Lawmaker Wants Mar-A-Lago Shut Down For Maskless NYE Party

PALM BEACH, FL — New House Rep. Omari Hardy is calling on Palm Beach County officials to shut down Mar-a-Lago after video footage from a maskless New Year’s Eve party at Pres. Donald Trump’s private clubs was shared online.

On New Year’s Day, Hardy shared a complaint about the matter that he emailed to Palm Beach’s assistant county administrator Todd Bonlarron on Twitter. In the email, the lawmaker called the video clips “very concerning” because “none of the partygoers or entertainers at Mar-a-Lago were wearing masks.”

The president’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., and others shared photos and videos from the bash showing many maskless attendees. Vanilla Ice, the Beach Boys, Taylor Dayne and others performed at the event.

“Ok this is amazing. Vanilla Ice is playing the Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party. As a child of the 90s you can’t fathom how awesome that is,” Trump, Jr. wrote when he shared a video of rapper Vanilla Ice’s performance at the party.

With so many maskless guests, the party “has the potential to be a super-spreader event,” Hardy said in his email to Bonlarron.

He reminded the assistant county administrator that according to Palm Beach County’s emergency order, businesses are required to have their patrons wear masks. The county can fine or shut down businesses for noncompliance, he said.

“Mar-a-Lago is a club. The club is a business. Businesses must comply with Palm Beach County’s mask ordinance,” he said. “It is common knowledge that the president hosts a New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago every year. I wonder why the county was not prepared to enforce its mask mandate at the New Year’s Eve celebration hosted at Mar-a-Lago.”

Hardy added, “We cannot allow businesses and business owners to openly flout our mask order. This kind of open noncompliance endangers the public health and encourages more noncompliance, which in turn, further endangers the public health.”

Vanilla Ice — the stage name of Robert Van Winkle — has defended the event after facing criticism on social media. In a statement, he called the Mar-a-Lago party “awesome.”

“We danced we celebrated. We had a great time. It was a very classy event at a beautiful Palm Beach landmark,” he said. “Everyone was cleared from (a COVID-19) test prior to the event. I think everyone just wants to get out and dance and have fun. We’ve all been marinating, trapped in our houses. It’s not about politics at all. This is about dancing and enjoying New Year’s. And I wish everyone a very happy new year.”

Hardy remains committed to punishing Trump and Mar-a-Lago for defying the county’s mask mandate though.

“We’re one step closer to shutting down Mar-a-Lago,” he tweeted Monday night. “This was an egregious violation of our mask order. Hundreds of people. Indoors. No masks. It’s a public health catastrophe waiting to happen. No business should get away with this.”