 2024 for violating U.S. tobacco laws, wrote: “It was an honor to meet Marco Rubio.” According to numerous photos on Instagram, QR Joy’s CEO is a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago and has met with Trump on multiple occasions. The company produces e-cigarettes under the Fume brand.The White House did not respond to a request to confirm Trump’s attendance at the party Saturday night, but Levitt made that clear earlier in the day. “President Trump still intends to attend tonight’s Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, which is more important than ever,” she said.Hours before launching war in the Middle East, Trump danced to the YMCA and Lee Greenwood’s Make America Great Again classic “God Bless America,” while a black-tie crowd interrupted a charity gala cocktail hour to chant “USA! USA!”Little did the guests know that at this time the US military was preparing to jointly attack Iran with Israel. Trump soon disappeared behind the curtains of a makeshift situation room to watch the attack unfold.After the party guests went home, Trump posted a wild video on the Truth social network announcing the beginning of war.In the next 24 hours, at least 10 countries were hit by missile attacks: Iran, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Qatar. Britain also said missiles heading to Cyprus, a European island that hosts a large British military base, were intercepted.The New York Times reported late last year that Mar-a-Lago would host a fundraiser this weekend that would cost $1 million per person to attend.
