A stiletto-wearing socialite who twisted her ankle battling through the crush of bodies at Donald Trump's cramped Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve bash learned her lesson the hard way.
This year, she stayed away – and she wasn't alone.
A handful of Palm Beach's elite and administration officials gave the presidential celebration a hard pass – snubbing what's perceived to be the hottest ticket in southern Florida.
The people who attend what was once a coveted event are now 'grifters and people who think Trump is Jesus,' a well-connected Palm Beach insider exclusively told the Daily Mail with pang of disdain.
Ironically, Trump's big bash included a performance from live artist Vanessa Horabuena, who painted an abstract portrait of Jesus Christ that was auctioned off for $2.75 million for charity.
One Trump loyalist poured cold water on the hype around the annual party, telling the Daily Mail he stayed away from the Mar-a-Lago ball drop this year: 'Been for NYE before, boring and left early.'
Some members of the president's inner circle noticeably chose to skip the circus to opt for alternate, more low-key parties to welcome 2026.
At the top of the list was Alina Habba, senior advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi and former counselor to the president, who decided to throw a alternative New Year's event at her new house in Florida.
Alina Habba, senior advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi, threw a New Year's Eve bash at her Florida home instead of joining the 'madness' at Donald Trump's annual bash at MAr-a-Lago
Top Trump advisor Margo Martin left the Mar-a-Lago party around 10PM to ring in the New Year at Habba's Florida home, a well-placed source told the Daily Mail
FBI Director Kash Patel and his country music singer girlfriend Alexis Wilkins decided to hit Habba's, a well-placed source told the Daily Mail.
The source revealed that while top Trump advisor Margo Martin started her night at the president's private Palm Beach club, she left around 10PM to ring-in 2026 at Habba's home instead.
The guest list also included Real Housewives of New Jersey star Siggy Flicker, who is close with New Jersey-native Habba.
A person familiar with the event said that the Habba party was much more 'chill' and 'intimate' with a 'selective' guest list of 'A-list government and White House staffers.'
They said that a lot of people wanted to 'opt out of the chaos and the madness' of spending New Year's with the crowd at Mar-a-Lago – 'especially when they work in chaos of DC the rest of the year.'
About 30 people attended Habba's party, the source estimated.
One Palm Beach source told the Daily Mail that 'so many people just want to go to Mar-a-Lago and take a picture' with the president or to show they were at the event. It's more about status, they say, than actually having a good time.
Images posted to social media by MAGA insiders show Martin was at Mar-a-Lago for at least part of the evening.
But later in the night she took a selfie with Chamberlain Harris, who serves as Trump's special assistant and deputy director of White House Oval Office Operations, next to the 2026 pool-side light-up sign in Habba's yard right down the road from the club.
Habba posted some images from her family-friendly New Year's Eve party with her children, who apparently still live full-time and attend school in New Jersey.
An artist performed a live on-stage abstract painting of Jesus Christ at Trump's Mar-a-Lago party that auctioned for $2.75 million for charity
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the annual New Year's Eve bash at Mar-a-Lago on December 31, 2025
Trump appointed Habba as acting US attorney for New Jersey in March 2025, despite her having no prosecutorial experience. She resigned in December 2025 after an appeals court ruled she was serving unlawfully in the position.
As a small circle of Trump loyalists partied at Habba's, the president was down the road at Mar-a-Lago with thousands gathered to celebrate 2026 and the impending end of his first year back in office.
MAGA luminaries spotted at the shindig included former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Fox News host and US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro; MyPillow CEO and Minnesota US Senate hopeful Mike Lindell; Hollywood director Brett Ratner, who directed the upcoming Melania documentary; and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Trump's children Donald Trump Jr., Eric and Barron were spotted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held official meetings with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, were among the most high-profile guests of the night.